Strategic plan : bringing education to life

Strategic Plan
Bringing Education to Life

Here's the plan

VISION: Lead the Nation in Improving Student Achievement

Goal 1
Increase high school graduation rate, decrease drop out rate, and increase post-secondary enrollment rate.
Goal 2
Strengthen teacher quality, recruitment, and retention.
Goal 3
Improve workforce readiness skills.
Goal 4
Develop strong education leaders, particularly at the building level.
Goal 5
Improve the SAT, ACT, and the achievement scores of Georgia students.
Goal 6
Make polices that ensure maximum academic and financial accountability.

Status
13 3 30
Status
6 6 11
Status
7 2 10
Status
4 1 6
Status
16 6 39
Status
8 1 14

Status:
What is the status of the goal:

Meeting

Progress

Not meeting

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about Georgia's Strategic Plan for improving K-12 education. On the following pages, we provide a big picture view of our state's six strategic goals by reviewing some of the progress we've made over the past several years and identifying some of the high-level strategies we are using to continue that progress.
Obviously, there is much more information available than we can fit in this publication. That is why we created our Strategic Plan website, which you can learn more about on the following page. On this website, you'll find all the specific strategies we are using to improve education in Georgia and be able to review hundreds of data-based indicators we are using to track our progress.
The State Board of Education and I are providing this information to you so that, together, we can provide a worldclass education to every student in Georgia's public schools. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions, concerns or ideas.
Sincerely,

Kathy Cox



State Superintendent of Schools

www.gadoe.org/StrategicPlan.aspx
strategic plan website

This guide can help you navigate the site.

When you enter our strategic plan website you'll see a list of our goals. Click on a goal and you'll see the "Scorecard View." Click in the upper right-hand corner of the page to see the "Dashboard View."

scorecard view

dashboard view

Goal Cluster: Each cluster has indicators the GaDOE is tracking.
Indicator: Data that measures progress on the goal.

Trend: Is the data heading up or down and is that indicator headed in the right direction (green)
or the wrong direction (red).

Strategy: Each goal has a set of strategies being used to meet that goal.
Initiative: Each strategy is supported
by specific initiatives.

Performance Measure: Data that
examines the effectiveness of
a specific initiative.

Status: How are we doing in meeting this goal?

Dropdown menu:
Use this for initiatives that have more than one performance
measure.

Plus sign (+) Click to expand this cluster and see indicators.

Target: This is the goal for the most recent
year.
Tolerance: This is the margin of error for this goal.

GOAL 1

Increase high school graduation rate, decrease dropout rate, and increase post-secondary enrollment rate.
Georgia's Graduation Rate has dramatically improved over the past several years, but there is still work to be done. For Georgia to remain competitive in the 21st century, we must increase the number of students who are graduating from high school on time with a meaningful diploma that prepares them for college and the work place. The future of our students and our state depends upon it.

Georgia Graduation Rate

100

90

80 70

63.3% 65.4% 69.4% 70.8% 72.3% 75.4%

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

School year

Indicators of Success
In just three years:
T he high school dropout rate has fallen from 5% to 3.6%
The number of students taking AP classes has jumped 56% to over 95,000 and Georgia has risen to 15th nationally in the percentage of high school graduates that passed at least one AP exam
T he number of students in Dual Enrollment programs with state Technical Colleges increased 38% to 8,342

Graduation rate

Goal 1 Strategies for Improvement

Graduation Coaches in middle and high Schools to identify
at-risk students and intervene to prevent dropping out

Increase the number of high school students taking post-secondary work through Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate, and Dual Enrollment

Align curriculum and high school graduation
requirements with college- and workready expectations

Implement a credit recovery program for students who fall behind

GOAL 2

Strengthen teacher quality, recruitment and retention.
Georgia has some of the most dedicated, well-prepared teachers in the country. But if Georgia is going to lead the nation in improving student achievement, we will need to recruit more highly-qualified teachers to the classroom and give them the training and tools they need to be successful. This can be accomplished through collaboration with all those who educate, recruit, certify and hire teachers in Georgia.
Percent of Georgia Teachers that are Highly Qualified

Highly qualified teachers (%)

100
98 97.1%
96 94 92 90
2 0
2005

97.1% 95.7%

2006

2007

School year

97.6%
2008

Indicators of Success
M ore early-career teachers are staying in their jobs: The retention rate for educators with 1-3 years experience is about 90 percent
S ince 2005, the number of certified mathematics teachers has risen by 18% to 5,369
M ore highly-qualified teachers are working in schools that did make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in 2008

