Tracking student success : providing the path to a prosperous future

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PROVIDING THE PATH TO A
PROSPEROUS FUTURE
M
GEORGI
DEPARTMENT OF
EDUCATION
Kathy Cox, State Superintendent ofSchools
www.doe.kl2.ga.us

cJ^L^<LbtoyL<Lb Georgia Performance Standards Student Information System SAT Performance Georgia Virtual School Program
It is the mission of the Department of Education to function as a service-oriented and policy-driven agency that meets the needs of local school systems as they go about the business of preparing all students for college or a career in a safe and drug-free environment where we ensure that no child is left behind.

cbtoyi We will lead the nation in improving student achievement.
We, the administration, employees, and advisors of the Georgia Department of Education, hold the following values essential to achieving the Department's mission: Transparency Honesty Commitment Trust and Respect Continuous Improvement Collaboration We Have Fun!

Education Partners

Governor Sonny Perdue

State Board of Education Wanda Barrs, Chair - Third Congressional District
Linda Zechmann - First Congressional District Peggy Nielson - Second Congressional District William Bradley Bryant - Fourth Congressional District
Joy S. Berry - Fifth Congressional District James E. Bostic, Jr. - Sixth Congressional District
Jose R. Perez - Seventh Congressional District Mary Sue Murray - Eighth Congressional District
Vacant - Ninth Congressional District Vacant - Tenth Congressional District Albert Hodge - Eleventh Congressional District Carol S. Williams - Twelfth Congressional District Dean Alford - Thirteenth Congressional District

Office of Student Achievement
Martha R. Reichrath, Ph.D. Executive Director (404) 463-1150

Divisions Curriculum and Instruction - (404) 656-2804 Finance and Business Operations - (404) 656-2492
Instructional Technology - (404) 657-0810 Policy and External Affairs - (404) 651-7562 Teacher and Student Support - (404) 657-2965
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Superintendent Kathy Cox has worked tirelessly to provide support to school systems, individual schools, and classroom teachers. She has transformed the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) from a slow-moving bureaucracy to a fast-paced and customer-focused support agency for public education. Change is also being seen in Georgias schools as teachers and administrators exhibit newfound optimism about the future of education in Georgia under the leadership of Superintendent Cox.

if A GaDOE survey of local school systems indicates that over 85% of respondents rate the GaDOE's communication with them as good or excellent.
On a GaDOE survey sent to local school systems regarding quality of training for Phase I of the new Georgia Performance Standards, the following percentages indicate a good or better overall rating for each content-specific area:
Curriculum and Special Education Directors - 95% Grades 9-12 Science - 95% Grades 6-7 Science - 100% Grades 9-12 English/Language Arts - 99% Grades 4-8 English/Language Arts - 95% Grades K-3 English/Language Arts - 96% Grade 6 Mathematics - 98%

Georgia Department of Educations
STRATEGIC GOALS
Leading the nation in improving student achievement is the vision. Realizing the vision requires significant gains in eight key areas.

TEACHER QUALITY: Reduce the number of teachers who leave the profession for reasons of job dissatisfaction Ensure a highly qualified teacher for every classroom
STATEWIDE CURRICULUM: New Georgia Performance Standards published & used
TESTING: Well-designed testing program aligned with Georgia Performance Standards

HIGH SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT: Significantly improve Georgia's SAT scores Ensure that Advanced Placement (AP) courses are taught well in every high school Cut drop out rates substantially Increase the number of students graduating with technical or two-year college certification
DATA DEVELOPMENT: Best in class, actionable report card Develop and implement best in class student information system

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT: Decrease the number of schools on NCLB needs improvement list
Ensure that the overwhelming majority of 3rd graders are proficient in reading and math
Eliminate persistent danger in all schools

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT: Clean Audit Report
POLICY: Reputation for expertise, transparency, & strong policy

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3rd Grade Reading CRCT Results
2002 2003 (N/A) 2004 2005

