Inspired by the recently released Learn4Life (L4L) State of Education in Metro Atlanta Annual Report, our team at ARC analyzed 10-county regional education data for a selection of key cradle-to-career indicators. We review detailed information for three indicators in particular: 3rd grade reading proficiency, 8th grade math proficiency, and post-secondary enrollment, before concluding with a deep dive on 8th grade math proficiency (coincidentally, the focus of L4L’s most recently launched Change Action Network).

1. Atlanta Regional Commission
For more information, contact:
cdegiulio@atlantaregional.org
Public Education in Metro Atlanta:
Assessing the Cradle-to-Career Pipeline
June 2018

2. A Closer Look at Public Education in Metro Atlanta
Overall, only 39 percent of 3rd graders in the 10-county ARC Region are proficient in reading by the end of
3rd grade.
A study commissioned by the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows that children not reading proficiently by
the end of third grade are four times more likely to not graduate high school.
Similar to reading outcomes, only 43 percent of 8th graders are proficient in math by the end of 8th grade.
Minority and economically disadvantaged students are less likely to take advanced mathematics courses.
And, regardless of the type of assessment taken, achievement gaps persist among subgroups.
There is a strong correlation between literacy and 8th grade math proficiency.
There is also a strong correlation between socioeconomic status and student achievement, which is also
visible in the spatial distribution of levels of student achievement throughout the region.

3. Performance on Select Cradle-to-Career Indicators
Source: The Governor’s Office of Student Achievement (GOSA)
39% 43%
82%
74%
25%
Graduation
Rate Post-Secondary
Enrollment*
Post-Secondary
Completion†
3rd Grade Reading
Proficiency
8th Grade Math
Proficiency
10-County Region
*Post-secondary enrollment represents the percentage of 2015 graduates enrolling in a post-secondary program within 16 months of graduation.
†Post-secondary completion represents the percentage of 2012 graduates earning a post-secondary degree or credential within five years of graduating.

4. A Look at Regional 3rd Grade Reading Proficiency
Source: GOSA, 2016-2017 Georgia Milestones EOG report
% Proficient & Above on 3rd Grade Reading (GA Milestones),
10-County Region, Disaggregated by Subgroup
Over 34,000 students were not reading proficiently by the end of 3rd grade in 2017.
25%
64%
Economically
Disadvantaged
Not Economically
Disadvantaged
23%
42%
Limited English
Proficient
Not Limited
English Proficient
44% 34%
Female Male
Note: Reading proficiency includes those students scoring proficient or distinguished on the 3rd Grade English Language Arts Milestones assessment.
of 3rd grade students were
reading proficiently by the
end of the 2016-2017
school year.
39%
65%
28% 27%
63% 49%
Asian Black or African
American
Hispanic White Other

5. 3rd Grade Reading Proficiency, on the map…
Source: GOSA, 2016-2017 Georgia Milestones EOG report
The adjacent map shows 3rd grade
reading proficiency by school across the
entire state.
The blue shades represent higher
reading proficiencies, while the orange
and red shades represent lower levels of
proficiency.
Metro Atlanta schools generally have
decent proficiency levels when
compared to schools in the southern half
of Georgia, but South Fulton, Clayton,
and Spalding schools stand out with the
lowest proficiency rates in the metro
area.

6. A Look at Regional 8th Grade Math Proficiency
Source: GOSA, 2016-2017 Georgia Milestones EOG & EOC reports
% Proficient & Above on 8th Grade Math (GA Milestones, EOC + EOG),
10-County Region, Disaggregated by Subgroup
Nearly 31,000 students were not proficient in math by the end of 8th grade in 2017.
76%
27% 33%
70%
52%
Asian Black or African
American
Hispanic White Other
26%
66%
Economically
Disadvantaged
Not Economically
Disadvantaged
15%
45%
Limited English
Proficient
Not Limited
English Proficient
44% 42%
Female Male
of 8th grade students were
proficient in math by the
end of the 2016-2017
school year.
43%
Note: In 2016, standards changed to allow 8th grade students to take advanced algebra and geometry course assessments to fulfill the Georgia
Milestones 8th grade mathematics assessment. Proficiency values on this slide represent the percent of students scoring proficient or above on
the Georgia Milestones 8th grade mathematics assessment (EOG Report) and the approved advanced mathematics course assessments (EOC
Report) combined.

7. 8th Grade Math Proficiency, on the map…
Source: GOSA, 2016-2017 Georgia Milestones EOG report
Similar to the previous 3rd grade
proficiency map, this map shows 8th
grade reading proficiency by school
across the entire state.
The blue shades represent higher math
proficiencies, while the orange and red
shades represent lower levels of
proficiency.
Again, metro Atlanta schools generally
have decent proficiency levels when
compared to schools in the southern half
of Georgia, but South Fulton, Clayton,
and Spalding schools stand out with the
lowest proficiency rates in the metro
area.