Goal 2 Strategies for Improvement

Improve classroom instruction through training and the sharing
of best practices

Widespread use of the
state's new, morethorough teacher evaluation system, the
CLASS Keys

Increase curriculumbased support and
teaching tools to educators through GeorgiaStandards.org and other virtual
resources

Use a variety of strategies to recruit and retain teachers in critical shortage areas, especially mathematics, science and special education

GOAL 3

Improve workforce readiness skills.
Our public schools are giving students the work-ready skills they need to compete in the 21st century. Through Career, Technology and Agricultural Education (CTAE) classes, the Career Academies program and other initiatives, we are providing our students with educational pathways in key industries that are growing now and will grow in the future. As a state, we must continue to increase and improve career-readiness programs that are well-aligned to our core academic areas.

Students Participating in Career Paths

35K 30K 25K 20K 15K 10K 7,580
5K 0

30,462

20,405

20,862

10,453

Agriculture Healthcare Business & Marketing, Architecture, Sciences Computer Sales & Construction & Science Services Transportation
Career paths

Indicators of Success
In just one year, the number of students who received work-ready certificates has nearly quadrupled to over 3,200
The state has worked with local districts to establish 10 operational charter career academies across the state and more will open in 2009-2010
In 2008, more than 23,000 students participated in and completed appropriate workbased learning programs, such as internships and apprenticeships

Students participating in career paths

Goal 3 Strategies for Improvement

Continued creation of career pathways for middle and high school students in industries that are crucial to Georgia's economic development

Increase the number of career academies and other innovative careerprep programs through-
out the state

Train more teachers to effectively deliver the Career, Technical
and Agricultural Education curriculum

Increase "on-the-job" training available to high school students through internships, apprenticeships and
other work-based learning efforts

GOAL 4
Develop strong education leaders, particluarly at the building level.
Great schools and great school districts all have one thing in common great leaders. Superintendents, principals and other education leaders are a crucial piece to improving education for all students across the state. Georgia has many great leaders, many of whom have been recognized at the national level for their accomplishments. But we need to recruit more highlyeffective, well-trained leaders into our schools, especially those that are struggling to improve student achievement.
Mark Wilson
Principal Morgan County High School
2009 National High School Principal of the Year
National Association of Secondary School Principals

Beverly Hall
Superintendent Atlanta Public Schools 2009 National Superintendent of the Year American Association of School Administrators
Indicators of Success
In 2008, the number of school administrators participating in training sessions for the Georgia Performance standards doubled from the previous year to more than 2,500
In 2008, there were 264 school-level leaders from districts across the state that attended the GaDOE's Summer Leadership Academy to listen, learn and share strategies and ideas
O ver the past three years, hundreds of Georgia educators have been trained through GaDOE partnerships with statewide leadership organizations

Goal 4 Strategies for Improvement

Continue to work with strategic partners to identify and train highly-effective school leaders across the state

Full implementation of the "Leader Keys," a standards-based evaluation tool for
education leaders

Increase the number of Career, Technical and Agricultural Education program administrators
that participate in leadership credentialing
training sessions

Encourage use of Georgia Assessment of Performance on School Standards (GAPSS) and other data-driven, school improvement
tools

GOAL 5

Percent of students at or above basic level

Improve SAT, ACT, and achievement scores of Georgia students.

National Assessment of Educational Progress 4th Grade Reading

100

90

80

70 60

54% 58% 59% 62% 58% 62% 58% 62% 66% 65%

50

40

30

20

10

0

1998
Georgia Nation

2002

2003

2005

School year

2007

It is the bottom line question for our public education system: "Are our children learning?" State and national test scores provide valuable insight into how well our students are learning and if they will be able to compete in the 21st century. Georgia is making tremendous progress in all areas of the curriculum and, for the first time, some of our students are scoring at the national average in reading and writing. While we are proud of the progress we have made, we know our students can do better, especially in the critical areas of science and mathematics. While

ACT Score

FACT: In 2007, Georgia's 4th graders also scored at the national level in writing.

