February 2009
Copyright © 2009 Queue,
Inc.
IN
THIS ISSUE:
Georgia Grading Alignment Study
New Report Finds That States Squander
Opportunities with New Teachers
Gender Diversity in Teaching- Georgia Ranks Low
Education Management Software Contracts
with Five Georgia School Districts
Georgia
Education Report Back Issues (http://www.queuenews.com/GAnews.html)
Education Research Report Back Issues (http://www.queuenews.com/EduResearchRpt.html)
Queue, Inc. is offering public schools free previews of QueueÕs best-selling test prep and curriculum-based workbooks. Queue publishes test prep workbooks in reading comprehension and math for grades 2-8 based on the CRCT standards as well as a a wide variety of workbooks in language arts, reading comprehension, math and science ideal for test prep.
Go to http://www.qworkbooks.com/GA/GA.html descriptions.
GeorgiaÕs
GovernorÕs Office of Student Achievement (GOSA) t commissioned Dr. Chris
Clark, an Economics professor at Georgia College and State University, to
examine the relationship between Georgia studentsÕ 2007 End of Course Test
(EOCT) performance levels and the grades they earned in related courses.
ÒThis relationship is important because Dr. ClarkÕs findings suggest that disparities between the two may impact studentsÕ college success, HOPE Scholarship retention rates, and need for remedial support in college,Ó said Executive Director Kathleen Mathers. ÒBoth EOCTs and course grades are based on the same state standards, so we should expect general alignment between the two achievement indicators. As a general rule, if students earn an ÒAÓ in a course, it should be reasonable to expect them to also perform well on the corresponding EOCT.Ó
Currently,
GeorgiaÕs federal No Child Left Behind plan requires high school students to pass
the Georgia High School Graduation Test before graduating with a high school
diploma. Some states, including
Georgia, are moving toward greater use of EOCTs as high school exit exams
instead. In fact, state law
(O.C.G.A. ¤ 20-2-281) calls for GeorgiaÕs current High School Graduation Test
to be replaced by EOCTs, and the state is already moving in that
direction.
In
the meantime, EOCTs count as 15% of a studentÕs final course grade. Even with that requirement, there are
some considerable differences between Georgia studentsÕ 2007 EOCT achievement
and their corresponding course grades:
|
(State
Averages) |
Algebra
I |
9th
Grade English Lit. |
Geometry |
Biology |
Physical
Science |
11th
Grade English Lit. |
U.S.
History |
Economics |
|
%
of students who passed EOCT |
60.75% |
67.54% |
61.01% |
58.38% |
62.23% |
80.82% |
71.30% |
64.15% |
|
%
of students who passed their course |
79.98% |
84.42% |
86.34% |
83.23% |
81.82% |
89% |
90.84% |
94.13% |
|
%
of students who failed EOCT |
39.25% |
32.46% |
38.99% |
41.62% |
37.77% |
19.18% |
28.70% |
35.85% |
|
%
of students who failed their course |
20.02% |
15.58% |
13.66% |
16.77% |
18.18% |
11.00% |
9.16% |
5.87% |
Dr.
Clark found that "there are considerable grading disparities across
Georgia's High School Algebra, English Literature, Biology, Physical Science,
History, Geometry, and Economics classes. Comparing student's course grades to
their End of Course Test (EOCT) scores indicates that some school systems appear
to be inflating course grades relative to the EOCT scores considerably while
others appear to hold their students to higher standards.
These
disparities are disconcerting because they may impact college success, HOPE
scholarship retention rates for HOPE scholars, and the need for learning
support (remedial classes) in college. Students from schools and school systems
that appear to consistently inflate grades may be less likely to succeed in
college courses, less likely to retain the HOPE scholarship, and more likely to
need to take remedial classes after enrolling in college than students from
schools and school systems that hold their students to higher
standards.
Future research should be undertaken to analyze the
impact of grading disparities on later academic success. An examination of the
impact that rigor in grading standards (or a lack of rigor) may have on a
student's academic future should be performed once data on HOPE eligibility,
HOPE retention rates, and performance in college courses become available for
the students whose data were used in this study."
For
the full research report, please visit http://www.gaosa.org/research.aspx.
A
new report released by the not-for-profit, non-partisan National Council on
Teacher Quality (NCTQ) finds that the laws and regulations of a majority of
states discourage promising new teachers from sticking with the profession,
while doing little to identify and move out ineffective teachers.
The
report finds that states: 1) do not require sufficient support and evaluation
of new teachers, a problem since most districts rarely opt to exceed state
requirements; 2) do not require or even allow a teacherÕs effectiveness to be
considered when granting tenure, although states control how and when tenure is
awarded; 3) cling to anachronistic compensation schemes rather than advancing
differentiated pay systems; 4) are lagging in the development of the systems
necessary for identifying effective teachers; 5) place a disproportionate
emphasis on providing pension benefits to retiring teachers at the expense of
providing benefits that would appeal to younger teachers; and 6) allow far too
many ineffective teachers to remain in the classroom and gain tenure, including
teachers who repeatedly fail to meet the stateÕs own licensing standards.
