Nearly 60 to over 90 percent of Fayette’s students are scoring at “proficient or above” on the standardized assessments given through the Georgia Milestones Assessment System, according to 2019 scores released by the Georgia Department of Education.

This is a jump in improvement from last year when the highest percentage was over 80 for students performing “proficient or above,” meaning students are considered on track to being college and career ready. The percentage of students performing at this level increased for 21 of the 24 tests given last year with the highest gains in sixth grade English language arts (13.3 percent), third grade English language arts (8.5 percent), sixth grade math (6.9 percent), algebra I (6.7 percent), fifth grade English language arts (6.3 percent), eighth grade English language arts (5.9 percent), ninth grade literature and composition (5.6 percent), and sixth grade reading (5.2 percent).

Across the board, scores were among the top 20 percent in the state (this includes county and city systems much smaller than Fayette), and mostly second among the metro-Atlanta public school systems. Test scores tracked well above those of the state, ranging from 11 to 27 percentage points higher.

Students began taking Georgia Milestones assessments in 2014-2015. The testing system is one comprehensive program across grades three through 12, which includes open-ended questions to better gauge students’ content mastery.