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Georgia
Education News
May
2008
Copyright
© 2008 Queue, Inc.
IN
THIS ISSUE:
Students Perform Well on Graduation Tests
Georgia Partnership
for Excellence in Education
Urban School Students
Score at Highest Levels Ever On State and Federal Tests
Georgia High School Student Named 2008 Ron Brown
Scholar
An overwhelming majority of Georgia's students are meeting
expectations on the Georgia High School Graduation Tests (GHSGT),
including two of the exams that are aligned to the state's more
rigorous curriculum.
For the first time this year, the GHSGTs in English Language Arts and Science are fully aligned to the state's new curriculum, the Georgia Performance Standards (GPS). Besides testing more rigorous material, the new exams call for higher order thinking. These new exams are scored at four levels -- below proficiency, basic proficiency, advanced proficiency and honors.
About 90 percent of first-time test takers scored at basic
proficiency or above on the new GHSGT in English Language Arts. Slightly
more than 86 percent scored at basic proficiency or above on the new GHSGT
in Science.
Mathematics and Social Studies
The results of GHSGTs in Mathematics and Social Studies remained
very strong, but were essentially flat when compared to 2007.
In mathematics, 92.5 percent of first-time test takers passed the
exam, a slight increase from 2007 (91.7 percent). On the social
studies exam, 86.4 percent passed the exam, a slight decrease from
2007 (87.1 percent).
These exams are still aligned to the Quality Core Curriculum (QCC)
and are scored the same as in the past with three performance levels -- did not
pass, pass and pass plus.
The Social Studies GHSGT will be GPS-based starting in 2010 and
the Mathematics GHSGT will be GPS-based starting in 2011.Õ
The mission of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education
is to inform and influence Georgia leaders through research and non-partisan
advocacy to impact education policies and practices for the improvement of
student achievement.
Click here for the Partnership's 2007 Annual Report: Convene - Connect - Commit.
Founded in 1990 by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia
Economic Developers Association, the Partnership consists of business,
education, community and government leaders who share a vision of improved
education. Working to be Georgia's foremost change agent in education, the
non-profit, non-partisan organization takes lead roles in efforts to shape
policy and reform education.
It consistently advocates a reform framework based on (1) high
educational standards for all schools, (2) monitoring progress toward achieving
standards, and (3) accountability for all components of the public education
system.
The Partnership recognizes that the way to ensure success at the
state level is to research issues and influence policy, while encouraging
communities to design their own school improvement strategies at the local
level. The Partnership is committed to ensuring the future prosperity of our
state by giving every Georgian new options and opportunities to succeed.
Major accomplishments since the Partnership's inception include:
Leveraging $30 million in state, private, and local matching funds
to turn 51 local school systems into models of academic excellence. Each system participating in the Next
Generation School Project succeeded in raising student achievement
results. In 2002, the project
narrowed its focus to reform models that involve specifically adding time to
the school calendar, whether it is lengthening the school day, extending the
school term, or adding weekend or other special sessions for students who are
at risk of failure.
Advocating successfully for such educational reforms as a
lottery-funded statewide pre-kindergarten program; a constitutional amendment
calling for appointed school superintendents and elected school boards; and an
amendment allowing school systems to hold local referendums to establish sales
tax funding for school construction purposes. The Partnership provides
non-partisan information for educational policies that ultimately became law.
Raising private and public support for scholarships directed to
teachers seeking national board certification. The Partnership donated $1
million to help establish the schoalrship program. This incentive along with legislated pay increases for
educators earning the certification leveraged the increase in the number of
Georgia teachers achieving National Board Certification from 111 teachers in
2000 to 2,115 in 2006. Georgia now
ranks near the top in the nation on this important indicator of teacher
quality.
Strategically enhancing education through collaboration with
statewide businesses to provide advocacy, influential policy change,
performance management and leadership skills, and systemic financial support.
The Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education continues to
look for ways it can provide catalytic leadership to maintain positive momentum
and instill public confidence that education in Georgia is on the right track.
Its ongoing and new strategies include Ð
The Bus Trip Across
Georgia, which began in 1993, annually showcases model schools and educational
programs that result in outstanding student achievement. Business, education, government and
civic leaders board buses for the tour to observe educators in action improving
learning opportunities for their students.
The Georgia Partnership publishes works that focus on topical
issues as a way to inform education stakeholders for their own advocacy
purposes. The annual Top 10 Education Issues to Watch targets the key
educational policy issues facing Georgia specifically and the nation in
general. In January 2007, the
Partnership released the first in a four-part Gap Analysis series of
reports. The first report: Georgia's Unfinished Business in
Teacher Quality, generated considerable interest and has been widely circulated
within and outside the state. Work
is underway on the second report which will examine Secondary Education Reform.
The Partnership is in the planning process (early 2008) for an
exciting new initiative - the Education Policy Fellowship Program - a national
professional development program that provides leaders with the knowledge and
networks to advance the core issues of education policy. Stay tuned for more information on EPFP
as well as the recruitment of the first Georgia class of fellows.
The organizationÕs leadership and resources are constantly being
engaged in a wide-range of issues designed to reform the stateÕs educational
system. There are few more
important bedrock issues than education when it comes to the quality of life
for all Georgians. The Georgia
Partnership for Excellence in Education is making a difference every day.
At its quarterly meeting this week the partnership heard two
presentations:
Raising Achievement and Closing Gaps in Georgia
The Education Trust, a well-regarded Washington D.C. based
organization, collects, analyzes, and uses data to make the case that all
students will learn to high levels when they are taught at high levels. The
good news coming from The Education Trust is that after more than a decade of
fairly flat achievement and stagnant or growing gaps, we appear to be turning
the corner, at least in the early grades. The challenge is that weÕre not
really building on these successes in our high schools. Available evidence
suggests that even as better-prepared students are moving into high schools,
academic growth in our high schools is declining.
Daria Hall, Assistant Director for K-12 Policy Development at
the Education Trust, will join the Partnership for the May quarterly meeting to
challenge us to think about the choices made by policymakers and educators that
exacerbate the problem. We will also learn about the characteristics and
practices of schools that are especially effective at improving the academic
performance of previously low-performing students. A provocative
discussion involving the PartnershipÕs board members will follow and promises
to lay the groundwork to lead us to strategies for making sure that all
students at all grade levels are well prepared for the future, especially the
ones who are farthest behind.
Report Includes City-by-City Profiles of Big-City School
District Trends
On Math and Reading Assessments
Atlanta Public Schools
http://www.cgcs.org/BTO8/Atlanta.pdf
Students in the nationÕs major city public
school districts continue to advance in reading and math on state tests and on
the more rigorous federal testÐ the National Assessment of Educational Progress
(NAEP).
A new report analyzing academic progress in 66
urban school systems in 37 states and the District of Columbia shows
substantially higher test scores in 2007 than in 2003 in fourthand eighth-grade
mathematics and reading on state assessments. It indicates that the state and
national test scores are at their highest levels since academic proficiency
data have been collected for urban schools.
Beating the Odds: An Analysis of Student
Performance and Achievement Gaps on State Assessments by the Council of the
Great City Schools compares this past school yearÕs state test scores with
those reported a year after the federal No Child Left Behind law was implemented in
2002, requiring school districts to report performance levels based on state
tests and show the percentage of students who score at the ÒproficientÓ level.
The Beating the Odds findings for the 2006-
2007 school year show that 63 percent of urban school students scored at or
above the proficient level in fourth-grade math on their respective state
assessments, a whopping 14 percentage point gain from 49 percent in 2003. For
eighth-graders, the percentage climbed to 55 percent, compared with 42 percent
in 2003, a 13 percentage point rise.
In reading, urban schoolchildren also posted
gains over the past four years. From 2003 to 2007, the percentage of
fourth-graders scoring at or above the proficient level in reading on state
tests rose to 60 percent from 51 percent Ð a 9 percentage point hike. For
eighth-graders, the percentage increased to 51 percent from 43 percent in 2003,
an 8 percentage point gain.
National Test Assessments
The report also reveals that the state-test
trends coincide with NAEP gains by urban students, but with lower percentages
of students scoring at or above the proficient level on what is generally
considered a more rigorous exam than most state tests.
Students in big-city public schools have made
faster math and reading gains than the nation on the NAEP over the past few
years, according to The NationÕs Report Card for 2007 released by
the U.S. Department of Education. The report last November marked the first
time that the nation could see four- or five-year trends on NAEP for the
countryÕs major urban public school systems since the Trial Urban District
Assessment (TUDA) was launched in reading in 2002 and math in 2003.
Some 28 percent of urban fourth-graders scored
at or above the proficient level in math in 2007 on NAEP, an 8 percentage point
hike from 20 percent in 2003. In reading, 22 percent of urban schoolchildren in
fourth grade reached or went beyond the proficient level in 2007, a 5
percentage point increase from 17 percent in 2002.
Beating the Odds also includes how
student test scores in 11 big-city school districts that volunteered for the
trial urban NAEP compare with scores on their respective state tests. Among the
11 cities are New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, the nationÕs three largest
school systems.
Although urban schools show gains in math and
reading performance, the districts still generally lag behind state and
national averages in fourth and eighth grades, and acknowledge that they still
have a long way to go to reach proficiency levels. But there are exceptions.
State Math Achievement
In the reportÕs eighth annual analysis, data
show that 22 percent of urban school districts now score as high as or higher
than their respective states in fourth-grade math, and 16 percent score as high
or higher at the eighth-grade level in 2007.
The school districts with both fourth- and
eighth-grade math scores equal to or greater than their respective states are
Anchorage, Broward County (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)., Charleston, New Orleans,
Palm Beach and Portland, Ore.
