74 Schools Removed from Priority and Focus Lists
The Georgia Department of Education recently announced that 74 out of 243 schools have exited the Priority and Focus Schools lists.
As part of Georgia’s ESEA waiver, which granted flexibility from some provisions of No Child Left Behind, the GaDOE was required to identify Priority and Focus Schools. Priority Schools represent the lowest-performing 5% of Title I schools based on achievement data, plus schools with a graduation rate below 60% for two consecutive years. Focus Schools represent the lowest-performing 10% of Title I schools based on achievement gap data. That data examines the gap between a school’s lowest performing 25% of students and the state average, and the extent to which that gap is closing.
“Every school that made the necessary improvements to exit Priority or Focus School status deserves to be commended,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “The ongoing work of these schools, coupled with supports from GaDOE staff and RESAs, continues to move the needle and prove that underperforming schools can improve, even when they face difficult odds.”
Georgia Reduces Testing Further Through Partnership with Technical College System of Georgia
Georgia students can now use their Georgia Milestones ELA scores in lieu of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG)’s ACCUPLACER ELA requirements – further streamlining and reducing duplicative testing.
TCSG’s President’s Council approved the use of Milestones ELA scores based on a study conducted in partnership with the Georgia Department of Education, exploring the feasibility of using Milestones EOC scores to establish eligibility for college coursework.
“I believe excessive testing severely limits our students’ ability to learn,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said.
Thousands of Free Books are at your Fingertips this Summer
Georgia students can read anywhere, anytime, and virtually anything this summer, because Get Georgia Reading partner myON has delivered thousands of free books to your computer and mobile devices. That means every child, teacher, librarian, and parent in Georgia are sharing a single account that provides you with unlimited access to myON’s enhanced digital books, 24 hours a day—every day—through Aug. 31. These enhanced digital books, with flexible reading scaffolds, are the core content of myON’s award-winning personalized literacy environment with embedded tools and metrics to support and track student reading and growth.
Read anywhere - at home, in the library, or any community setting. Read online using any Internet-enabled device. Read offline using free mobile apps for Kindle Fire HD, Android Devices, iPads, and Google Chrome.
For more information or if you have additional questions, please contact Saralee Parker, Account Manager, at
(678) 910-6661 or
email Saralee.
2017 Georgia Education Leadership Institute
GELI 2017 features timely information on the topics that matter most to Georgia Education Leaders! The
2017 Georgia Education Leadership Institute is hosted by the Georgia Department of Education at the Sheraton Atlanta Hotel in downtown Atlanta on September 17-19, 2017.
GALILEO: Encyclopedias in Multiple Languages
Georgia schools have long had encyclopedias in multiple languages through their GALILEO Britannica subscription. Britannica has recently revamped the collection, which removes some dated resources and adds others.
- Britannica Online Japan includes over 150,000 articles and 30,000 images for both native Japanese speakers and students learning Japanese
- Enciclopedia Moderna includes encyclopedia articles, Spanish-language educational videos, and an atlas
- Escolar Online is an online learning platform for Spanish for ages 6-12 with interactive games, articles, videos, maps, and more. Primary and secondary versions are available
- Enciclopedia Universalis is the largest French-language encyclopedic resource online with articles, multimedia, an atlas, a dictionary and a guide to selected websites
- Universalis Junior Online is a French-language encyclopedia and learning environment for younger users. Buttons allow toggling between French and English
NGE Hires New Managing Editor
The
New Georgia Encyclopedia hired Edward Hatfield as managing editor in April 2017, replacing Sarah McKee, who had served as an editor at the encyclopedia for over twelve years. Ed comes to the encyclopedia by way of the Emory Center for Digital Scholarship and Atlanta Studies. He's also not a stranger to the encyclopedia - Ed has written dozens of encyclopedia articles, and he served as project editor for the civil rights section of the encyclopedia between 2006 and 2008. As managing editor, Ed will oversee the maintenance and expansion of the encyclopedia's 2,200 articles on the history and culture of Georgia.
Virtual Field Trip: Entrepreneurship in Georgia
Explore the history and expansion of 5 major Georgia companies
Entrepreneurship in Georgia is a virtual field trip that is an interactive learning experience. It takes students on an exploration of Georgia's unique economy, building them through five of the state's largest companies and explaining each firm's inception and business history, including expansion, economic impact, charitable endeavors, and much more. Features of this field trip include video footage, picture galleries, interactive maps, fun facts, and a teacher user guide.
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Thank you,
Tony Vlachakis
Educational Technologist
Library/Media Liaison