100 90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0 Meets/ Meets/

Meets/

Exceeds Exceeds Exceeds

HIGHLIGHTS The state's promotion and retention policy is working. State policy requires students to pass the reading CRCT in grade 3 and the reading and math CRCT in grade 5. Beginning in 2005-2006, students in grade 8 are required to pass the reading and math CRCT. The law, which went into effect during the 2003-2004 school year for grade 3, has resulted in increased student achievement.
Unprecedented achievement in grades 3, 4, and 5.
Achievement gap is closing.
2005 results show that 92% of 3rd graders taking the CRCT reading test passed the exam.
2004 to 2005 gain especially noteworthy in the categories of Students with Disabilities, English Language Learners, and Hispanic students.
4th grade reading scores dramatically better than in 2004 (78% passing in 2004 to 87% passing in 2005).
Double-digit one-year jumps for AfricanAmerican students, English Language Learners, and Students with Disabilities.
5th grade reading and math pass rates went up for all students and every major subgroup.
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4th Grade Reading CRCT Results

2002 2003

2004

2005

100

Meets/ Meets/ Exceeds Exceeds

Meets/ Exceeds

Meets/ Exceeds

EXCEPTIONAL ACHIEVEMENT IN STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES (SWD) 2002-2005 PERCENTAGE GAINS:
READING... 26% ENGLISH/LANGUAGE ARTS... 1G% MATH... 20% SCIENCE... 21% SOCIAL STUDIES... 23%

<W y &UK61 Tuti (EOCT)
Approximately 81% of students passed the 9th Grade Literature EOCT and about 94% passed the American Literature EOCT.
Performance on these tests jumped four points and five points, respectively, over 2004. African-American and Hispanic students showed strong gains on EOCT exams since
2004 as did Students with Disabilities.
Results of the 2005 GHSGT show that the states 11th graders are improving in some tested areas while holding steady in others. ENGLISH/LANGUAGE ARTS Overall, students continued to perform very well on the English portion with about 97% passing - an increase of one point. All student subgroups showed an increase as well. Reversing two years of declining pass rates, approximately 89% of the states African American students passed the exam, an increase of two points.
"Students continue to show improvement on the English portion of the test even though they are already performing at a very high level. Much ofthe praise goes to English teachers across Georgia that are clearly doing a great job. "
- Kathy Cox, State Superintendent ofSchools
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Georgia Schools In Needs Improvement
(2 Years ofNot Making Adequate Yearly Progress in the Same Subject)

ADEQUATE YEARLY

600

26.66%

500

AYP is one of the cornerstones of the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). It is an annual

400

measure of student participation and achievement on

300

statewide assessments and other academic indicators.

200

Even though the academic bar jumped significantly

100
0
2003

2004

2005

for 2005, the percentage of schools meeting academic expectations stayed nearly the same. There were 1,642 schools that made Adequate

Yearly Progress in 2005 (about 80.5%).

The total number of schools who are in Needs Improvement status dropped by 59 schools in

2005. Of the state's 354 Needs Improvement schools, 135 made Adequate Yearly Progress. If

those schools make AYP in 2006, they will be removed from Needs Improvement status. Since

2002-2003, the number of Needs Improvement schools has dropped approximately 34%.

For the second year in a row, approximately 95% of the state's elementary schools made AYP.

Approximately 56% of the state's middle schools made AYP, an increase of nearly seven

percentage points.

55 school systems - nearly 30% -

had every school in its district

make AYP.

Academic expectations rose for

the over 1,600 elementary and

middle schools in Georgia. In order

to meet AYP, 58.3% of the

students in each school and each

qualifying subgroup had to pass the

math exam, up from 50% the

previous year. In English/language

arts, 66.7% were required to pass,

compared to 60% the prevous year.

The high school bench-marks stayed

the same for 2006.

