Table of Contents
- Op-Ed by State School Superintendent Richard Woods: It’s Time to Lift Up, Instead of Label, our Schools
- Georgia Public-school Students Beat the National Average on SAT
- Georgia Department of Education Provides Funding for Career Education Labs
- Georgia Department of Education Recognizes ‘Farm to School Farmer of the Year’ at 2018 Golden Radish Awards
- Georgia Department of Education Launches Partnership for Rural Growth, Dedicating an Additional $1.6 Million to Education in Rural Georgia
- 22nd Annual Academic Bowl
- GALILEO News
- Georgia Writers Hall of Fame 2018 Inductees
- GPB Live Exploration: Let’s Go to the Symphony!
- Worth Sharing
- Going Social
- GaDOE Media Mailing List
Op-Ed by State School Superintendent Richard Woods: It’s Time to Lift Up, Instead of Label, our Schools
‘Our students – and schools – are more than a score’
Imagine if the success of your child – or your grandchild, niece or nephew, or next-door neighbor – was summed up entirely by their performance on a single end-of-year test.
Unfortunately, there are some who want Georgia’s accountability system for schools, the College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI), to function that way, relying overwhelmingly on students’ scores on a standardized test, instead of multiple indicators that capture the opportunities schools are providing for kids.
Many people reading this may not realize the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE), which I lead, is not the sole decision-maker regarding the CCRPI. There is excessive authority over the process delegated to entities outside the GaDOE (which is the only Georgia education agency overseen by a leader elected by, and directly accountable to, the citizens of our state).
This has led to a CCRPI that, while significantly improved, still does not line up with the feedback we’ve consistently gotten from parents, business leaders, and schools themselves – or with my 25 years of experience in education.
It’s time that I make it very clear what my position is regarding the CCRPI.
Georgia Public-school Students Beat the National Average on SAT
Woods: ‘Historic improvements in education outcomes’
Georgia public-school students improved their performance on the SAT in 2018 and outperformed their counterparts in the nation’s public schools, recording a mean score of 1054 compared to the national mean of 1049.
Increases in participation are often accompanied by a slight decrease in scores, but Georgia’s improvements took place even as more students took the SAT. Sixty-six percent of Georgia’s public-school class of 2018 took the SAT during high school, compared to 61 percent of the class of 2017.
“We are seeing historic improvements in our education outcomes here in Georgia,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “On the SAT, which was once used to label Georgia as ‘last in the nation’ in education, Georgia’s public-school students are now beating the national average – that’s in addition to an all-time-high graduation rate and students beating the national average on the ACT as well. We have made unprecedented investments in a well-rounded, student-centered education system and we’re seeing the results of that shift. Most importantly, our students and educators have worked tirelessly, and I commend them. Every educator, student, and supporter of public education in this state should feel a deep pride in the progress our schools are making.”
Georgia Department of Education Provides Funding for Career Education Labs
FastTrack grants support CTAE labs in Cobb, Henry, and Hall
The funds – awarded to schools in the Cobb County, Hall County, and Henry County school districts – will support the implementation of 10 CTAE labs. Each lab will provide immersive learning experiences in high-demand fields like audio/video technology, health science, and engineering.
Launched in spring 2018, FastTrack grants are Construction Related Equipment (CRE) grant funds awarded at the midpoint of the fiscal year to support school districts in equipping new CTAE labs.
“Schools across Georgia are working to connect their students with hands-on, career-ready, out-of-the-box learning,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “It’s not just about hearing a lecture or reading from a textbook – our students need instruction that will prepare them for their future careers. Our FastTrack grants are designed to help schools provide that high-quality career education for their students.”
Georgia Department of Education Recognizes ‘Farm to School Farmer of the Year’ at 2018 Golden Radish Awards
Eighty-four of Georgia’s school systems were recognized for Farm to School excellence at the 5th annual Golden Radish Awards at the Georgia Freight Depot. These districts served more than 1.3 million students a total of 109 million school meals with locally grown food items. They also taught more than 61,000 state standards-based lessons incorporating food and agriculture.
