Symposium summary [2002]

S2002 ymposium
ummary
INTRODUCTION
On February 1-2, 2002, approximately three hundred (300) Georgia educators assembled at the Atlanta Marriott-Gwinnett Place Hotel for the 2002 Symposium for Exemplary Educators. The purpose of the symposium was to enable outstanding educators in Georgia to become more informed and involved in educational decision making at the state level by bringing them together to discuss important issues pertaining to teacher quality. Those in attendance were Georgia elementary, middle, and secondary public school educators who have received distinguished awards for their job performance. In addition, principals of award-winning teachers, superintendents of award-winning administrators, leaders of any entity that has publicized an official legislative agenda for the 2002 Georgia General Assembly, business leaders, and members from the Georgia House of Representatives and the Georgia Senate were invited to participate. (See enclosed list.)
During this two-day symposium, attendees were divided into fourteen diverse groups to take part in three breakout sessions covering the following major topics: (1) Providing Quality Teachers: Impact of Recent Legislation, (2) Increasing Teacher and School Accountability: Impact of Recent Legislation, and (3) Improving Teaching and Learning: Impact of Recent Legislation. The task of each group was to gain consensus on five major positions pertaining to each topic that would improve education in this state. There were four common strands identified throughout the sessions. (1) Unfunded mandates need to be abolished. (2) Teacher quality and student achievement are closely interrelated and must be considered simultaneously. (3) Multiple assessments are necessary for accountability measures. (4) Staff development funds need to be increased, not decreased. At the closing session of the symposium, these endorsements were presented to all participants in a general session.
Following this session, a committee of teachers and school administrators met to consolidate these endorsements into a concise report that could be shared with parties that influence educational policies. This final report, Hear Our Voices, Value Our Knowledge, Support Our Efforts, is enclosed for your information. The participants from this Symposium for Exemplary Educators believe that the positions endorsed in this document are crucial to the implementation of needed educational changes in Georgia.
If you have any questions for committee members listed in this document, please contact Judy Floyd, Director of Recognition Programs, Georgia Department of Education, at (404) 657-2949.

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FINAL REPORT COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Vallye Blanton, teacher, Lake Park Elementary School, Lowndes County (1994 Georgia Teacher of the Year, 1994 Milken National Educator, 1999 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics Teaching, 2000 Christa McAuliffe Fellow)
Kay Hollifield, assistant principal, County Line Elementary School, Barrow County (1992 Georgia Economics Teacher of the Year, 1996 Georgia School of Excellence and National Blue Ribbon School, 1996 Presidential Award for Excellence Mathematics Teaching, 1999 Fulbright Memorial Educator, 2000 National Board Certified Teacher, 2000 Milken National Educator)
Marge Kellogg, teacher, Marietta High School, Marietta City Schools (1990 Atlanta Journal Constitution Honor Teacher, 1991 Milken National Educator)
Nancy Royal, principal, Ruth Hill Elementary School, Coweta County (1989 Atlanta Journal Constitution Honor Teacher, 1992 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics Teaching, 1993 Georgia Teacher of the Year, 1994 Milken National Educator, 1999 Georgia School of Excellence)
Mona Tucker, principal, Nickajack Elementary School, Cobb County (1994 and 2001 Council for Exceptional Children Regular Education Administrator of the Year, 1998 Milken National Educator, 1999 Georgia Association of Retarded Citizens Educator of the Year, 2001 National School of Character)

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TOPIC 1 "PROVIDING QUALITY TEACHERS: IMPACT OF RECENT LEGISLATION"
Actions must be taken to attract new teachers to the profession. To meet teacher shortages, financial incentives must match or exceed those of other professions requiring
comparable preparation and ability. Hiring procedures and provisions affecting placement on the state salary schedule should be reviewed
and revised to provide consistency among school systems in Georgia. The process for certifying teachers should be reviewed and revised to facilitate teacher mobility. Any alternative certification process must include a strong mentor teacher component supported by
well-trained master teachers who are experienced in subject areas and grade levels in which their protgs are working.
Retention of quality teachers in the profession is more crucial to student achievement than recruiting new teachers. The state salary schedule should allow salary increments beyond the 19th year of experience for teachers
who receive good job performance evaluations. Options that encourage teachers to continue teaching beyond retirement without penalty should be
implemented Teacher compensation and benefits must remain competitive. Strong teacher-protg mentoring programs must be expanded. Opportunities must be provided to teachers allowing for career advancement without leaving the
classroom. A statewide provision should be implemented ensuring a fair dismissal process for teachers. Adequate school security and good student discipline must exist to establish a pleasant and safe teaching
and learning environment.
Teachers should receive better training. Teacher preparation should include more "in-the-classroom" experiences and should provide them earlier
in the training programs. Staff development activities should be improved and made more relevant, not cut due to funding priorities
or poor quality in some instances. Support should be maintained for teachers seeking to improve their performance through the National
Board Certification process. Middle school certifications should be issued according to subject areas of teacher training and expertise
in addition to grade levels.
Teachers need to be evaluated appropriately. Performance evaluations should include multiple criteria, taking into account those factors that are not
under the control of the teacher. Evaluations must be activities leading to improvement overall rather than leading to poor morale and
negative attitudes generally. Student achievement, as determined by test scores, should not be overweighted in the total evaluation
of job performance. Evaluations must take into consideration that the job of teaching differs from school to school according
to student transient rates, socioeconomic level, parent and community support, minority enrollment, and ability of students to speak English.