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SAT | ACT | ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP)

Georgia SAT 2002 - 2005

1000

990

980

i i i a a I I I I
970

960

iII

950

2002

2003

2004

2005

Initiated training of teachers to use PSAT data to help identify where individual students need remediation.
SAT Online Prep course available free of charge to all public high school students. The course features: 18 lessons with interactive activities and multimedia content Six full-length, official SAT practice tests Over 600 practice questions, which follow SAT specifications Explanations of answers to all questions Automated essay scoring by the College Board Personalized score reports for students -- detailed student, class, school, and district-level reports for educators.
The ACT average composite score rose from 19.8 in 2002 to 20.0 in 2005.
ADVANCED PLACEMENT - 2004-2005 Number of Students Taking Tests....................29,114 Number of Tests Taken....................................... 45,937 Number of Test Scores 3 or Higher................ 25,267 Percentage of Test Scores 3 or Higher............ 55.0%
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GEORGIA PERFORMANCE STANDARDS (GPS)
The Georgia Performance Standards (GPS) were written over two years by teams of teachers, academics, and experts in four core subject areas: English/language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science. For years, teachers said the old curriculum, the QCC, was too broad and vague to be useful. The new standards are more focused and more rigorous. The GPS provides a clear picture of what students need to learn and shows teachers what success looks like by providing sample student work.
GEORGIA VIRTUAL SCHOOL PROGRAM
In 2005, the General Assembly established the Georgia Virtual School Program. The passing of this bill allows students age 21 and under to enroll in a maximum of six courses per year at no cost to the student. Initiated by the Georgia Department of Education, it provides opportunities and options for Georgia students to engage in Advanced Placement, college preparatory, career, technical, and other elective courses online to enhance their learning experiences. Seats are available for students to take classes as part of their regular school day. In addition, supplemental classes may be taken during fall, spring, and summer semesters for tuition. For more information about the Georgia Virtual School Program, visit the web site at www.GAVirtualSchool.org.
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Embraced by the states education professionals, the Georgia Performance Standards (GPS) outline specific guidelines for instruction, student work, and assessment. It represents the most fundamental change to Georgia's public educational system in more than 18 years. It is the foundation for educational progress as Georgia aims to lead the nation in improving student achievement.
The State Board of Education voted to approve the new curriculum for K-12 math, science, social studies, and English/language arts.
In 2005-2006, the new standards are being taught in K-12 English/language arts, grades 6, 7, 9-12 science, and grade 6 math.

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GEORGIA EDUCATION

NUMBER OF SCHOOLS
K through 12 Elementary Middle High

2,069
10 1,257
429 573

NUMBER OF DISTRICTS
City County State Schools

181
21 159
1 (Three State Schools and three State Chartered
Special Schools under GaDOE Supervision)

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GENDER
Male Female

758,293 795,144

Total
48% 52%

RACE/ETHNIC DISTRIBUTION
American Indian/Alaskan Asian, Pacific Islander Black, non-Hispanic Hispanic Multiracial White
OTHER FACTS
% eligibleforfree or reduced meals Students Transported Special Education Limited English Proficiency

2,335 40,442 590,242 119,506 34,240 766,672
743,786 1,200,000
195,928 73112 10

.15% 2.60%
38% 7.69% 2.20% 49.35%
47.88% 77.2% 13% 4.7%

BY THE NUMBERS

ACADEMIC PREPARATION (higher than a bachelors degree)

Masters

45,700

42.7%

Specialist

11,926

11.2%

Doctorate

1,225

1.1%

EXPERIENCE
0-4 Years 5-9 Years 10-14 Years 15-19 Years 20-29 Years 30*
SALARY
Average New Teacher Salary

30,445 23,414 16,718 12,684 19,688 3,985
$34,442

28.5% 21.9% 15.6% 11.9% 18.4% 3.7%

Average Overall Teacher Salary $46,437

National Board Certification

1,708

All numbers reflect totals from the 2004-2005 academic year unless otherwise noted.

Source: Georgia Professional Standards Commission

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FEDERAL $821,903,050.10^-

Total Revenue $11,110,476,036.05

% of total state budget -49%

STATE

51.26%

$5,695,312,766.27

LOCAL , $4,593,260,219.68

Avg. per student $7,414.00 11

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Georgia Department ofEducation 2054 Twin Towers East Atlanta, Georgia 30334 Tel (404) 656-2800 Tel (800) 311-3627 (GA) FAX (404) 651-6867 askDOE@doe.kl2.ga. us

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