NCTQ
President Kate Walsh said, ÒThe third through fifth years of teaching represent
an opportunity lost for teacher quality. ThatÕs certainly when teachers begin
to add real value, and itÕs also when they tend to make decisions about staying
or leaving. States can help districts do much more to ensure that the right
teachers stay and the right teachers leave."
The
2008 State Teacher Policy Yearbook finds that state regulations are in need of
significant reforms in order to improve teacher quality and offers states
specific guidelines for rectifying substandard policies. Each stateÕs Yearbook,
as well as a national summary, is immediately available for free download at www.nctq.org/stpy.
Georgia Report:
http://www.nctq.org/stpy08/reports/stpy_georgia.pdf
The
2009 Georgia Teacher of the Year is Ms. Leanne Maule, of Cartersville, a
teacher at Cartersville High School. To learn about Ms. Maule and the Teacher
of the Year program, visit http://www.gadoe.org/ci.aspx?PageReq=TOTY.
2010
Georgia Teacher of the Year Finalists
Teacher,
School, System, Subject
-
Tiffany Todd, Southeast Bulloch High School, Bulloch County, U.S. History and
Drama
-
Mark Lang, Camden Middle School, Camden County, Life Science
-
Gwen Desselle, Colquitt County High School, Colquitt County, Social Studies
-
Michele Rigsby, BelAir Elementary School, Columbia County, 4th grade
-
Suzy Besson-Martilotta, Chattahoochee Elementary School, Forsyth County, 1st
grade
-
Merrill Boynton-Cheyne, Harris County, Carver Middle School, Harris County,
Drama, Reading, Journalism
-
Sandy Akin, East Jackson Comprehensive High School, Jackson County, Mathematics
-
Krista Pearson, Lowndes High School, Lowndes County, Mathematics
-
Kathie Wood, Marietta Middle School, Marietta City, Language Arts
-
Jennifer
Beckum Irvin, Toombs County High School, Toombs County, 10th Grade
Literature and Drama
-
Quality
Counts 2009
is the 13th edition of Education WeekÕs series of annual report cards tracking state
education policies and outcomes. Drawing heavily on data from the Editorial
Projects in Education Research CenterÕs annual state policy survey, the report
once again offers a comprehensive state-by-state analysis (http://www.edweek.org/ew/qc/2009/17src.h28.html) of key indicators of
student success.
Chance-for-Success
Index
First
introduced in Quality Counts 2007, the Chance-for-Success Index (http://www.edweek.org/ew/qc/2009/17src.h28.html) combines information from
13 indicators intended to offer perspective on the role that education plays as
a person moves from childhood, through the formal K-12 school system, and into
the workforce. Among these indicators, upon which the states are graded, are
family income, parental education and employment, high school graduation rates,
and adult educational attainment, employment status, and annual income.
Transitions
and Alignment
As
in the past, this yearÕs report tracks and grades the states on 14 indicators
assessing how well the states smooth the transition through the educational
pipeline, including early-childhood education, college readiness, and the
economy and workforce
School
Finance
In
the area of school funding, this yearÕs report analyzes school spending
patterns and how equitably that funding is distributed among districts within
each state.
English-Language
Learners
Quality
Counts 2009
includes a detailed look at (http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/01/08/17immig.h28.html) how states are tackling
the challenge of educating the nationÕs 5.1 million English-language learners.
GA
Scores:
Overall
State Grade (2009)
B-
Chance
for Success (2009)
C
Transitions
And Alignment (2009)
B
School
Finance (2009)
C+
K-12
Achievement (2008)
D+
Standards,
Assessments, And Accountability (2008)
A-
The
Teaching Profession (2008)
B
State
Report Cards:
http://www.edweek.org/ew/qc/2009/17src.h28.html
Elbert
County Middle School, Georgia, worked with a consultant from a state-funded
educational service center to address reading achievement. "Reading for
Rate" is one strategy the school uses to develop fluent readers. Students
practice in pairs and give each other feedback on words missed while practicing
reading skills. Students are taught to listen to a partner read aloud and chart
their performance. The objective is to improve the words per minute that a
student can read and improve the ideas that a student can remember after they
have read a passage. As fluency develops, pairs work on comprehension skills.
Rankings
and Estimates provides statistics to raise public understanding of key issues
affecting teaching and learning conditions in the nation's public schools.
