Fulton Schools students rebound post-pandemic with increased participation, high milestones marks

Students enrolled in the Fulton County School System continued to perform well compared to their state and the Regional Educational Service Agency counterparts in the 2022 Georgia Milestones assessments, according to the Georgia Department of Education.

“The results demonstrate the continued recovery from learning disruptions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The district will utilize these results as a new baseline to build teaching and learning strategies,” a Fulton Schools news release said.

Georgia Milestones measures how well students have learned the knowledge and skills outlined in the state-adopted content standards in English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies.

“These results show further proof that communities and schools are recovering from the pandemic,” Fulton County School Board President Julia Bernath said in a statement. “We are so proud of our students, teachers and staff for their dedication to recovering our educational excellence.”

The school system noted some particular highlights from the Georgia Milestones 2022 spring administration. For instance, the district’s participation rate exceeded the 2021 participation rate, and Fulton expects to exceed the federally mandated 95% participation rate when final calculations are available from the Georgia Department of Education.

Fulton County Schools also exceeded the state and RESA in the percentage of students reading at or above grade level for all grades.

When looking at the percentage of students scored as Proficient and Distinguished Leaders, FCS:

♦ Exceeded the state in ELA, math, and science in all grades

♦ Exceeded the RESA in ELA and math across all grades

♦ Exceeded the state in 95% of the categories tested

♦ Tied or exceeded RESA in 95% of all categories tested

Participation is a key factor, according to a news release. In 2021, FCS only had 16 out of 108 schools with a participation rate above 80% for all students. This low participation rate prevents district and school-based comparisons between 2021 to 2022 scores.

The district is using COVID-19 federal relief funds to execute its Bridge to Success plan, a three-year comprehensive plan and transformational investment to support learning recovery efforts and ensure student achievement, growth, and success.

“The high level of engagement from our students and staff demonstrates that the strategies of our Bridge to Success plan are having an impact,” Superintendent Dr. Mike Looney said in a statement. “However, while we are pleased with some results, we know there is much more work to be done.”

The plan features seven major initiatives to help students recover from learning loss, including “Every Child Reads,” “FOCUS” and “Expanded Programs.”

Through these initiatives the district has expanded its summer programming, added a high dosage tutoring paraprofessional at every elementary school for small group and one-on-one tutoring sessions, and provided a literacy coach at every elementary school to support teacher training and critical student literacy instruction. The district is also providing additional support for virtual learning options, as well as dropout prevention strategies and wrap-around services for students and families through its “Extended Learning Programs.”

To further support student achievement and success, the district will increase its focus on student attendance for the 2022—2023 school year. All parents are encouraged to make sure their students are attending school as much as possible, to ensure they are receiving direct instruction from teachers and staff, as research has shown this to be critical to overall student progress.