Dublin school board celebrates improved CCRPI scores

The Dublin City Board of Education at its meeting Monday celebrated improved scores and “academic progress” in the College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) report released by the state last week.

Hillcrest Elementary posted one of the region’s best scores, as did Dublin Middle School, but the system’s fifth-graders, who are housed at the middle school, scored the lowest among area elementary students. Dublin High’s score also was among the region’s lowest, but each of the city’s schools made gains in at least some of the categories used for the CCRPI.

“As you can see, we’re getting after it, our students are getting after it,” Superintendent Fred Williams told the board. “We are on a great trajectory at Dublin City Schools.”

Williams also addressed what he called “misinformation” concerning the Promise Scholarship School List, which uses the CCRPI to identify the lowest-performing 25 percent of the state’s public schools for the new private school voucher program. Eligible students who live in a public school attendance zone that is in the lowest 25 percent can qualify for up to $6,500 in annual funding for private school tuition, tutoring services and other qualified expenses.

The list on the state’s website – before it was taken down last week for “validation” – included Dublin High and East Laurens High. Williams noted that the state has twice published then removed a list from its site.

“There is not a finite list yet,” Williams said. “That list keeps going up and coming down. … They had to meet a Dec. 1 deadline to get a list done. It’s a real hot topic around the state.”

The Promise Scholarship School List is supposed to be determined using a composite score from the previous two school year, but Williams said the state is “using pre-COVID numbers.”

Dublin High had the fifth lowest score among high schools in the 10-county Heart of Georgia RESA district. East Laurens has the second lowest.

The CCRPI uses four categories to score schools: 

• Content Mastery, which uses statewide student proficiency test such as the Georgia Milestones and End of the Year exams.

• Progress, which measures student growth year to year among demographic subgroups.

• Closing the Gaps, how much students – including English
language learners – grow in English language arts

• Readiness, which measures indicators such as literacy scores, data on student success beyond core instruction, accelerated enrollment and attendance.

For high schools, the graduation rate is also used in the composite, counting for 15 percent of the score.

Hillcrest Elementary posted a composite score of 83.6 – an increase of 67.7 percent and the fourth highest score among all elementary schools in the RESA district. Susie Dasher Elementary scored an 80. In comparison, Northwest Laurens Elementary scored an 88.35, Southwest Laurens Elementary an 86.33 and East Laurens Elementary an 82.8.

However, the Dublin fifth-graders who are tested scored the lowest in the district with a composite of 49.6.

“That is a red flag for us,” said Marcee Pool, the system’s curriculum district. “We know we have some work to do on fifth grade.”

Board member Regina McRae asked what might be the cause of the lower fifth grade scores. Pool attributed it partly to fifth-graders being “COVID babies” who started school during the pandemic.

“We’re doing a lot of little things, trying to get them caught up,” Pool said.

Dublin Middle School also had the fourth highest score in the RESA district, with a 73, just ahead of West Laurens and Bleckley middle schools (both 72.6). East Laurens Middle scored the second highest in the district, at 77.5.

Dublin High, however, had the fifth-lowest score, at 65, followed by Washington County (65.5), Treutlen (63.5), East Laurens (58) and Montgomery County (56.1).

Whether those scores qualify for the Promise Scholarship Schools List is yet to be determined. but Williams cautioned “that list can change every year.”

“Schools can come off that list.” 

He also noted that most private schools do not offer the Georgia Milestones or other testing the state will require to monitor students’ progress.

Critics argued that private-school vouchers will divert money from public schools while not truly serving the needs of students from low-income families, noting that $6,500 is not nearly enough to pay the tuition at most private schools. Williams, who has been a vocal opponent of school vouchers, shared the conclusion of a researcher who found private school vouchers to be “more harmful that the effects of Hurricane Katrina” when it comes to student achievement.

In a news release from the school system, Williams said he is”proud to see Dublin City Schools students making academic progress and succeeding both in and out of core subject areas.”

“While there are clear areas of strength, there are also opportunities for growth, and our district remains committed to continuous improvement,” he said.