ACT Score for Georgia Public High School Seniors

20.3 20.2 20.1 20.0 19.9
19.8 19.7
19.7 0 2005

20.0
2006

20.1
2007

20.3
2008

School year

FACT: From 2005 to 2008, the number of students taking the ACT jumped by nearly 50% to over 33,200 students.
Goal 5 Strategies for Improvement

Complete implementation of
the our state's world-class curriculum, the Georgia Performance Standards, and periodic content reviews in each area by Georgia educators

Continue to provide face-to-face and virtual training for teachers on effective delivery of the Georgia Performance Standards and other
rigorous academic classes

Help students prepare for state and national assessments using
electronic tools such as the Online Assessment System and the state's free SAT Prep Class

test scores do not tell us everything about a student, assessments do provide valuable data about student achievement and classroom instruction. The data also help us judge the effectiveness of our policies and programs at the school, district and state level. We must always remember that improving education is not just about a test it's about having a quality curriculum, high expectations and a dedicated team of educators. Georgia is on the road to success and we must continue down that path if we want our students to be successful in school and in life.

Percent meeting or exceeding standards

2008 Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT)

100 93% 93% 94% 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

Grade 3rd 5th 8th

Reading

87% 90% 90%
Language Arts
Area of study

84% 78% 71%
Mathematics

FACT: 2008 was the first year students took the state's new, more rigorous mathematics test.

Number of Schools in Needs Improvement (NI) status

NI Schools

600 533
500 400 300 200 100
0 2005

413
2005

354 308
2005 2005
School year

323
2005

307
2005

FACT: Of the 413 schools in NI status in 2004, only 59 were still in NI status in 2008.

Provide targeted services that assist school districts in the identification and instruction
of gifted students

Goal 5 Strategies for Improvement

Continue support and training for teachers of Students with Disabilities and English
Language Learners

Timely release of student achievement scores in a way that is understandable and
easily-accessible to the general public

GOAL 6

Make policies that ensure maximum academic and financial accountability.
Everything we do at the state level is aimed at providing educators, community members and students with the resources and support they need and the information and accountability they demand. That is why the State Board of Education and the Georgia Department of Education are working together to provide sound, studentfocused policy, financial transparency and an array of learning options and choices.

Number of Students Enrolled in Charter Schools

34K 31K 28K 25K 22K
19K 16,836
16K 0 2005

21,094

26,299

2006

2007

School year

33,229
2008

Indicators of Success
F or four years, Georgia has been one of the first states to release the federally-mandated Adequate Yearly Progress report
Georgia received the 2008 Improving Policy Award from the National Association of Charter School Authorizers
S ince taking office, State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox has visited over 600 schools in every Georgia school district
T he state of Georgia was ranked first in the nation for the use of educational technology in Education Week's 2009 Technology Counts report

Number of students

Goal 6 Strategies for Improvement

Continue to develop state-of-the-art data
management and reporting systems that inform the public and
enable data-driven decision making

Provide school districts flexibility in exchange
for higher student achievement through charter systems, policy waivers and school
district contracts

Increase financial accountability through monitoring and management of internal and external programs

Provide more highquality public school choice options and opportunities through a variety of programs, including charter schools and virtual learning

CONTACTS
State Superintendent of Schools
Kathy Cox
state.superintendent@gadoe.org (404) 656-2800

State Board of Education
Wanda Barrs, Chair Eighth Congressional District state.board@gadoe.org (404) 657-7410

Scott Austensen Deputy Superintendent Finance and Business Operations (404) 656-2492
Diane Bradford Deputy Superintendent Education Support and Improvement (404) 651-7277
Clara J. Keith Deputy Superintendent Policy and External Affairs (404) 657-4209
Martha Reichrath, Ph.D. Deputy Superintendent Standards, Instruction, Assessment, and Communications (404) 656-2804
Ann Ware Deputy Superintendent (Interim) Instructional Technology (404) 463-0503
Stephen Pruitt Chief of Staff (404) 657-6165
Ask DOE Help Desk askdoe@gadoe.org

Albert "Al" Hodge, Vice Chair Eleventh Congressional District
William Bradley Bryant, Vice Chair Fourth Congressional District
Linda M. Zechmann First Congressional District
Elizabeth J. Ragsdale Second Congressional District
Mary Sue Polleys Third Congressional District
James E. Bostic, Jr. Fifth Congressional District
Robert "Buzz" Law Sixth Congressional District
Jose R. Perez Seventh Congressional District
Larry E. Winter Ninth Congressional District
Brian K. Burdette Tenth Congressional District
Allen C. Rice Twelfth Congressional District
Mary Sue Murray Thirteenth Congressional District
Helpful Websites





Georgia Department of Education State Curriculum Standards

www.gadoe.org

www.georgiastandards.org

K-12 Schools Report Card
www.gaosa.org

About this publication: All the students pictured in this brochure were students
in Georgia public schools as of spring, 2009
www.GaDOE.org
Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools
"We will lead the nation in improving student achievement."
Printed April 2009