5th Graders Show ‘Huge’ Gain In Writing Scores
Commerce Middle School’s fifth graders pulled off a major turnaround in one critical state standardized test.
“Eighty-seven percent of the 121 students met or exceeded state performance standards on the 2008 Georgia Fifth Grade Writing Assessment,” announced Principal Chuck Bell. “A whopping 37 percent of those students exceeded standards.”
In 2007, the school fell short of the state average by 15 percent when only 55 percent of the kids met or exceeded the state standards, and only five percent exceeded them.
The percentage of students who failed to meet performance standards dropped from 46 percent in 2007 to 12 percent in 2008.
“Led by language arts teacher Lori Martin, the fifth grade team of teachers participated in professional learning, established strategies and developed lessons that ensured students were extremely well prepared for this year’s assessment,” Bell pointed out.
However, he also noted that the effort covered the entire fifth grade staff.
“There was a great amount of focus and a very specific goal set by that teaching team,” Bell continued. “It was a goal they (the entire fifth-grade team) specifically embraced. It wasn’t just Language Arts. That team of teachers made it happen.”
Bell called the turnaround “huge.”