8. A Look at Regional Post-Secondary Enrollment…
Source: GOSA, 2016-2017 Post-Secondary C-11 report and 2017 High School Graduate Outcomes Dashboard, Statewide Longitudinal Data System (GA• Awards)
10-County Region, Disaggregated by Subgroup
87%
70% 57%
83%
Asian Black or African
American
Hispanic White
64
%
Economically
Disadvantaged
46
%
Limited English
Proficient
78% 71%
Female Male
of the 2015 graduating class
enrolled in a post-secondary
institution within 16 months of
graduation.
74%
While 74% of graduates are enrolling in a post-secondary institution within 16 months of
graduating, completion is another story, with only one-quarter of students in the region
earning a post-secondary credential or degree within five years of graduating.

9. Post-Secondary Enrollment, Continued…
The adjacent map shows a slightly
different measure for post-secondary
enrollment than the preceding slide.
This map is showing the percentage of
2016 graduates who enrolled in a post-
secondary institution within one year of
graduation by school across the entire
state.
The blue shades represent higher rates
of enrollment, while the orange and red
shades represent lower levels of post-
secondary enrollment.
Metro Atlanta schools have the highest
rates of post-secondary enrollment in
the state, especially among the schools
in North Fulton, Cobb, and Gwinnett
counties.
Source: GOSA, 2016-2017 Post-Secondary C-11 report

10. Are There Any Differences in Proficiency Depending
on the Type of Assessment Taken?
Source: GOSA, 2016-2017 Georgia Milestones EOG report
of 8th grade students who took the
8th Grade Georgia Milestones Assessment
were proficient in math by the end of the
2016-2017 school year.
31%
Note: In 2016, standards changed to allow 8th grade students to take advanced algebra and geometry course assessments to fulfill the Georgia
Milestones 8th grade mathematics assessment. Proficiency values on this slide represent the percent of students scoring proficient or above on
the Georgia Milestones 8th grade mathematics assessment (EOG Report) VS the advanced mathematics course assessments (EOC Report).
vs.
of 8th grade students who took assessments
in advanced courses in algebra or geometry
(in lieu of the Georgia Milestones 8th Grade
Mathematics Assessment)
were proficient in those subjects by the end
of the 2016-2017 school year.
76%

11. Socioeconomic and Racial/Ethnic Gaps Persist,
Regardless of Type of Assessment
Source: GOSA, 2016-2017 Georgia Milestones EOC report
% Proficient & Above on 8th Grade Math (GA Milestones, EOG vs. EOC),
10-County Region, Disaggregated by Subgroup
43%
76%
All Students
26%
66%58%
86%
Economically
Disadvantaged
Not Economically
Disadvantaged
15%
45%41%
76%
Limited English Proficient Not Limited English
Proficient
44% 42%
74% 77%
Female Male
76%
27% 33%
70%
52%
90%
62% 57%
88% 74%
Asian Black or African American Hispanic White Other Races/Ethnicities
EOG (8th Grade GA Milestones Assessment) EOC (Advanced mathematics course assessments)
Regardless of assessment taken gender, race/ethnicity, English proficiency, and
economic status achievement gaps exist.

12. Who is Taking the Advanced Courses?
EOG vs. EOC Participation Rates, 10-County Region, Disaggregated by Subgroup
73.3%
66.1%
42.6%
84.4%
82.6%
72.2%
76.0%
94.6%
74.4%
60.6%
72.1%
96.5%
70.4%
67.1%
61.2%
26.7%
33.9%
57.4%
15.6%
17.4%
27.8%
24.0%
5.4%
25.6%
39.4%
27.9%
3.5%
29.6%
32.9%
38.8%
All Students
American Indian or Alaskan Native
Asian
Black or African American
Economically Disadvantaged
Female
Hispanic
Limited English Proficient
Male
Not Economically Disadvantaged
Not Limited English Proficient
Students with Disabilities
Students without Disabilities
Two or More Races
White
EOG Participation EOC Participation
Source: GOSA, 2016-2017 Georgia Milestones EOG & EOC reports
Overall, smaller numbers of students with disabilities, female, minority (with the exception of
Asian), economically disadvantaged, and limited English proficient students are taking
advanced algebra and geometry courses (as indicated by the green bars above).

13. Factors Impacting Achievement: Literacy
Relationship between 8th Grade ELA Proficiency and 8th Grade Math Proficiency
Source: GOSA, 2016-2017 Georgia Milestones EOG report
Perhaps not surprisingly, as reading proficiency increases, so does math proficiency.

14. Factors Impacting Achievement: Socioeconomics
Relationship between Economic Disadvantage and 8th Grade Math Proficiency
Source: GOSA, 2016-2017 Georgia Milestones EOG report
And, as the percentage of economically disadvantaged students in a school
increases, math proficiency decreases.

15. A Spatial Look at the Impact of Socioeconomics
Spatial Relationship between Economic Disadvantage and 8th Grade Math Proficiency
The two maps above show that lower rates of proficiency (represented by the orange
and red shades in the map on the left) map almost perfectly with higher rates of
economic disadvantage, represented by blue shades in the map on the right.
Source: GOSA, 2016-2017 Georgia Milestones EOG report
8th Grade Math Proficiency % of Economically Disadvantaged Students

16. For more information regarding the state of education
among metro Atlanta’s core counties, please visit:
www.l4lmetroatlanta.org
Atlanta Regional Commission
For more information, contact:
cdegiulio@atlantaregional.org