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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 
 
4 
 
 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 
6 
 
 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. 
 
7 
 
 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% 
8 
 
 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. 
9 
 
 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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