Milestone Testing Scores for Bulloch County Come in Below State Averages

Education officials recently released the End of Course testing results and the scores show a contrast between Bulloch County and the state, as well as across the district’s three high schools. The charter school within Bulloch County, however, performed the worst in the tested categories.

The state released the End of Course full-year scores for Biology, US History, and American Literature & Composition at the end of July. Mathematics results are not yet available due to the implementation of new mathematics content standards, which were assessed for the first time during the 2023-2024 school year.

The Georgia Department of Education said the results ‘show that steady academic recovery is continuing in Georgia’s public schools’ in the post COVID-19 era. Continued efforts to improve scores include:

• 60 literacy coaches placed in elementary schools across the state, which focus on the lowest-performing 5% of schools
• Working with 100 Georgia teachers to provide online, one-on-one tutoring sessions for high school students in EOC courses

Bulloch County averages came in below the state averages in all three categories. Southeast Bulloch High School, however, exceeded the state and county averages across the board.

NOTE: Statesboro STEAM Academy numbers are listed in comparison but did not contribute to the averages for Bulloch County’s scores as STEAM is recorded in its own ‘system’ category as a charter school.

In American Literature & Composition, Bulloch County Schools recorded 39.5% of students reading below grade level and 60.5% reading at grade level or above.

• Southeast Bulloch: 28.6% below grade level reading
• Statesboro High: 45.2% below grade level reading
• Portal High: 49.5% below grade level reading
• Statesboro STEAM Academy: 57.9% below grade level reading

The average End of Course test score across the state was 510 while Bulloch County’s average score was 502.

• Southeast Bulloch average: 515
• Statesboro High average: 496
• Portal High average: 491
• Statesboro STEAM Academy : 478

Students were classified in four categories based on the scoring: beginning learner, developing learner, proficient learner, and distinguished learner.

• 28% of students tested as a ‘proficient learner,’ compared to the state average of 33.1%
  • Southeast Bulloch HS’s proficient learner % was 36%
    • 24.4% were deemed ‘beginning learners’
  • Statesboro HS’s proficient learner % was 23.7%
    • 37.4% were deemed ‘beginning learners’
  • Portal HS’s proficient learner % was 26.4%
    • 44% were deemed ‘beginning learners’
  • Statesboro STEAM Academy proficient learner % was 10.5%
    • 47.4% were deemed ‘beginning learners’
• 8.2% of students tested as a ‘distinguished learner’ compared to the state average of 8.8%
  • Southeast Bulloch HS’s distinguished learner % was 11.7%
  • Statesboro HS’s distinguished learner % was 6.5%
  • Portal HS’s distinguished learner % was 4.4%
  • Statesboro STEAM Academy distinguished learner % was 0%
• 36.7% of students were a proficient learner or above compared to the state average of 42%
  • Southeast Bulloch HS’s % of proficient learner or above was 47.7%
  • Statesboro HS’s % of proficient learner or above was 30.2%
  • Portal HS’s % of proficient learner or above was 30.8%
  • Statesboro STEAM Academy % of proficient learner or above was 10.5%

In Biology, the average score across the state was 519 while Bulloch County’s average score was 510.

• Southeast Bulloch average: 522
• Statesboro High average: 501
• Portal High average: 513

• 29% of students tested as a ‘proficient learner,’ compared to the state average of 32.7%
  • Southeast Bulloch HS’s proficient learner % was 29.3%
  • Statesboro HS’s proficient learner % was 28.9%
  • Portal HS’s proficient learner % was 28%
  • Statesboro STEAM Academy proficient learner % was 36.8%
• 11.2% of students tested as a ‘distinguished learner’ compared to the state average of 12%
  • Southeast Bulloch HS’s distinguished learner % was 14.6%
  • Statesboro HS’s distinguished learner % was 8.9%
  • Portal HS’s distinguished learner % was 9.3%
  • Statesboro STEAM Academy distinguished learner % was 0%
• 40.2% of students were a proficient learner or above compared to the state average of 44.7%
  • Southeast Bulloch HS’s % of proficient learner or above was 43.9%
  • Statesboro HS’s % of proficient learner or above was 37.9%
  • Portal HS’s % of proficient learner or above was 37.3%
  • Statesboro STEAM Academy % of proficient learner or above was 36.8%

In US History, the average score across the state was 510 while Bulloch County’s average score was 502.

• Southeast Bulloch average: 526
• Statesboro High average: 590
• Portal High average: 494

• 26.3% of students tested as a ‘proficient learner,’ compared to the state average of 30.1%
  • Southeast Bulloch HS’s proficient learner % was 39.6%
  • Statesboro HS’s proficient learner % was 20.8%
  • Portal HS’s proficient learner % was 16.4%
  • Statesboro STEAM Academy proficient learner % was 36.8%
• 5.4% of students tested as a ‘distinguished learner’ compared to the state average of 8.6%
  • Southeast Bulloch HS’s distinguished learner % was 11.5%
  • Statesboro HS’s distinguished learner % was 2.2%
  • Portal HS’s distinguished learner % was 4.9%
  • Statesboro STEAM Academy distinguished learner % was 15.8%
• 31.7% of students were a proficient learner or above compared to the state average of 38.7%
  • Southeast Bulloch HS’s % of proficient learner or above was 51%
  • Statesboro HS’s % of proficient learner or above was 23%
  • Portal HS’s % of proficient learner or above was 21.3%
  • Statesboro STEAM Academy % of proficient learner or above was 52.6%

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