Monthly update [Feb. 2015]

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February 2015 Monthly Update
February E-Bulletin: Innovation Fund Highlights Blended Learning
On December 15, 2014, Governor Deal awarded 18 Innovation Fund grants aligning with the following priority areas:
Applied Learning and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Education, Development and Replication of Blended Learning Models, Teacher and Leader Induction and Development, and Development and Replication of Innovative Resource Management Models.
February's e-bulletin focuses on the second priority area, blended learning. It defines blended learning and highlights the plans of two school districts Fulton County Schools, an urban district, and Thomas County Schools, a rural district that received FY15 grants to implement blended learning programs.
To read the full e-bulletin, click here.

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The Governor's Office of Student Achievement (GOSA) strives to increase student achievement and school completion across Georgia through meaningful, transparent, and objective analysis and communication of statewide data. In addition, GOSA provides policy support to the Governor and, ultimately, to the citizens of Georgia.

Employment Opportunities
GOSA is hiring for the following positions with the Governor's Honors Program:
Audio Visual/Computer Technician
Counselor
Fitness/Wellness Specialist
Media Specialist
Music/Vocal Piano Accompanist

Innovation Fund 2015 Annual Report Released
In February, GOSA released the Innovation Fund Annual Report. The Innovation Fund provides grants to eligible organizations interested in planning, implementing, and scaling innovative education programs that advance student achievement throughout Georgia. The Annual Report summarizes Innovation Fund activities over the last four years, details the grant application and review process, and features an overview of each grantee.
To read the full Innovation Fund Annual Report, click here .
For more information about the Innovation Fund, click here .

CRCT and EOCT Erasure Analyses Released
On February 19, GOSA released the results of the Spring 2014 Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) and the End-ofCourse Test (EOCT) erasure analyses. GOSA partnered with CTB McGraw-Hill and NCS Pearson, Inc., the state's testing vendors in charge of developing and scoring the CRCT and EOCT exams, to conduct a comprehensive examination of the tests' answer documents. The analysis focused on the number of wrong answers that had been changed to right answers on individual student answer sheets.
Classrooms across the state were flagged in which the number of wrong-to-right changes were three standard deviations or more above the state average. On the CRCT, less than 2% of Georgia's elementary and middle schools were flagged using this criterion. For the EOCT, 99% of flagged schools had either less than 10% of their classrooms flagged, or fewer than 5 of their classrooms flagged.
The results indicate that local districts continue to improve test security and implement best practices. GOSA, in collaboration with Georgia's Department of Education, will continue to support local districts with improving their test plans and enhancing the overall security of the test environment while systems transition from pencil and paper testing to computerbased testing.
For more information about the CRCT Erasure Analysis, click here.
For more information about the EOCT Erasure Analysis, click here.

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