MEDIA CONTACT: Matt Cardoza, GaDOE Communications Office, (404) 651-7358, mcardoza@gadoe.org

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March 19, 2014 – Georgia is a leader among several states in implementation of the Common Core, according to a report released Wednesday by the Southern Regional Education Board. The report, which tracks progress in 15 states, benchmarked five areas of implementation, identifying “leading states” and “strong states” in each.

Georgia was named a “leading state,” with the most comprehensive array of resources and materials and the most extensive efforts, in two areas: Teaching Resources and Accountability. Georgia was identified as a “strong state” in Timeline and Approach to Standards, Professional Development, and Teacher and Leader Evaluation.

In its notes on Teaching Resources, the SREB identified Georgia as one of four states studied to offer an extensive array of Common-Core aligned tools to teachers, including sample instructional plans that address all of the standards for an entire school year for all grade levels in English language arts and math. Georgia is also one of 10 states in the study to offer the most extensive Common Core training to teachers, according to the SREB.

In its notes on accountability, the SREB identified Georgia as one of three states in the study with the most extensive set of aligned measures in their general statewide accountability systems. The report placed the spotlight on Georgia’s use of Lexile targets, scores that indicate a students’ reading comprehension abilities as they advance through grade levels, as a measure that can provide information on the state’s successful implementation of the Common Core standards.

Georgia is also one of seven states among the 15 measured that administers assessments fully aligned to the Common Core, and is “better prepared than others” to administer assessments online, according to the report. In addition, all 15 states have, are developing, or are acquiring, some formative assessment tools for classroom use, but only six states have “particularly strong resources” already available. Georgia is one of them, the SREB reports. 

For more information, and to access a copy of the report, click here​.