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TOPIC 2 "INCREASING TEACHER AND SCHOOL ACCOUNTABILITY:
IMPACT OF RECENT LEGISLATION"
Teachers want to be accountable. Parents, students, and school leadership personnel must also be held accountable. Accountability measures should not encourage teachers to flee from low-performing schools. Teachers should be held accountable for only those areas over which they have control. Incentives should be made available to attract successful teachers to move to or to remain in low-
performing schools. School support services (technology, staff development, paraprofessionals, etc.) should not be decreased
as teacher and school accountability is increased. Quality Core Curriculum (QCC) objectives should be prioritized in accordance with the mandated tests
upon which accountability will be measured. Fine arts must be an indispensable component within the core curriculum.
State-mandated tests, as measurements of student learning, have limitations. The best use of student testing is for diagnostic purposes. Student progress should be measured by pretests and posttests. Student progress should be determined by multiple measures, not a single test. For reporting purposes, test scores for special education students and ESOL (English for Speakers of
Other Languages) students should be indicated separately. Classroom teachers should be more involved in the development of "end-of-course" tests and in the
establishment of the timeline for administering these tests.
The use of CARE Teams is a viable method to improve schools. CARE Teams should be comprised of master teachers who have demonstrated knowledge and use of
best educational practices. CARE Team members should be education practitioners currently working in state public schools. CARE Teams should remain with schools as long as necessary to achieve the specified goals. The role of CARE Teams should be more clearly defined.
The work of the Office of Education Accountability (OEA) should be communicated to help teachers understand its effect and influence on them. OEA objectives should be clearly articulated to school systems and to other state education agencies. Teachers should be included on the OEA Board.
Creating the Georgia Closing the Achievement Gap Commission is a positive action for focusing on ways to improve educational achievement for at-risk students. More public school educators with current classroom teaching experience should be appointed to serve
on this Commission. The State Superintendent of Schools should be directly involved in the work of this Commission.
Legislators and State Board of Education Members should have a better understanding of the impact that legislation, policies, and rules have directly upon classroom teachers. Education policymakers should visit classrooms periodically and substitute teach for one day per school
year. Mandates should not be made unless they are fully funded. Adequate time must be given for implementation of mandates.

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TOPIC 3 "IMPROVING TEACHING AND LEARNING: IMPACT OF RECENT LEGISLATION"
Teaching and learning will improve if critical needs are funded. Loopholes that allow maximum class sizes to be exceeded should be eliminated. Maximum class size limitation should be enforced. Adequate space should be provided for resource classrooms, as well as for regular classrooms. Adequate funds for instructional materials should be earmarked and spent for this purpose only. Nurses should be provided for each school on a full-time basis. Counselors should be provided for each school on a full-time basis. Well-trained paraprofessionals should be made available to all teachers for assisting with instructional
and clerical tasks, as well as student supervision.
Continuing staff development is essential for improving teaching and learning. Adequate funds should be provided for relevant staff development activities directly embedded in the
jobs that teachers are currently performing. Staff development funds that are unused or misused should be redistributed to school systems where
these funds are used judiciously.
The Early Intervention Program (EIP) is a positive step toward improving student achievement. Continuation of EIP should be supported. EIP guidelines should be clearly communicated. Program flexibility is needed due to the diversity of school populations throughout the state.
The use of educational technology is vital to improvement of teaching and learning. A higher funding priority should be given to technology, especially in the areas of maintenance, repairs,
and replacements. Technology training for teachers should be appropriate for the skill and knowledge level of individual
teachers, rather than attempting to fit all teachers into a prescribed course. More technology specialists available directly to classroom teachers should be provided.
The elimination of social promotion for students from one grade level to the next has potential for improving student achievement and teacher success. Specific criteria for grade-level promotion must be established at the state level and schools must be
required to implement them consistently and uniformly. Alternative educational programs using different instructional techniques, methods, and materials must
be made available to those students who do not meet the promotion criteria. Adequate resources and personnel to track student attendance and to pursue absentees, as well as
their parents, must accompany any action taken to eliminate social promotion.

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SYPMPOSIUM INVITATIONS EXTENDED TO THESE GROUPS
Milken Educators Former Georgia Teachers of the Year Current Semifinalists for Georgia Teacher of the Year
National Board Certified Teachers Presidential Scholars for Math and Science Georgia Association of EducatorsAward Winners Professional Association of Georgia EducatorsSTAR Teachers Atlanta Journal-Constitution Honor Teachers State Superintendent of SchoolsTeacher Advisory Council Members Georgia National Blue Ribbon Schools Principals Immediate supervisor with whom each award-winning teacher works State House of Representatives Education Committee Members State Senate Education Committee Members
State Board of Education Members Governor and Lieutenant Governor Directors and Chairpersons of the various Georgia professional education organizations
Christa McAuliffe Fellows Teachers receiving awards in various subject areas
Education Field Services Directors Metro Association of Classroom Educators Georgia Association of Middle School Principals Professional associations and businesses
Fulbright Exchange Award Winners Special Education Teachers of the Year Georgia Business Education Teachers of the Year
Georgia Gifted Teachers of the Year Josephine Martin Award Winners
Alternative Education Teacher of the Year Principal Award Winners
School Psychologist Winner of the Year State agency heads Presidential Scholars Round Table Winners
Program area teachers of the year The National Teacher Hall of Fame Teachers
Georgia Schools of Excellence Principals