The Golden Radish Award publicly recognizes Georgia school districts for best practices in farm to school programs. These best practices include local food procurement, exposing students to new foods through taste tests, and incorporating cooking and gardening activities in curriculum. This year, the Golden Radish partners - Georgia Organics, Georgia’s Departments of Agriculture (GDOA), Education (GaDOE), Public Health (GDPH), Early Care and Learning (DECAL) and the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension (UGA Extension) presented five new awards recognizing innovative farm to school efforts.
GaDOE presented a “Farm to School Farmer of the Year” award to farmer Lisa Dojan of Fisheads Aquaponics for her exemplary work with Georgia students.
“At the Georgia Department of Education we’re focused on expanding opportunities for Georgia’s kids, and farm to school is a perfect example of that,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “When students have access to fresh, local foods they’re better prepared to learn – and they can connect with Georgia agriculture, one of our state’s largest industries.”
Georgia Department of Education Launches Partnership for Rural Growth, Dedicating an Additional $1.6 Million to Education in Rural Georgia
The Georgia Department of Education is launching the Partnership for Rural Growth, an initiative to expand the resources available to public school districts in rural Georgia.
“More and more Georgians are recognizing the importance of a ‘rural renaissance’ to the future of our state – and K-12 education must be a driver of that,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “As a longtime resident of rural Georgia, and a former South Georgia principal and teacher, I want to make sure every single student – in every part of our state – has access to opportunities that will prepare them for a successful future. Through the Partnership for Rural Growth, we’re working to eliminate the resource gaps our rural schools and districts often face, and to make sure K-12 education is spurring renewal in rural Georgia.”
22nd Annual Academic Bowl
The Jimmy Carter National Historic Site will host the 22nd Annual Academic History Bowl on February 26 and 27, 2019. Middle and high school students across Georgia are invited to participate. The topics for this event are Georgia, United States, and World History and World Area Studies (6th and 7th Grade Georgia Social Studies Standards of Excellence).
The competition will be hosted in the auditorium of Plains High School, 330 North Bond Street, in Plains, Georgia at the following times:
- Middle School - Tuesday, February 26, 2019 (World Area Studies from 6th and 7th grade GaDOE Standards of Excellence and 8th grade Georgia History)
- High School - Wednesday, February 27, 2019 (United States and World History)
GALILEO News
Middle and high school students working on National History Day projects or other media projects will find an easy-to-use interface. The
NHD page is a portal to the best GALILEO and digital library resources in an easily navigable website.
The new online
GALILEO Marketing Toolkit includes downloadable bookmarks, posters, and other materials; guides and tutorials available from database vendors; and logos for GALILEO and individual resources that can be used on websites and in catalogs.
Upcoming GALILEO Webinars
- Hone Your Information Literacy Super Powers, Nov. 8 at 2 p.m.
- Britannica School for Georgia Parents, Dec. 10 at 4 p.m.
- Register Here
Georgia Writers Hall of Fame 2018 Inductees
GPB Live Exploration: Let’s Go to the Symphony!
GPB Education will be live streaming from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra concert hall in Atlanta on December 13, 2018, from 10 to 11 a.m. This live virtual field trip will offer students a behind-the-scenes experience as they learn about the science of sound and the preparation of putting on a musical performance. Students will also hear from various musicians with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.
This event includes live interactive elements, such as polls and experts who are available to answer students’ questions. Use the hashtag
#SymphonyLive to participate in the conversation. Go to
gpb.org/symphony to register your class, learn more about the event, and to access K-12 teacher resources.
Worth Sharing
Going Social
GaDOE Media Mailing List
Do you want to share the GaDOE Media Updates? If so, encourage your colleagues to join the email mailing list by following the
directions on this page.
Thank you,
Tony Vlachakis
Educational Technologist
Library/Media Liaison
tvlachak@doe.k12.ga.us
