Stephens Gets CCRPI Scores

Stephens County is reacting to the latest College and Career Ready Performance Index, or CCRPI, scores released by the state.

Recently, the state announced the CCRPI scores for the 2015-2016 school year.

The CCRPI is Georgia’s statewide accountability system, implemented in 2012 to replace No Child Left Behind’s Adequate Yearly Progress measurement, after the U.S. Department of Education granted Georgia’s waiver from NCLB. It measures schools and school districts on a 100-point scale based on multiple indicators of performance.

Stephens County had a CCRPI score of 72.1 in the elementary school level, 81.1 at the middle school level, and 69.5 at the high school level.

Both the elementary and middle school scores are above the state averages for their respective level, while the high school score is below the state average.

This represents the first set of CCRPI scores for Stephens County since the re-structuring of Grades K through 5.

Speaking for the elementary schools, Toccoa Elementary School Principal Dr. Chris Colwell said they were pleased to see the scores stay stable after all the changes.

“The first year with our restructuring, we were kind of apprehensive about what the score would be, but it turned out to be almost identical to the previous year,” said Colwell. “It just goes to show the great teamwork and the great teachers we have in our system. They all pull together and we improved in some areas, which I am excited about.”

Colwell credited the staff for a job well done.

Meanwhile, Stephens County Middle School Principal Joel Strickland also said it took a team effort to achieve the scores that the middle school got, which is nearly 10 points above the state average.

“It is just one of those things where teachers work tirelessly every day from 7 a.m. to late in the afternoon,” said Strickland. “I see students working hard every day and the parents help out so much at home with their students. We appreciate that. Everybody has to work together to help our kids succeed.”

Strickland says they worked to maintain best practices in the classroom and work with those students who are struggling while challenging students doing well in order to get students to progress forward.

He also says they are also looking at areas to work on for future years.