The GaDOE source [Aug. 2009]

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ISSUE

S TheGaDOE ource

Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools

Achievement Gap Closing

State and National Reports Show Georgia is Closing the Gap
7th Grade Mathematics CRCT (percent meeting or exceeding standards)

Percent

100
90
84
80
69
70
62
60
2007

87 77 70
2008
School year

90
81 76
White Black Hispanic
2009

The results of the 2009 Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) were good news for Georgia, especially in Math and Science. In those two critical areas, the pass rate went up on every test in every grade.
But when you get behind the numbers, the news is even better.
Since the implementation of Georgia's new curriculum, the difference in performance between certain groups of students commonly called "the achievement gap" is narrowing in all elementary and middle grades.
"This is what happens when you combine excellent educators with a clear set of rigorous standards," said State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox. "I truly believe that our new curriculum, the Georgia Performance Standards, has given our excellent teachers a powerful tool they can use to educate all students to higher levels of achievement."
An analysis by the GaDOE's Testing Division shows that the achievement gap is closing dramatically even as test scores for all groups of students continue to rise.
"In other words, all scores are rising, but the scores of lower-performing groups are rising faster," said Melissa Fincher, Associate Super-

intendent for Assessment and Accountability. "This is great news for Georgia, but obviously there is still work left to be done." The analysis shows that since the implementation of the Georgia Performance Standards:
The achievement gap between English Language Learners and all students has narrowed on 29 out of 31 comparable tests.
The achievement gap between AfricanAmerican and Caucasian students has narrowed on 30 out of 31 comparable tests.
The achievement gap between Hispanic and Caucasian students has narrowed on 30 out of 31 comparable tests.
The achievement gap between Students with Disabilities and all students has narrowed on 9 out of 31 comparable tests, but Students with Disabilities have shown gains on 29 out of 31 tests.
See the whole report here: tinyurl.com/CRCTreport09
A recent federal report shows that the Black/ White achievement gap in Georgia is smaller than the nation and continues to close. See the report at http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pdf/studies/2009455.pdf

Inside
Page 2 Georgia Teacher of the Year
Page 2 Outstanding Educator Stephen Pruitt
Page 3 Project ExPreSS is a Success
Page 3 AYP by the Numbers Page 4 Supt. Cox: Teachers' "No
Excuses" Attitude Leads to Great Results
Resources
Stimulus Funding www.GaDOE.org/stimulus.aspx Pandemic Flu Information tinyurl.com/GA-Pandemic-Flu GaDOE Publications tinyurl.com/GaDOE-Print-Materials Math Webpage www.GeorgiaMath.org Graduation Requirements www.GaDOE.org/Graduation State Curriculum Standards www.GeorgiaStandards.org State Test Preparation www.GeorgiaOAS.org Georgia Virtual School www.GaVirtualSchool.org Media Specialist Newsletter www.GaDOE.org/sia_as_library.aspx Free SAT Prep Class www.GaDOE.org/SATPrepClass State Board of Education Update tinyurl.com/State-Board-Meetings
Did you know...
... CNBC ranked Georgia's workforce best in the nation?
Learn more at tinyurl.com/gaworkforce1

TheGaDOE
2010 Georgia Teacher of the Year Named
Gwen Desselle, a 32-year veteran educator from Colquitt County, has been named the 2010 Georgia Teacher of the Year

Nearly 150 district-level Teachers of the Year were honored in May at the annual Georgia Teacher of the Year banquet. The event was held at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta and featured speakers and a performance from the Appling Applause Show Choir from Appling County High. The night culminated in the announcement of the 2010 Georgia Teacher of the Year.
2010 TOTY Sponsors
The Teacher of the Year banquet was made possible through generous donations by our sponsors. No state funds were used for this event.
PLATINUM SPONSORS
GOLD SPONSORS Blue Bell Creameries The Coca Cola Company Georgia Power Professional Association of Georgia Educators
BRONZE SPONSORS Keith Plaques Shaw Industries The School Box, Inc. Publix Super Markets, Inc. Herff Jones, Inc. Cousins Properties, Inc. Security National Life Insurance
To become a sponsor, contact Susan Ely at sely@gadoe.org.

Gwen Desselle (right), of Colquitt County, reacts to being named 2010 Georgia Teacher of the Year, while Michelle Rigsby (left), of Columbia County, looks on.
2010 Georgia Teacher of the Year
(Teacher, School, System, Subject) WINNER Gwen Desselle, Colquitt County High School, Colquitt County, U.S. History
FINALISTS Tiffany Todd, Southeast Bulloch High School, Bulloch County, U.S. History Dr. Mark Lang, Camden Middle School, Camden County, Life Science 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 & 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

For more information on the winner and the TOTY program, go to tinyurl.com/GTOTY051509.
Stephen Pruitt Named Outstanding Educator

Stephen Pruitt, the Chief of Staff for the Georgia Department of Education, recently received the Jim Puckett Outstanding Educator Award from the Georgia Association of Educational Leaders (GAEL). Each year, an affiliate group of GAEL nominates someone for the award in honor of their leadership role in education. Mr. Pruitt was nominated by the Georgia Association of Curriculum and Instructional Supervisors (GACIS).

