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Georgia Education News
December 2008
Copyright © 2008 Queue,
Inc.
IN
THIS ISSUE:
High School Writing Scores Rise
Georgia Teachers Say TheyÕre Not As Qualified As
Feds Say They Are
2008 Georgia Schools of Excellence
2007-2008 K-12 Public Schools Report Card
Measuring Up Ð Georgia Report Card
Cherokee County School
District Places First in U.S. in Technology Innovation Know-How
Georgia
Education Report Back Issues (http://www.queuenews.com/GAnews.html)
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Sunshine
and beautiful beaches may not be as comfortable as it sounds - for a teacher.
In fact, Hawaii finishes dead last, according to a new study put out by
TeacherPortal.com. This new measurement -- TeacherPortal Comfort Index - was
formed by analyzing teacher salaries across the U.S., multiple data points of
teacher salaries throughout a career, and cross-comparing them with the
cost-of-living and affordability for a given state.
The result of the analysis is the emergence of an innovative and informative ranking that may help change the way teachers look for jobs. The TeacherPortal Comfort Index allows visitors to discover how much more different states pay for having advanced degrees and training, such as master's degree in education. TeacherPortal is currently working to include individual school districts on their Comfort Index as well. This new scale may prove to be a meaningful tool for those considering a career in education as well those teachers looking to improve their position on the pay scale.
So
if you know a teacher in Hawaii or one of the other bottom states, be kind and
pick up the tab or give them a hug, because they're definitely not in it for
the money.
Rounding
out the top five:
1. Illinois
2. Delaware
3. Georgia
4. Michigan
5. Pennsylvania
And
the bottom five:
45. Nevada
46. Montana
47. Maine
48. New Hampshire
49. Vermont
50. Hawaii
Georgia's High School students showed steady improvement on the
state's writing test this fall.
Eighty-nine percent of students met or exceeded standards on the
Georgia High School Writing Test (GHSWT) -- up one percentage point from
fall, 2007. Many of Georgia's student subgroups showed dramatic gains,
including English Language Learners and Students with Disabilities.
More than 106,000 students took the GHSWT this fall, of which
96,444 were first-time test takers in grade 11. The pass rate for first-time
test takers was 91 percent.
The
pass rate for English Language Learners was 65 percent, a jump of 12 percentage
points from last year. The pass rate for Students with Disabilities was 60
percent, an increase of five percentage points. The scores of
African-American (85 percent) and Hispanic (82 percent) students each rose two
percentage points, while the pass rate of white students held steady at 93
percent.
The Georgia High School Writing Test is given to students in
grade 11 and must be passed in order to graduate from high school. Students who
do not pass the GHSWT the first time can retake the test. The GHSWT has been
aligned to the state's new curriculum -- the Georgia Performance Standards --
for two years. The test is scored on a scale from 100 to 350, using the
following scoring levels:
100-199 - Does not meet standards
200-249 - Meets standards
250-350 - Exceeds standards
The average scale score for the 2008 GHSWT was 219, up two
points from last year.
SCHOOL AND SYSTEM LEVEL SCORES (Microsoft Excel required)
System-level
scores
http://public.doe.k12.ga.us/DMGetDocument.aspx/HSWRT_F08_System.xls?p=6CC6799F8C1371F627B83AB278BA59D94625D51DD5449D9C41504CDFC7B961A0&Type=D
School-level
scores
http://public.doe.k12.ga.us/DMGetDocument.aspx/HSWRT_F08_School.xls?p=6CC6799F8C1371F6831D56BE5DAC8D945D99FAC6B3396DFFFE7086ADA82E550E&Type=D
MORE
INFORMATION
-
GHSWT
Testing Brief
-
http://public.doe.k12.ga.us/DMGetDocument.aspx/GHSWT%20Fall%202008%20Testing%20Brief.pdf?p=6CC6799F8C1371F6A691F2B5ED0AE07B1AE54A8B0D031A473677A3ACEC97E81C&Type=D
-
-
About
Georgia's writing tests
-
http://www.gadoe.org/ci_testing.aspx?PageReq=CI_TESTING_WA
-
Georgia
teachers differ with the federal government as to how qualified they are,
according to a national report released Tuesday.
