The Georgia Department of Education recently released its College and Career Ready Performance Index scores based on data from the 2013-2014 school year. CCRPI, Georgia's statewide accountability system, was implemented in 2012. It measures individual schools and the district on a 100-point scale. This rating system is designed to help all stakeholders see how schools are performing.

Schools throughout the state earned an average score of 72 out of 100 possible points. While the state score declined by 3.8 points from 2013 to 2014, Liberty County’s score increased by 4.5 points, jumping from 72.6 to 77.1 points. LCSS’ 2014 elementary, middle and high-school scores all exceeded state averages.

 In addition to exceeding the state average, Liberty schools also outscored the regional average of 72.9 by 4.2 points. LCSS’ score of 77.1 points surpassed 15 of the 18 counties in the region.

“The College and Career Ready Performance Index uses a variety of measures to calculate school performance,” Superintendent Dr. Valya S. Lee said. “It aligns closely with our system’s goal to improve graduation rates and prepare students to be college and career ready. Staff members at all of the schools are already busy setting CCRPI goals for 2015.”

The CCRPI calculations require schools and districts to meet greater expectations to earn high scores. To calculate a district’s score, the Department of Education looks at several factors, including student-achievement scores on state tests, attendance rates, academic growth from one year to the next, writing scores, reading-comprehension scores, innovative practices at the school and discipline statistics.