Mr. Pruitt, of Jackson County, spent 14 years as a science teacher in Fayette County before joining the GaDOE in 2003. During his tenure at GaDOE he has led the curriculum and testing divisions and was named Chief of Staff in April. The award from GAEL recognizes, among other efforts, his leadership role in developing and implementing the Georgia Performance Standards in science.

BACK TO SCHOOL 09
ISSUE

Project ExPreSS is a Success
More students pass the GHSGT thanks to remediation program Student Enrollment in Charter Schools
Project ExPreSS Students Passing Retest Statewide

Percent of students

100

73

80

63

60

29

27

40

20
0
Science

Social Studies

2008 2009

School year

Science and Social Studies retest scores on GHSGT greatly increased after Project ExPreSS.

In June, the Georgia Department of Education launched an ambitious statewide project to help more students graduate from high school. Because of this program, more than 1,400 students are a big step closer to graduating with a meaningful high school diploma.
"Our number one education goal in Georgia is to have more students graduate with a meaningful high school diploma," said State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox. "I'm pleased that Project ExPreSS allowed us to have a direct positive impact on that goal while also providing some financial relief to school districts in these very difficult economic times."
Project ExPreSS (Exam Preparation for Science and Social Studies) provided intense instruction

for more than 2,100 students from about 200 high schools. At the end of a two-week remediation, high school students that didn't pass the Georgia High School Graduation Test (GHSGT) in science or social studies were given a chance to take the test again. In order to graduate with a full diploma, students must pass all portions of the GHSGT.
In social studies, 73 percent of the ExPreSS participants passed the retest. By comparison, the 2008 summer retest pass rate on the Social Studies GHSGT was 27 percent. In science, 63 percent of the ExPreSS participants passed the retest. By comparison, the 2008 summer retest pass rate on the Science GHSGT was 29 percent.

AYP by the Numbers
The state released its initial Adequate Yearly Progress report on July 14 and it was good news all around. You can see the full news release at tinyurl.com/2009AYPrelease, but here are a few highlights of the initial report. Final AYP numbers, which will include retest results and summer graduates, will be released in the fall.
Summary of AYP
79%
Percentage of schools that made AYP
90%
Percentage of elementary schools that made AYP
75%
Percentage of middle schools that made AYP
55
Schools that came out of "Needs Improvement" status
49
Number of school systems that had all schools make AYP
77.8%
Initial 2009 graduation rate, up more than two points from last year
43%
Percentage of schools that did not make AYP that missed in just one indicator

Superintendent Cox goes over the cell membrane with science students.

TheGaDOE

Letter from the Superintendent

The "no excuses" attitude of Georgia's teachers nets great results

The start of the school year is a time of unbridled optimism and enthusiasm for everyone involved in education, from the teachers and school staff to the parents and students.
This year, schools open against the backdrop of some very difficult economic times and I know there is a lot of concern across our state. But concerns about the cost of education should not diminish our enthusiasm.
In fact, I'm very optimistic because I know that our outstanding educators will remain focused on the needs of their students, just like they always do. This past school year could have been one filled with distractions as budgets were cut and school districts struggled to make ends meet. But Georgia educators don't make excuses and they got

great results -- student achievement went up on just about every test, in every grade and every subject.
In this newsletter alone, you can read how the achievement gap closed dramatically on the Criterion-Referenced Competency Test and how an ambitious state program got 1,400 high school students a step closer to graduation. You can also read about our initial Adequate Yearly Progress report that shows that more than 78 percent of our schools "made AYP" -- up more than 10 points from initial results last year. The news was also good on the Georgia High School Graduation Test and End-of-Course Tests (EOCT). The most notable increase was in science, an area our students have struggled in for many years.

It's clear that our outstanding educators did not allow a flagging economy and significant budget cuts to divert them from the work at hand last year. They focused on the students and continued to provide our children with a world-class education. So, I am confident that our educators will show the same dedication and tenacity in their service to the students of Georgia in 2009-2010.
Despite our ongoing financial challenges, I am still optimistic it's going to be a great year.
Sincerely,

Kathy Cox

Georgia Department of Education
Communications 2062 Twin Towers East 205 Jesse Hill Jr., Drive SE Atlanta, GA 30334 (404) 463-1487 (404) 656-0966 communications@GaDOE.org

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Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools