W.T. Jackson Elementary earns 2010 Georgia Schools of Excellence recognition

Warren T.  Jackson Elementary School is one of only 22 schools in the state to be recognized as a 2010 Georgia Schools of Excellence in Student Achievement award winner. Jackson earned the recognition for being among the top 10 percent of schools in Georgia, as determined by the results of state standardized tests in reading and mathematics.

“I am extremely proud of the students, teachers, principal and staff at Jackson Elementary School for their performance that resulted in this very special recognition from the state,” said APS Superintendent Dr. Beverly L. Hall.  “To be one of only 22 schools in the state to be singled out is a tremendous achievement and is something everyone should celebrate.”

To be considered for the recognition, schools must also meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for a minimum of three consecutive years; meet or exceed state testing scores in science and social studies; and be established for five or more years.

Each school will receive $1,000 from Georgia Natural Gas.

11 APS schools earn 13 outstanding achievement awards from the state

A total of 11 APS schools earned 13 outstanding achievement awards from the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement (GOSA) for their academic achievement during the 2009-10 school year. The schools are being recognized under Georgia’s Single Statewide Accountability System (SSAS), which awards schools based on their performance on state curriculum exams and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) status.  The schools receive awards on four levels – platinum, gold, silver and bronze – and in two categories – greatest gains and highest performance, based on students’ results on the Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT).  The School of the Arts at Carver and Carver Early College high schools were recognized in both categories. (Here’s the AJC article.)

APS schools recognized by the state this year among the greatest gain winners include:
Cleveland Elementary School
The School of the Arts at Carver High School
Carver Early College High School
Neighborhood Charter School
Charles R. Drew Charter School

APS schools recognized among the highest performance winners include:
Mary Lin Elementary School – Bronze
Sarah Smith Elementary School – Bronze
Morris Brandon Elementary School – Gold
Morningside Elementary School — Gold
Early College High School at Carver – Platinum
Warren T. Jackson Elementary School – Platinum
Springdale Park Elementary School – Platinum
The School of the Arts at Carver – Silver

The awards were announced today as part of the release of the 2009-2010 K-12 Public Schools Scoreboard and Report Card. The recognized schools receive a congratulatory letter from the state.

APS has the most ‘No Excuses’ schools in the state for 2010

Atlanta Public Schools has the most “No Excuses” schools in the state – nine out of a total of 35 schools from 19 districts – as announced today by the Georgia Public Policy Foundation. APS schools that attained the “No Excuses” designation for 2010 are: Blalock, Burgess-Peterson Academy, C.W. Hill, Capitol View, East Lake, Garden Hills, Gideons, Whitefoord and KIPP West Atlanta Young Scholars Academy charter school.  Capitol View received a double recognition for having two grade levels that qualified for the award.  Blalock closed prior to the last school year.

Principal Profile: Dr. Marcus Stallworth sets great expectations at Fain Elementary

Student achievement has improved significantly at Fain Elementary School since Dr. Marcus Stallworth arrived eight years ago, but don’t expect the principal, his teachers or students to rest on their laurels. “I shared my vision with faculty, parents and students,” he said, noting that aligning the curriculum with state standards was his first priority. “My vision is that this school becomes a national Blue Ribbon School of Excellence.”

Stallworth’s background indicates he is the right person to help Fain achieve that goal. The former teacher also has served as a Title I consultant and Principal Assistant to the Associate Commissioner in the Office of School Improvement in his native Kentucky. “I wanted to be a principal and turn around a struggling school,” said Stallworth, who completed the requirements for his doctoral degree from Clark Atlanta University in November. “All the basis of my work was in school improvement.”

SRT-4 schools among Georgia schools awarded for outstanding achievement

There were 327 Georgia schools honored under Georgia’s Single Statewide Accountability System (SSAS), which awards schools based on their performance on state curriculum exams and Adequate Yearly Progress status. And APS’ SRT-4 schools were among them. The recognized schools will receive a congratulatory letter and a banner announcing the accomplishment.

The schools are awarded on four levels — Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze in two categories:
Greatest gains:  Schools that showed the greatest improvement in scores on the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) or the Georgia High School Graduation Tests (GHSGT).
Highest Performance:  Schools that demonstrate the highest achievement on the CRCT or GHST.

SRT-4 is proud to announce the following schools:
Greatest Gains for Students Meeting and Exceeding Standards
Platinum — Blalock Elementary
Platinum — Sutton Middle

Highest Performance for Students Meeting and Exceeding Standards
Platinum — Jackson Elementary
Gold — Brandon Elementary
Bronze  — Sarah Smith Elementary

Full house for first Community Fireside Chat of 2009-10

More than 300 parents, community members and APS employees packed the gymnasium of Inman Middle School on Monday to hear Superintendent Dr. Beverly L. Hall’s report on SRT-3 schools. Atlanta Board of Education members Emmett D. Johnson, Cecily Harsch-Kinnane (vice chair), Brenda Muhammad and Mark Riley were present.

The superintendent talked about the district’s work to position students on their journey to college, and she answered questions on topics ranging from testing to school closures. In addition, Dr. Hall shared SRT-3’s academic highlights, some of which are listed below: 

Fifty-eight Atlanta Public Schools named 2009 Georgia Title I Distinguished Schools

Fifty-eight Atlanta Public Schools were named 2009 Georgia Title I Distinguished Schools by Georgia State Superintendent Kathy Cox during the State Board of Education Meeting on Wednesday.

Title I Distinguished Schools recognized for achieving adequate yearly progress (AYP) for three consecutive years are awarded a certificate, while those making AYP four or more years receive a monetary award, paid for out of federal funds.  AYP is an academic achievement measure that includes all categories of students, including those with disabilities and those coming from low-income families.

The APS Title I Distinguished Schools that received monetary awards for four or more consecutive years are:

Principal for a Day: Turner Middle welcomes Luz Borrero

This may have been the first time for Luz Borrero (above) — deputy COO, City of Atlanta — as Turner Middle School’s Principal for a Day, but she had plenty of experienced visitors along with her during her visit to the school on Tuesday. That’s because she was welcomed not only by Principal Karen Riggins-Taylor but also members of the Turner Alumni Association. Now, we’re not necessarily talking about Turner Middle graduates, but graduates from when Turner was a high school back in the day.

So there was Turner Alumni Association President Dorothy Thomas-Swann and several other alumni joining in on the walk through the hallways and in the classrooms to see the progress being made at Turner. They came away impressed, as Principal Riggins-Taylor pointed out how Turner is on its way to making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for the second consecutive year after failing the previous six years.

Two Atlanta Public Schools make AYP for 11 consecutive years, 80% of APS schools make AYP

Two Atlanta Public Schools elementary schools were recognized by the state today for achieving Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in their students’ performance on Georgia standardized tests for eleven consecutive years. The schools are D.H. Stanton and Fain elementary schools.

Eighty percent of Atlanta Public Schools made AYP last year, which is on par with the state of Georgia. Sixty-five Atlanta Public Schools have consistently made AYP for three or more years.

AYP is essentially a set of criteria used to determine if individual schools are meeting established student performance standards under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.  It requires that all categories of students in a particular school meet minimum academic performance standards, attendance requirements and participation levels in order for the school to be designated as achieving AYP status.

“The fact that so many of our schools are consistently achieving Adequate Yearly Progress over a number of years is a clear indication of the success of our urban school reform efforts,” said Dr. Beverly L. Hall, Superintendent, Atlanta Public Schools.  “This level of sustained academic performance by our students is proof positive that Atlanta Public Schools’ students are competitive with their counterparts from around the state and the nation in the area of academic achievement.”