While
about 95 percent of GeorgiaÕs middle and high school teachers met the federal
requirement of Òhighly qualified,Ó only 65 percent of the teachers said in a
survey that they had the appropriate certification, according to the study from
The Education Trust, a child advocacy group.
The
two percentages come from different reports completed during the 2003-04 school
year, the last time the teacher survey was conducted by the U.S. Department of
Education. The two reports also defined teacher quality differently.
The
survey asked teachers to indicate whether they have full state certification in
the subject they are assigned to teach.
The
Òhighly qualifiedÓ label is mandated by the federal No Child Left Behind Act to
ensure that all students have effective teachers. Congress passed the law in
2001 and allowed each state to develop its own definition of what constitutes a
Òhighly qualifiedÓ teacher.
Georgia
teachers are Òhighly qualifiedÓ if they have an academic degree in the subject
matter theyÕre teaching; or if their college course work is equivalent to a
major in that area; or if they pass a state content test in the subjectÉ
Complete
story:
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2008/11/25/georgia_teacher_qualification.html
26
schools have shown the greatest improvement or highest achievement across the
state. Qualifying schools are chosen from each Congressional District in the
following categories:
-
Top
10%:
Schools that are in the top 10 percent of schools in Georgia as measured by
assessments in reading and mathematics.
-
Greatest
Gains:
Schools that demonstrated greatest continuous gains in student achievement for
the past three years as measured by assessments in reading and mathematics.
2008
GEORGIA SCHOOLS OF EXCELLENCE
GREATEST
GAINS
Congressional
District, School, System
1,
Mamie Lou Gross Elementary, Camden
3-
tie, Northgate High, Coweta
3-
tie, Double Churches Elementary, Muscogee
5,
Druid Hills High, DeKalb
6,
Manning Oaks Elementary, Fulton
7,
Loganville Elementary, Walton
8-tie,
Eastside High, Newton
8-tie,
Centerville Elementary, Houston
9,
Otwell Middle, Forsyth
10,
East Jackson Elementary, Jackson
11-
tie, Kemp Elementary, Cobb
11-
tie, Trion High, Trion City
TOP
10%
Congressional
District,School System Top Ten
3-
tie, Huddleston Elementary, Fayette
3-
tie, McIntosh High, Fayette,
4,
Browns Mill Elementary, DeKalb
5,
Kittredge Elementary, DeKalb
6-
tie, Timber Ridge Elementary, Cobb
6-
tie, Dickerson Middle, Cobb
6-
tie, Lassiter High, Cobb
7-
tie, Sharon Elementary, Forsyth
7-
tie, Brookwood High, Gwinnett
8,
Quail Run Elementary, Houston
9,
South Forsyth High, Forsyth
10,
Davidson Magnet School, Richmond
11,
Harrison High, Cobb
12,
Savannah Arts Academy, Savannah-Chatham
In
addition. 279 Georgia public schools are being recognized for improvement and
achievement during the 2007-2008 school year.
The schools are being recognized under Georgia's Single Statewide
Accountability System (SSAS), which awards schools based on their performance
on state curriculum exams and Adequate Yearly Progress status.
