2025 CCRPI shows improvements in content mastery, readiness – Grice Connect

Report on the 2025 College & Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Executive Summary: Progress Towards SDG 4 (Quality Education)

The 2025 College & Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) indicates significant progress in Georgia’s public education system, directly contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality Education. Data reveals improvements across all grade levels in key areas that ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. Specifically, advancements in Content Mastery, Readiness, and Graduation Rates reflect a commitment to SDG Target 4.1, which aims to ensure all students complete free, equitable, and quality primary and secondary education.

Analysis of CCRPI Components through the SDG Framework

The CCRPI framework is composed of five key components, each aligning with specific targets within the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 4, SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities).

• Content Mastery: Measures proficiency in core subjects, directly supporting SDG Target 4.6 (literacy and numeracy) and SDG Target 4.1 (effective learning outcomes).
• Progress: Tracks student growth, ensuring that educational systems are adaptive and effective in fostering continuous learning, a core principle of SDG 4.
• Closing Gaps: This component is crucial for SDG Target 4.5 and SDG 10, as it measures the success of schools in eliminating disparities and ensuring equal access and outcomes for all student groups, regardless of background.
• Readiness: Assesses college and career preparedness, including pathway completion and accelerated enrollment. This directly addresses SDG Target 4.4 (relevant skills for employment) and SDG Target 8.6 (reducing the proportion of youth not in employment, education, or training).
• Graduation Rate: A primary indicator for SDG Target 4.1, measuring the successful completion of secondary education, which is foundational for future economic and social participation.

Statewide Performance Data: 2025

The 2025 results demonstrate a positive trajectory in achieving quality education benchmarks across Georgia.

Elementary School Performance

• Content Mastery: 68.0 (+0.2)
• Progress: 86.1 (-0.1)
• Readiness: 84.1 (+0.9)

Middle School Performance

• Content Mastery: 65.6 (+1.6)
• Progress: 83.1 (+0.8)
• Readiness: 83.2 (+0.4)

High School Performance

• Content Mastery: 69.2 (+1.0)
• Progress: 82.2 (-0.5)
• Readiness: 75.4 (+2.1)
• Graduation Rate: 87.2 (+1.5)

District-Level Implementation of SDG Principles: Case Studies

Several school districts exemplify how targeted strategies can advance educational equity and quality, reflecting the core principles of the SDGs.

1. Baker County Schools: This district demonstrated that fostering strong teacher-student relationships and community partnerships (SDG 17) is fundamental to improving academic outcomes. By increasing student engagement and providing mentorship, the district saw an 8.8-percentage-point gain in middle school Content Mastery, ensuring no student is left behind.
2. Bibb County Schools: The focus on personalized learning aligns with the SDG principle of inclusive education. By tailoring instruction to individual student needs and treating students as “real human beings” rather than data points, the district is actively working to reduce inequalities (SDG 10) and saw a 5.5-percentage-point gain in high school Content Mastery.
3. Calhoun County Schools: This district’s emphasis on preparing every student for a post-graduation pathway to employment, enlistment, or enrollment (the “three E’s”) is a direct implementation of SDG Target 4.4 and SDG Target 8.6. Their significant gains in Content Mastery across all grade bands show the effectiveness of connecting education to decent work and economic growth.
4. Henry County Schools: By focusing on student well-being and helping students find a “positive purpose,” this district embraces a holistic approach to SDG 4. This strategy, which connects learning to future goals, resulted in a 4.9-percentage-point gain in elementary school Content Mastery, building a strong foundation for lifelong learning.

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

SDG 4: Quality Education

The entire article is centered on improving the quality of education in Georgia’s public schools. It discusses the College & Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI), which measures educational outcomes. The article details improvements in “Content Mastery,” “Readiness,” and “Graduation Rate,” all of which are core components of providing quality education. It also highlights specific district efforts to enhance student learning through personalized instruction, teacher-student relationships, and hands-on activities.

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

The article connects educational outcomes to future employment and economic productivity. The CCRPI itself is designed to measure “College and Career Readiness.” Furthermore, the article quotes a superintendent whose vision is for students to graduate on a “pathway to success” where they will “become employed, they will enroll in a postsecondary institution, or they will enlist in the military.” This directly links education to preparing students for decent work and becoming “productive citizens,” which contributes to economic growth.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

The article addresses the issue of educational equity through the “Closing Gaps” component of the CCRPI. This component is specifically designed to measure “how well schools meet annual improvement targets for student groups.” By focusing on the performance of different student populations, the accountability system aims to reduce disparities and ensure that all students, regardless of their background, have the opportunity to succeed, which is a key aspect of reducing broader societal inequalities.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Target 4.1: Ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes.

The article directly relates to this target by focusing on core learning outcomes and completion rates. The “Content Mastery” component measures student proficiency in key subjects like “English Language Arts (ELA), mathematics, science, and social studies.” The improvement in the “Graduation Rate,” which includes both four- and five-year rates, is a direct measure of the completion of secondary education.

Target 4.4: Substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.

This target is addressed through the CCRPI’s focus on preparing students for life after high school. The “Readiness” component explicitly includes “pathway completion, and college and career readiness measures.” The stated goal for students to become “employed, enrolled in a postsecondary institution, or enlisted in the military” reinforces the objective of equipping youth with relevant skills for their future careers.

Target 4.5: Eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable.

The article connects to this target through the “Closing Gaps” component of the CCRPI. This component is designed to ensure educational equity by tracking the progress of various “student groups.” By holding schools accountable for the performance of these groups, the system aims to ensure equal access and opportunity for all students, thereby reducing educational disparities.

Target 8.6: Substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training (NEET).

The article implies a focus on this target by emphasizing post-graduation outcomes. The vision described by Superintendent Pamela Quimbley to ensure students “become employed, they will enroll in a postsecondary institution, or they will enlist in the military” is a direct strategy to prevent graduates from becoming part of the NEET population. The entire “College & Career Ready” framework is geared towards this outcome.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Indicators for Target 4.1

• Content Mastery Scores: The article provides specific scores (e.g., 68.0 for Elementary, 65.6 for Middle, 69.2 for High) that measure student proficiency on statewide assessments in ELA, mathematics, science, and social studies.
• Grade-Level Reading Percentage: Mentioned as part of the “Readiness” component, this measures the “percentage of students at or above grade-level reading.”
• Graduation Rate: The article explicitly states the high school graduation rate improved to “87.2 (+1.5),” including both four- and five-year rates.

Indicators for Target 4.4

• College and Career Readiness Measures: This is explicitly listed as a part of the “Readiness” component of the CCRPI.
• Pathway Completion: This is another measure within the “Readiness” component, indicating students’ completion of specialized educational tracks (e.g., vocational, technical).
• Post-Graduation Status: The desired outcomes of students becoming “employed,” “enrolled,” or “enlisted” serve as an implied indicator of successful career preparation.

Indicators for Target 4.5 and 10.2

• Closing Gaps Scores: The article provides scores for this component (e.g., 75.0 for Elementary, 86.3 for Middle). This score itself serves as an indicator that “measures how well schools meet annual improvement targets for student groups,” directly tracking progress on equity.

Indicators for Target 8.6

• Proportion of Graduates in Employment, Education, or Military Service: While not a formal CCRPI metric listed, the stated goal of ensuring graduates fall into one of these three categories implies a measurement of the proportion of youth who are not unemployed or inactive after graduation.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: griceconnect.com