Teacher salaries and public education indicators including school enrollment,
student-teacher ratios and school funding at the local, state and federal
levels are reported in the annual state-by-state report. Among the other
highlights:
Gender diversity in
teaching - Males comprised 24.5 percent of public schoolteachers in 2008. Many
of them taught in Kansas (33.6 percent), Oregon (31.6 percent), Alaska (30.9
percent) or Indiana (30.5 percent). States with the lowest percentage of male
faculty were Arkansas (16.2 percent), Virginia (17.4 percent), Mississippi
(17.5 percent), Louisiana (18 percent), South Carolina (18.5 percent) and
Georgia (19.7 percent).
Full
report:
http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/02rankings08.pdf
2008 AP¨ Results: More U.S. Students Succeed on AP Exams,
Predictors of Success in College
Georgia
is 15th in Nation
Georgia
is 15th in the nation when it comes to students who have success in Advanced
Placement (AP) courses.
The
College Board's AP Report to the Nation shows that, in 2008, Georgia had the
15th highest percentage of high school seniors score a 3 or higher on at least
one AP exam. The report also showed that the percentage of Georgia students
taking AP classes is higher than the nation.
More than 15 percent of the public high
school class of 2008 achieved at least one AP¨ Exam score of 3 or higher1
Ñ the score that is predictive of college success Ñ announced Gaston Caperton,
president of the College Board. Additionally, AP students are much more likely
to earn a bachelorÕs degree in four years than their peers, thereby reducing
college costs and supporting higher educationÕs goal of on-time degree
completion.
In its fifth annual ÒAP Report to the
Nation,Ó the College Board, the not-for-profit membership association that
administers the AP Program, spotlights educatorsÕ quantifiable successes in
helping a wider, more ethnically diverse segment of students gain access to and
achieve success in college-level work. The report documents that, of the
estimated 3 million students who graduated from U.S. public schools in 2008,
more than 460,000 (15.2 percent) earned an AP Exam score of at least 3 on one
or more AP Exams during high school. This is up from 14.4 percent in 2007 and
12.2 percent in 2003.
New research shows that AP continues to
prepare students for college success in many ways, including helping offset
college costs. While the majority of students entering college today fail to
earn a bachelorÕs degree on schedule in four years,2 AP students are
much more likely to graduate within four years,3 saving the cost of
additional tuition and preventing a delay in their entry into the workforce. AP
participation and success also now helps students qualify for scholarships at
31 percent of U.S. colleges and universities.4 And studies continue
to show that students scoring at least 3 on an AP Exam experience greater
academic success in college and graduate from college at higher rates than
their comparable, non-AP peers.5
In addition to the national report,
individual reports for all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia provide
even more detailed information about AP in each state.
Out
of all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, Maryland achieved the
highest percentage (23.4) of public school students scoring at least a 3 on an
AP Exam. Maine attained the largest single-year increase in the percentage of
high school graduates who scored a 3 or higher on an AP Exam while Vermont
realized the largest five-year gain. The report highlights the six states with
the highest five-year gains: in addition to Vermont, these include Maine,
Maryland, Arkansas, Washington and Oregon.
Additionally,
Maryland, New York, Virginia, Connecticut, Massachusetts and California all saw
more than 20 percent of their students graduate from high school earning at
least one AP Exam score of 3 or higher. AP achievements for each stateÕs class
of 2003, class of 2007 and class of 2008 are detailed in the report.
Georgia Report:
http://www.collegeboard.com/html/aprtn/pdf/state_reports/09_0467_St_Report_GEORGIA_X1a_081223.pdf
Tyler
Technologies, Inc. Education Management will provide software licenses, related
professional services, ongoing maintenance and support to the following
districts:
á Thomasville City Schools
(Thomasville, GA), 2,800 students
á Calhoun County Schools
(Morgan, GA), 700 students
á Thomas County Schools
(Thomasville, GA), 5,700 students
á Terrell County Schools
(Dawson, GA), 1,600 students
á McIntosh County Schools
(Darien, GA), 2,000 students
As members of the Southwest Georgia Regional Educational
Service Agency, Thomasville City Schools, Calhoun County Schools, Thomas County
Schools and Terrell County Schools jointly evaluated TylerÕs solution.
ÒWe look forward to implementing TylerÕs
Education Management solution in our district,Ó stated Danna Cooper, director
of technology for Thomas County Public Schools. ÒTylerÕs reputation for support
and position at the forefront of technology are two of the main reasons we
chose its student information system. The Web-based solution will allow us to
eliminate issues such as multiple servers and databases, as well as overnight
uploads and consolidations. Another key advantage of TylerÕs system is that
teachers, parents and administrators will all see the same data at the same
time without waiting for uploads and consolidations to take place. After our
initial conversion and cleanup of data, I expect our data to be more concise
and accurate,Ó she explained.