The Georgia Department of Education (GADOE) released its annual College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) for 2022 with modifications due to a waiver from the U.S. Department of Education. Fulton County Schools (FCS) has again outranked state standings and demonstrated visible progress in helping struggling schools to overcome the learning gap resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The district’s mitigation system, which consists of extensive additional instructional support and monitoring and which began before the pandemic, was augmented by FCS’s Bridge to Success program, funded by the American Rescue Plan stimulus package.

“We are so proud of our hard-working staff, both instructional and administrative, for their creative and innovative work and commitment to academic recovery. The system they have developed is working, and these results illustrate that improvement,” said Superintendent Mike Looney.

Content Mastery

The report includes CCRPI scores for three components: Content Mastery, Readiness and Graduation Rate. This year, no overall scores were included. Content Mastery shows if student achievement in core studies is high enough to be prepared for the next grade or college/career. It consists of student scores on state assessments in English Language Arts, mathematics, science and social studies. Readiness indicates if students are participating in “Beyond the Core” activities that prepare them for the next grade or college/career. This includes fine arts, world languages, physical education/health, career exploratory and computer science. At the high school level, Readiness includes literacy scores, pathway completion data and accelerated enrollment data.

FCS students outperformed the state in content mastery on every level. The district’s elementary score beat state elementary levels by 12.4 points. The middle school score exceeded the state score by nine points. The district’s high school score was 8.6 points higher than Georgia's score. Fulton’s students also beat the state results in Readiness at all three levels, specifically by 6.7 points in elementary school, 7 points in middle school and 5.3 points in high school.

Fulton’s graduation rate surpassed the state by 4.7 points achieving its highest recorded district graduation rate. This year’s score reflects both the four- and five-year cohort graduation rate, reported at the high school level only.

Fulton’s Content Mastery Highlights

• 15 of Fulton’s elementary schools, out of 48 in the state, achieved a perfect 100!  
• Of the 34 middle schools in Georgia that scored a 90 or above, five were from FCS, and Webb Bridge Middle School scored a perfect 100.  
• 35 Georgia high schools received a 90 or above, seven were from FCS: Innovation Academy scored 100, and Northview High School scored 98.6, leading Fulton County Schools.  

Fulton’s strategy for minimizing the negative impact of COVID-19 in learning and testing involves a well-developed system of wrapping arms around underperforming schools with specific action planning. With direction from zone superintendents and other district support staff, schools identify problems, receive specialized instructional coaching, monitor through detailed site visits, and produce data for cabinet review. The district has seen the positive results of additional initiatives such as Summer Learning, High Dosage Small Group Tutoring, Extended Learning and Parent Engagement.

FCS Board President Julia Bernath concluded, “This data reflects the dedication of our teachers to ensure all students are learning at high levels. We thank them and congratulate our students for their hard work.”

Content Mastery

Readiness

Graduation