Oldham

THOMASVILLE — School is out for the summer for students while Thomasville City Schools officials are going over grades. 

Preliminary scores for 2018 testing shows the school system is moving in an upward direction, said Dr. Daniel Oldham, assistant superintendent of teaching, learning and assessment. 

For the testing sessions, students are graded in one of four categories: 1 for beginning; 2 for developing; 3 for proficient; and 4 for distinguished. 

Oldham said the city schools’ goal is have fewer students ranked as beginners and move more into the proficient and distinguished categories. 

“We saw gains across the district,” Oldham said. 

Because of the gains, Oldham said the scores will “help with overall CCRPI scores.” 

City schools officials are still analyzing testing data. 

Thomasville City school improvement committee members discussed the preliminary scores at a May committee meeting. 

Harper Elementary  

Harper students did well in math and English and language arts testing, Oldham said. 

School-wide, beginning rankings decreased from 32 percent to 30 in math testing. The rate of students classified as beginners in Science also decreased from 57 percent to 45. 

Beginning rankings in social studies testing also decreased from 69 percent to 27. 

English and language arts testing, Oldham pointed out, remained “stagnant” school-wide for Harper. 

The city elementary school did have “phenomenal fifth grade scores” in English, Oldham said. 

“Harper is improving,” he added. 

Scott Elementary 

“As a whole, Scott is trending well,” Oldham said. 

For 2018, Scott’s beginning testers were at 36 percent. Beginning testers were at 46 percent in 2017. 

Those rated as beginners in Math decreased from 33 percent to 29. 

In science and social studies, those testing as beginners were both at 26 percent, decreasing from 37 and 31 percent, respectively. 

Distinguished testers in social studies and science testing also both increased by five percent. 

“Scott had some really great improvement,” Oldham said. 

Jerger Elementary 

Jerger was “very good across the board,” Oldham said. 

The city elementary school increased in proficient and distinguished categories in all testing subjects. 

Distinguished testers ranked between 16-36 percent for all four subjects. 

Jerger also did “a great job” in minimizing beginning rankings in each subject, Oldham added. 

MacIntyre Park Middle School 

Sixth and seventh graders at MacIntyre Park Middle were only tested in English and language arts. 

In both subjects in both grades, Oldham said, the middle school “improved in every area.” 

Sixth and seventh graders also could not retest in either subject, Oldham added. 

In eighth grade, the city middle school decreased in beginning testers by 10 percent in English and math.  

Beginning testers in social studies decreased by 6 percent. 

Oldham said the middle school saw gains in each subject except science. 

Students in the Advancing Individual Minds program were tested differently then the remaining eighth graders, Oldham pointed out. 

“It’s not apples and apples,” he said of comparing the science scores. 

Thomasville High School 

Thomasville High and Scholars Academy students completed end of course tests. 

The city high school improved in algebra and physical science, the two weakest areas, Oldham said. 

In algebra, beginning testers decreased from 57 to 49 percent. In physical science, beginning testers decreased from 51 to 37 percent. 

Ninth grade literature beginning testers decreased from 31 percent to 19. Distinguished testers increased from 8 to 16 percent. 

In American Literature testing, the high school increased from 25 to 32 percent in beginning rankings.  

Reporter Jordan Barela can be reached at (229) 226-2400, ext. 1826.