State Reading Progress
In 2007, 16 percent of urban school districts
scored at or above their respective states in fourth-grade reading, and 14
percent at the eighth-grade level. The school districts with both fourth- and
eighth-grade reading scores equal to or greater than their respective states
are Anchorage, Broward County (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), Charleston, New Orleans,
Portland, Ore., San Diego and San Francisco.
Achievement Gaps
Beating the Odds VIII also indicates that
racial achievement gaps in urban schools narrowed in math between 2003 and
2007, although they remain wide. Some 66 percent of bigcity school districts
narrowed the gap between their fourth-grade African-American students and white
counterparts statewide in math proficiency Ð 63 percent in eighth-grade math.
Among Hispanic students, 63 percent of the
urban school districts narrowed the gap with white fourth-graders statewide Ð
58 percent in eighth-grade.
In reading, between 2003 and 2007, 64 percent
of major city school systems narrowed the achievement gap between fourth-grade
African-American students and white counterparts statewide in reading
proficiency Ð 67 percent at the eighth-grade level. Among Hispanic students, 57
percent of urban school districts narrowed the gap with white fourth-graders
statewide Ð 63 percent in eighth grade.
Urban Environment AmericaÕs big-city
school systems enroll about one-quarter, or 26 percent, of all students of
color in the nation, and a disproportionately high number of English language
learners and poor students.
The report attributes the standards movement
as the catalyst that triggered change in urban schools. It gave urban school
administrators direction on what they were being held responsible for
delivering.
Beating the Odds analyzed two assessments
Ð state and national Ð because the nation does not have a single system to
measure progress relative to the same standard across school districts in all
states.
Raymond D. Grissom
of Austell Joins 19 Other Students Nationwide in Prestigious African American
Scholarship Program
The Ron Brown Scholar Program, the nationÕs leading scholarship
program for African American youth, today announced that Austell resident
Raymond D. Grissom of Campbell High School has been selected as a 2008 Ron
Brown Scholar. Chosen from more than 5,600 high school students, Grissom is one
of only 20 African American students awarded this honor.
Grissom has proven himself a dedicated student and leader in his
class. A member of the Math Team, his dedication to leadership is exemplified
by his many diverse extra-curricular activities from serving as vice-president
of the Model United Nations club to being captain of the Rugby Football Club.
In addition to being selected a Ron Brown Scholar, he has been awarded many
academic honors, including the Questbridge Scholarship, a program which helps
high-achieving, low-income high school seniors gain admission and full
four-year scholarships to some of the nation's most selective colleges.
ÒI am continually impressed by the thousands of students who apply
to become Ron Brown Scholars,Ó said Michael Mallory, executive director of the
Ron Brown Scholar Program. ÒRaymondÕs passion and drive to succeed makes him
exceptional. He is one of a tremendous group of gifted young people who all
bring their unique backgrounds and personal experiences to benefit themselves,
the Ron Brown Scholar Program, and their communities as a whole.Ó
Founded in 1996 and named in honor of the first African American
Secretary of Commerce, the Ron Brown Scholar Program provides students with the
financial resources to attend some of the finest colleges and universities in
the country, in addition to promoting outstanding service opportunities for the
next generation of promising African American leaders.
Ron Brown Scholars are selected on the basis of demonstrated
academic excellence, leadership potential, social commitment and financial
need. Some key highlights of the program include:
á More than half of Ron
Brown Scholars attend Ivy League universities;
á Two Ron Brown Scholars
were elected to be the First Marshals of their Harvard University graduating
classes, considered the highest honor bestowed upon an undergraduate;
á One Ron Brown Scholar
has been selected as a Truman Scholar and two Ron Brown Scholars have been
selected as finalists for the Rhodes Scholarship;
á Ron Brown Scholars
dedicate themselves to enriching lives in their local communities and
worldwide. For example, nine Ron Brown Scholars have conducted AIDS research
and community service with the Institute of Human Virology;
á With a 100% graduation
rate, Ron Brown Scholars go on to succeed in a variety of leadership positions.
From finance executives and top lawyers, to award-winning playwrights and Supreme
Court Justice clerks, they have published books and documentaries, appeared as
expert guests on radio and television, and been invited as speakers to numerous
international conferences.
Applicants must proceed through a highly competitive selection process
against thousands of other qualified candidates, culminating in an invitation
to spend a weekend in Washington, D.C. for the final round of interviews. Up to
twenty winners are chosen at the conclusion of this weekend where they are
formally introduced as lifelong members of the Ron Brown Scholar Program
family.
Grissom is only the 13th Georgia student admitted to
the Ron Brown Scholar Program since its inception in 1996. For biographical
information on Raymond Grissom or all 20 Scholars or more information about the
Ron Brown Scholar Program, visit www.ronbrown.org.
Named for the late Secretary of Commerce and inspired by his
dedication to public service, the Ron Brown Scholar Program was established in
1996 to provide academic scholarships, service opportunities and leadership
experiences for young African Americans of outstanding promise. The Program seeks
to accelerate their progress into the mainstream of leadership positions in
business, education, government and a wide spectrum of professions, while
instilling a dedication to leadership and service.