Georgia’s eighth grade writing assessment scores were recently released by the Georgia Department of Education, and show that more students are meeting and exceeding writing assessment standards.

The district’s three middle schools: Callaway, Gardner Newman and Long Cane, administered the state’s writing assessment to eighth graders this past January. School system gains continue to outpace the state.

Results show that 78 percent of all students met or exceeded testing criteria, gaining 5 percentage points over last year. This number also represents a 14 percentage point gain since 2009, compared to the State’s gain of seven.

Callaway Middle School made the greatest gains, experiencing an 8 percentage point increase over last year. This year, students meeting and exceeding standards rose from 64 percent to 72 percent. Since 2009, gains have risen by 30 percentage points.

Gardner Newman Middle School also made gains. Students meeting and exceeding standards increased by 6 percentage points over last year. In 2009, only 67 percent of students met or exceeded standards, and this year, that number has risen to 80 percent. The school has gained 13-percentage points over the past four years.

Long Cane Middle School topped the charts for the system last year when the number of students meeting and exceeding writing standards jumped 10 percentage points, compared to the previous year – 70 percent to 80 percent. This school year, Long Cane saw a 1-percentage point gain, increasing to 81 percent. Scores show that Long Cane Middle has the largest percentage of students in the district meeting and exceeding writing assessment standards.

“We are proud of our students and the improvements made on the writing assessment,” said Troup County School System Director of Secondary Curriculum Tonia Contorno. “One of our goals is to see more and more students advance in their writing skills. We will continue to provide our future leaders with educational resources and strategies they need to build a successful foundation.”