Calhoun City and Gordon County schools performed above the state average in a key index aimed at rating school performance.

The Georgia Department of Education this week released the College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI), based on data from the 2013-2014 school year.

CCRPI is a comprehensive school improvement, accountability and communication platform for all educational stakeholders that will promote college and career readiness for all Georgia public school students, according to the Georgia Department of Education.

For the 2013-2014 school year, Gordon County Schools scored 74.2, compared to 79.9 in 2013, while Calhoun City Schools scored 76.3, compared to 82.8 in 2013.

Georgia’s elementary schools saw a one-year decrease in scores from 77.8 to 72.6 (-5.2), middle schools saw a one-year decrease in scores from 74.6 to 73.2 (-1.4) and high schools saw a one-year decrease in scores from 71.8 to 68.4 (-3.4), according to the DOE.

“While decreasing CCRPI scores are disappointing, they are not unexpected,” State School Superintendent John Barge said in a press release. “This index is still relatively new and demands different areas of focus for our schools. Improvements will not happen overnight, but the CCRPI is giving them a roadmap to tailor an education that is studentcentered and one that will ensure they are college and career ready.”

Gordon County Schools Superintendent Susan Remillard said many county schools scored well in comparison to surrounding schools in neighboring districts.

“I am very proud of the schools in our district. Sonoraville High School ranked well when compared to other schools in our area, and four of our six elementary schools fared better than any other school in our comparison,” Remillard said. “Tolbert Elementary, our district’s current top performing school, has increased more than 12 percentage points in the last two years. They have made remarkable progress, and I am sure this will be a recurring trend. Our principals, teachers and district leadership are all committed to the success of our students, and we continue to make that the focus of our work.”

The scores released in the report contain data incurred from July 2013 to June 2014 and do not reflect any changes that have been made in anticipation of needed improvement to ensure all students have an equal opportunity to an excellent education, Remillard said. The schools that did not fare as well in the rankings have put improvement strategies into place this school year to increase scores and expect marked progress.

Elizabeth Anderson, former Sonoraville Elementary leader, transferred in July 2014 to W. L. Swain Elementary School as principal. When asked about how she will address her new school’s CCRPI scores, Anderson said, “It’s a new day at Swain. We can’t change what happened last year, but we can learn from those experiences and push forward toward success in 2014-15. We recognize the facts about where we’ve been, and we are moving forward. We are using data to be targeted in our instruction. Our teachers and students are excited about the changes they are seeing in the classroom and in the school environment. We have confidence in our students and their abilities, and we are going to give them the tools they need to succeed. We’ve done a lot of positive things this year to move us in the right direction, and I can assure the Swain community that the scores for 2014-15 will be a reflection of all of the hard work and positive changes we have made this school year. ”

Doug Clark, who is in his second year as principal at Gordon Central High School, promises similar changes for his school.

“Our leadership team, working alongside our instructional coach, is now identifying students in each content area who need additional assistance to make gains in academic achievement scores this year,” Clark said. “The goal is to move every student forward. We are developing an action plan to examine how instruction is being delivered and to determine what can be done to further meet the individual needs of our students. Some changes have already been put in place that are expected to immediately improve Gordon Central’s overall performance. The implementation of the ninthgrade hall and ongoing teacher professional development offered by PAGE are among those changes we made well before the 2013-14 scores were released. We are certain that these, along with other innovations we have implemented, will improve future scores.”

Remillard said she has confidence in the abilities of the two strong instructional leaders to make the necessary changes in their respective buildings to improve these scores to ensure that all of Gordon County’s schools rank at the top for 2014-15.

“We know where we need to improve, and we have made many of the necessary steps toward meeting our goals and ensuring all students meet their individual learning potentials,” Remillard said.

Calhoun City Schools Director of Communications Peter Coombe said the system continues to perform above the state average while narrowing the achievement gap for all students.

“With a district score of 76.3, Calhoun plans to use this data as they address their continuous improvement goals focused around increased student achievement,” he added.

The CCRPI is Georgia’s statewide accountability system, implemented in 2012 to replace the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) measurement, after the U.S. Department of Education granted Georgia’s waiver from NCLB on Feb. 9, 2012. It measures schools and school districts on an easy-to-understand 100point scale, helping parents and the public better understand how schools are performing in a more comprehensive manner than the pass/fail system previously in place under AYP.

Since the first “study year” of CCRPI implementation in 2012, the State has received valuable feedback from education partners and the public, and has revised and refined the CCRPI to make a more meaningful report. The 2013 data was calculated for the first time reflecting the new calculation, and the 2012 scores were recalculated applying the new calculation methodology.

The updated calculations require schools and districts to meet greater expectations to earn high scores.

For a complete listing of all school rankings in the state, visit http:// ccrpi.gadoe.org/2014.