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   September 29, 2009 -- State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox today announced the winners of the 2nd annual Superintendent's Distinguished Achievement Awards.
   These awards honor schools for high achievement and the greatest improvement on state curriculum tests. A certificate is being sent to the winning schools acknowledging their achievement.
   "We are honoring schools that showed the greatest improvement and highest achievement on our state tests," said State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox. "These awards are just a small way of saying "thank you" for the hard work put in by our teachers, students and school communities. Congratulations to all the winners!"
   The Superintendent's Distinguished Achievement Awards are based on the performance of students on the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT), the Georgia High School Graduation Tests (GHSGT), the End-of-Course Tests (EOCT) and the state Writing Tests. These awards acknowledge schools in two categories:
   - IMPROVEMENT: The ten schools in each honored subject area and grade that had the greatest improvement in the percentage of students meeting or exceeding standards.
   - ACHIEVEMENT: The ten schools in each honored subject area and grade that had the highest percentage of students score in the exceeds category.
   Of the Improvement winners, Superintendent Cox said: "Moving the needle as quickly as these schools have done takes collaboration, dedication and focus."
   Of the Achievement winners, Superintendent Cox said: "These are the schools that have large numbers of students performing at the highest levels of achievement. This type of performance is the result of high expectations and hard work.”
   The Superintendent's Distinguished Achievement Awards are being handed out in the following subjects and grades:
   - READING and ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS: Grades 1-8 Reading CRCT; Grades 2 & 6 English Language Arts CRCT; 9th Grade Literature EOCT (high school only); American Literature EOCT; English Language Arts & Reading GHSGT
   - MATHEMATICS: Grades 1-8 Mathematics CRCT; Mathematics GHSGT
   - SOCIAL STUDIES: Grades 4 & 8 CRCT; U.S. History EOCT; Economics EOCT; Social Studies GHSGT
   - SCIENCE: Grades 5-8 CRCT; Physical Science EOCT; Biology EOCT; Science GHSGT
   - WRITING: Grade 5 Writing Test, Grade 8 Writing Test, Georgia High School Writing Test 

NOTE: 
-  Due to the roll out of the state's new curriculum, the Georgia Performance Standards, the following categories are not being awarded: Algebra 1 EOCT, Geometry EOCT, Grade 4 Social Studies CRCT (improvement only; achievement will be awarded).
- Awards are given based on spring 2009 CRCT results. Summer retest results are not included.
- Only schools with 10 or more students taking the test in 2009 are considered for the award.
 
AWARD-WINNING SCHOOLS

Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT)
- Achievement
- Improvement

End-of-Course Tests (EOCT)
- Achievement
- Improvement

Georgia High School Graduation Tests (GHSGT)
- Achievement
- Improvement

Georgia Writing Tests
- Achievement
- Improvement