Bryan County Schools continued to outperform state averages in CCRPI scores released today for the 2016-2017 school year by the Georgia Department of Education.
CCRPI — College and Career Ready Performance Index — is the state’s school accountability system, implemented in 2012 to replace the federal No Child Lefty Behind’s “Adequate Yearly Progress” measurement.
The district as a whole received a score of 81.4, up from 80.6 last year and 78.8 two years ago. The statewide average was 75. CCRPI scores are not the same as the letter grades assigned to districts and schools by the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement, although they do factor into that measure.
Bryan County Elementary School showed the largest improvement in the district, scoring a 77 compared to 70.5 a year ago. It was at 75.3 two years ago.
Across Georgia, elementary and middle schools averaged a score of 73, while high schools averaged a 77.
Bryan County High School showed the second-best improvement in the district with a score of 65.6 compared to 61.6 last year. It was at 63.8 two years ago.
Bryan County Middle School fell from 58.6 last year to 56.3. Two years ago it was at 59.2.
“We are excited about our upward trends but we know we still have areas we need to improve on,” Superintendent Paul Brooksher said.
Richmond Hill High School fell to 84.3 from 87.4 last year. It scored 83.2 two years ago. Richmond Hill Middle School dipped slightly to 83.8 from 84.9, but still ahead of the 79.4 two years ago.
“We were a little surprised by that, but when we dug into it we found the state had changed how they weight the categories from last year,” Brooksher said. “For schools that size though, those aren’t bad scores.”
Brooksher said the CCRPI had put more emphasis on science and social studies scores in years past — areas where those schools excel — and switched to a higher emphasis on math and ELA scores.
Carver Elementary school moved up from 89 to 90. It was at 84.3 two years ago. McAllister Elementary School moved up to 85.9 from 85.2. It was not graded two years ago after just opening.
Lanier Primary School, Richmond Hill Elementary School and Richmond Hill Primary School are not assessed on the CCRPI due to their grade levels.
While not counted in the CCRPI score, each school also receives a “climate star rating” on a scale of 1 to 5. The scores are based on several factors including discipline and attendance reports, having a “safe and substance-free learning environment” which takes into account reports of illegal substance and bullying discipline reports, and surveys of teachers, students and parents on their perception of a school’s climate.
Richmond Hill Middle School, Richmond Hill High School, Richmond Hill Primary School, Lanier Primary School, Richmond Hill Elementary School and Bryan County Elementary School all received a 5 in this category.
Carver and McAllister elementary schools received 4s, while Bryan County Middle School and Bryan County High School each received a 3.
“Obviously there is still work to be done, but when you look at the big picture we are trending upward,” Brooksher said. “All of our principals are very competitive and are focused on doing great things to help students.”