Earlier this week, the Georgia Department of Education released Career and College Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) scores for school districts across the state of Georgia. The state average for cumulative school district scores came in at 76.6. The Troup County School System, however, posted a cumulative score of 66.1.

The CCRPI scores are notoriously challenging to wade through, as the scores judge school districts on a combination of factors such as content mastery, progress, closing gaps, readiness, climate and graduation rate. All of these culminate into a school system’s total score and it is important to not pass judgement on any particular school district based on one number alone.

In addition, comparisons between the results this year and last year are impossible, as the Georgia Department of Education has updated and reconfigured the grading formula. This can make judging year-over-year progress of the school system doubly challenging.

That being said, however, it is obvious that the school system would have liked to have seen a higher overall score, one that at least kept the county on a relatively level playing field with the state average.

The largest and most pressing need for improvement came from the system middle schools, which posted an overall score of 59.7. Callaway Middle posted an overall score of 53.6, Gardner Newman Middle posted an overall score of 59.6 and Long Cane Middle posted an overall score of 62.0.

The primary driving force for the low scores came from areas of closing gaps, where the district posted an overall score of 29.7, as well as content mastery, which saw the district post an overall score of 50.0. Closing gaps, per CCRPI, sets the expectation that all students and all student subgroups make improvements in achievement rates.

While the CCRPI scores and results certainly left room for improvement, there were positive elements from the scores that should be considered. For one, the district received a high rating for school climate, with all but three of the district schools receiving at least a four-star rating.

Berta Weathersbee Elementary, a school that has struggled in recent years, also posted positive growth ratings. While Berta posted a low score in content mastery (25.7), the school posted the highest score for progress in the district at 91.7 in that subcategory.

The district has improvement that needs to be made, such is evident from the reports. While it is important the community hold the school system and the Board of Education accountable for making progress, it is just as important, if not more so, that individual families ensure they take the necessary time to work with their children at home, to ensure the work our qualified and talented teachers are doing in the classroom is taking firm hold in their minds.

LaGrange and Troup County continue to grow, and for the community to continue to expand, the school system needs to play an integral part in attracting businesses and talented families. Such is a necessary next step toward improvement.