Articles by the Superintendent

Measuring Student Success: Beyond the Report Card

Dr. Mike Ewton
July 1, 2025

What does student success look like?  From our own school experience, most of us understand and remember the feeling of satisfaction that accompanies an “A” or the disappointment and lump in our throat when a dreaded “F” is revealed on our completed assignment. Grades are a mainstay of American public schools. Classroom grades help identify student growth and performance over time in a given subject area. Report cards communicate a student’s academic progress and performance based on descriptions of state curriculum standards. While report cards have long served as the primary measure of student progress, growing research reminds us that education encompasses the development of the whole child.

In addition to classroom grades, standardized assessments can provide a measure of student achievement based on state or national benchmarks. Comparing test scores over time can help identify growth and proficiency in specific subject areas. When certain subject areas become the focus of the big test, there is a danger that more teaching emphasis and resources will be dedicated to those high-stakes subject areas than to some other equally important, but less scrutinized, subjects. High-stakes testing is also a significant source of stress and anxiety for both students and teachers. Considering their benefits and limitations, test scores and grades tell only part of the story of student growth and achievement. The modern workforce requires more holistic measures of student achievement and well-being than traditional grading alone. 

Whether students hope to attend a college or a university, attain a technical college credential that provides them with an advantage entering the workforce, or enlist in the military, all of these aspirations have equal value. It is our mission to provide students with the educational opportunities they need to prepare them for their chosen journey to college and career readiness. 

Students planning to attend a university or a technical college system institution can get a head start in high school. Advanced Placement (AP) courses can provide valuable college credit for students who successfully take on the challenge. Through partnerships with Dalton State College and Georgia Northwestern Technical College, Whitfield County Schools students can earn college credit through tuition-free dual enrollment opportunities. Dual enrollment not only helps high school students achieve their postsecondary goals but also benefits parents and students by reducing the tuition burden of a post-high school education.  

A large number of students are taking advantage of the Career Technical and Agricultural Education (CTAE) programs in our schools. CTAE classes at the three traditional high schools, as well as the Northwest Georgia College and Career Academy, offer students opportunities to complete multiple career pathways, engage in work-based learning experiences, participate in internships, and earn industry-recognized certifications. Participation in and completion of any of these high school opportunities is a definite measure of student success. For some students, deciding that the career pathway they are studying is not the right one for them can also be a significant factor in achieving student success. It is better to discover you are on the wrong career path while still in high school, before college tuition and adult responsibilities become a factor. 

Students often develop responsibility, social skills, resilience, leadership, and grit both in the classroom and through participation in extracurricular activities, such as athletics, the arts, clubs, and service-learning organizations. Any employer today will tell you that these attributes are as much a measure of student success as any grade or test score. Graduates who know how to show up, take responsibility, work with others, and communicate well will set themselves apart from others with fewer employability skills, and also demonstrate student success.   

It is our commitment to prepare students academically with a desire for life-long learning and to ensure they are well-prepared, productive members of society upon graduation from Whitfield County Schools. Educating the whole child requires a broader definition of success than the traditional measures, and we work toward that goal every day.