- Greatest gains:
Schools that showed the greatest improvement in scores on the
Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) or the Georgia High School
Graduation Tests (GHSGT)
- Highest performance: Schools that demonstrated the highest achievement on the
CRCT or GHSGT
There were eight schools this year that received awards for both Greatest Gains
(GG) and Highest Performance (HP):
-
Dacula High School, Gwinnett County (Platinum GG, Bronze HP)
-
EagleÕs Landing High School, Henry County (Platinum GG, Bronze HP)
-
Fort Daniel Elementary School, Gwinnett County (Platinum GG, Bronze HP)
-
Gainesville High School, Gainesville City (Gold GG, Silver HP)
-
Hillgrove High School, Cobb County (Silver GG and HP)
-
North Forsyth Middle School, Forsyth County (Platinum GG and Bronze HP)
- Riverwood High School, Fulton County (Silver GG and HP)
-
South
Forsyth Middle School, Forsyth County (Platinum GG, Silver HP)
Complete
lists:
Highest
performance:
http://public.doe.k12.ga.us/DMGetDocument.aspx/2008_SSAS_Highest_Performance_Winners_PressRelease.pdf?p=6CC6799F8C1371F611C35EA4AB860007A5353F874377B11DDF7BB852EA54739C&Type=D
Greatest gains:
http://public.doe.k12.ga.us/DMGetDocument.aspx/2008_SSAS_Greatest_Gain_Winners_PressRelease.pdf?p=6CC6799F8C1371F6CB7CC41E8BB9F3AC89B6694DC693D625F297B4AF075FAC77&Type=D
The
2007-2008 K-12 Public Schools Report Card contains data and information on
every school and school district in Georgia. A joint effort between the
GovernorÕs Office of Student Achievement (GOSA) and the Georgia Department of
Education (GaDOE), the annual report card includes the following information:
-
Scores on state and national tests
-
Data on student enrollment and demographics
-
Graduation rates and dropout rates
-
Information on school and district personnel and finances
GOSA is also releasing today the 2007-2008 Georgia Education Scoreboard (http://www.gaosa.org/score.aspx), which The
Georgia Education Scoreboard serves as the cover to the report card. It
provides the public with a straightforward look at data for all levels of
education, including K-12.
2007-2008
K-12 Public Schools Report Card:
http://www.gaosa.org/FindASchool.aspx?PageReq=106&StateId=ALL
Georgia Education Scoreboard
http://www.gaosa.org/score.aspx
What is Measuring Up?
The purpose of a state report card is to provide the general
public and policymakers with information they can use to assess and improve
post secondary education in each state. Measuring Up 2008 is the fifth
in a series of biennial report cards. The report card grades states in six
overall performance categories:
Preparation: How adequately does the state
prepare students for education and training beyond high school?
Participation: Do state residents have sufficient
opportunities to enroll in education and training beyond high school?
Affordability: How affordable is higher education
for students and their families?
Completion: Do students make progress toward and
complete their certificates or degrees in a timely manner?
Benefits: What benefits does the state receive
from having a highly educated population?
Learning: What is known about student learning
as a result of education and training beyond high school?
Grades compare the current performance of each state with the
best-performing states, but do not compare with past performance. Key
indicators (back page) allow states to compare current performance with past
performance.
Georgia
scored a C+ in Preparation:
ÒGeorgiaÕs fairly low performance in educating
its young population could limit the stateÕs access to a competitive workforce
and weaken its economy.
n Eighth graders perform poorly in math, science, reading,
and writing. n
Georgia is among the poorest-performing states in high school completion. Only
84% of blacks
have a high school credential, compared with 89% of
whites.Ó
Complete Georgia report:
http://measuringup2008.highereducation.org/print/state_reports/long/GA.pdf
8
Other Georgia Schools Also Honored
The Center for Digital Education, the National School Boards
Association and Converge Online magazine announced the winners of the nation's
fifth annual Digital School Districts Survey. The purpose of the survey is to
showcase exemplary school boards and districts' use of technology to govern the
district, communicate with students, parents and the community and to improve
district operations.
All U.S. public school boards/districts were invited to
participate in the survey. Schools were placed in three categories based on
size of enrollment. Winners reflected those school districts with the fullest
implementation of technology standards in the evolution of digital education.
Georgia had 9 winners out of 30 nationwide, more than any other
state:
2008
Digital School Districts Survey - Top Ten Winners
Large
Category - More than 15,000 students:
1st Cherokee County School District,
Ga.
3rd Forsyth County School District, Ga.
8th Savannah-Chatham County Public
School System, Ga.
10th Newton County School System, Ga.
5th Barrow County Schools, Ga. (tie)
5th Jones County School System, Ga.
(tie)
6th Marietta City Schools, Ga.
9th Camden County Schools, Ga.
Small
Category - Less than 2,500 students:
7th Chickamauga City School System, Ga.