Good
afternoon! Welcome to the sixth edition of GaDOE Updates, a newsletter from the
Georgia Department of Education. Every other week, we send out a roundup of
news, information, and spotlights on K-12 public education in Georgia. In
between, keep up with GaDOE on Facebook and Twitter.
Remember:
Send your tips, ideas and events to mfrick@doe.k12.ga.us and mcardoza@doe.k12.ga.us. We’re interested in
ideas for in-depth feature stories, too.
Teachers
spend summer hours sharpening math instruction
In
classrooms at Tucker High School last week, Georgia math teachers took up the
task of ensuring that all students are equipped with a real, contextual
understanding of mathematics. It was the first of seven Mathematics Summer Academies
offered by the Georgia Department of Education, all featuring sessions led by
Georgia educators. Each academy is an effort to get beyond “pure math” and
reach “contextual math” – math that students can understand because they can
see it in context. As that happens, countless doors will open for Georgia’s
students. Read more here.
About
Georgia Milestones
All
schools will transition to a new testing system, the Georgia Milestones
Assessment System, during the 2014-2015 academic year. Georgia Milestones,
which will replace both the CRCT and the EOCT, will include open-ended
questions to better gauge students’ content mastery and, with some exceptions
for special education students with specific testing accommodations, will be
administered entirely online by the fifth year of implementation. To learn more
about Georgia Milestones and implementation plans, click here.
For details on the relationship between Georgia Milestones and teacher
effectiveness measures (TKES and LKES), click here.
Georgia
students win Gates scholarships in record numbers
Eighty-nine
Georgia students are 2014 recipients of the Gates Millennium Scholars
Program, including 16 in DeKalb County, 15 in Atlanta Public Schools and 15
in Gwinnett County. The students’ undergraduate education will be fully funded,
and their graduate education funded if they pursue a degree in computer
science, education, engineering, library science, mathematics, science, or
public health.
Around
DOE lately
State-level
CRCT results were released Thursday. View them here.
District-level results will be available no later than June 26, and
school-level results will be available no later than July 10.
The
State Board of Education met
Wednesday, June 11 and Thursday, June 12. If you subscribe to updates from DOE,
you’ll receive a roundup of the highlights in your inbox soon.
Georgia
was
recognized as the first state to implement the Presidential Youth Fitness
Program statewide. From letsmove.gov: “Through the Georgia SHAPE initiative,
Georgia leaders embraced the
need to utilize a health-related fitness assessment as a
critical component of physical education. To recognize the work of Georgia, the
Presidential Youth Fitness Program resource partners recognized students
with a Presidential
Youth Fitness Award. The work of Georgia shows the possibilities when
leaders from across government, non-profit and private sectors align to support
student health. The opportunity to create lasting and sustainable change can
become a reality.”
Around
the districts
Congratulations
to Georgia’s 24 new Master Teachers – one from Banks County, one from Chatham,
two from Cobb, one from Effingham, seven from Fulton, one from
Griffin-Spalding, five from Gwinnett, one from Henry, one from the KIPP Metro
Atlanta charter school, one from Laurens County, two from Marietta City, and
one from Muscogee. View the list here.
The
Savannah-Chatham County Public School System is using its website to spotlight
educators across the district who are using technology and innovative
teaching practices. Here,
read about Beach High School teacher Melissa Maikos’ use of technology in the
classroom.
Georgia’s
public schools in the news
A
conversation with Georgia’s Teacher of the Year | Macon Telegraph: http://bit.ly/1s0YUEy
Four
former Mason Elementary students all accepted by Harvard | Gwinnett Daily Post http://bit.ly/1oSJrmo
Knee
deep: School in the wetlands | Covington News: http://bit.ly/1krciIo
Sisters
reunite at Cross Creek High School graduation | Augusta Chronicle: http://bit.ly/1ohxRDz
Save
the date:
June
16: Applications due for SAMHSA “Now is the Time”
grants
for LEAs (supports training of school personnel and others to detect and
respond to mental illness in children and youth)
June
19 and 20: Georgia Virtual
Learning’s
Professional Learning Symposium
July
8-10: Safety in Our Schools
Conference,
UGA Hotel and Conference Center, Athens
July
13-16: Georgia Association for Career and Technical Education’s 67th
Annual Summer Conference, Cobb Galleria Center, Cobb County
July
15-16: Race to the Top Year 4 Summit in Collaboration
with 67th Annual Summer Conference
August
24: Registration deadline for Atlanta Braves’ Home Run
Readers program – K-12 students receive a free Braves ticket and free
Subway meal for reading books and completing an online activity. Register here.
View
previous newsletters: May
30, May
14, May
1, April
11, March
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