Building a World Class School System

Learning Today . . . Leading Tomorrow

Richmond County Board of Education

Frank G. Roberson, Ph.D.Superintendent of Schools

Vision and Mission

• Learning Today….Leading Tomorrow

• The mission of the Richmond County School System is to educate students to

become lifelong learners and productive citizens.

We believe...• Every student can learn• Every student has the right to a quality education is the

shared responsibility of the individual, home, school and community

• Respect and acceptance are essential for learning and personal development

• A safe, orderly, and healthy environment is essential to learning

• Communication is the key to understanding among people• Excellence cannot be compromised

Augusta, Georgia• Founded in 1736• Augusta-Richmond County incorporated in 1996

– Second largest and oldest city in Georgia with a population of approximately 200,000.

– Situated along the banks of the Savannah River– Known as the Garden City – Home of the Masters Golf Tournament held the first full week in April– Expansive medical community– Ft. Gordon military installation

• Anchor city of the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) home to approximately half a million people

• Higher education presence: Georgia Regents University, Paine College, Augusta Technical College, satellite campus for Cambridge College, University of Phoenix, Georgia Military College and Troy University

Who We Are• 32, 159 students• 57 Schools• 304 million general fund budget(including grants)• 22,000 students transported each day• Approximately 14,300 breakfasts, 22,700 lunches,

and 1,100 snacks are served each day. Approximately 78% of students qualify for free or reduced lunches

• Approximately 4,500 employees

Schools

Student Demographics

African American………….73%

Asian…...…………………………1%

Caucasian……….…………….22%

Hispanic………..………………..2%

Multiracial………………………2%

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Program Name Number of Students

Percentage

Gifted (K-12) 667 2.0%

CTAE (9-12) 5587 17.5%

Special Education 2681 8.3%

Early Intervention Program

2364 7.3%

Remedial Education 1818 5.6%

ESOL 230 0.7%

Awards and Recognition

• Points of Pride

National Fine Arts Recognition

Davidson Fine Arts: National Grammy Signature Award Winning School

DFA Chorale: The American Prize for Choral PerformanceDFA Chorale: (performances at the National Gallery of Art, in Prague and this summer at the Vatican)

Everett Cannady, Awarded the Woodruff Salutes Arts in Education Leaders DFA Drama and Cross Creek High Drama – Fringe Festival (Scotland)

Glenn Hills, Garrett and Warren Road Elementary Schools:David Neches, Selected as a Yale Symposium Music Educator

Richmond County Central Office:Dr. Penny Johnson, Awarded the National Art Educators Association (NAEA) Southeastern Region

Supervision/Administration Art Educator

Health Sciences and Engineering• Designated one of Georgia’s Highest

Performing Schools (2012-2013)• Pathway completion for all graduates

(Health Science or Engineering)• Multiple Health Science and Engineering

credentialing • Clinical and internship • Career-Related Work Based Learning• Joint Enrollment with Georgia Regents

University (Formally known as Augusta State University)

• National competitive placements for Health Occupation Students of America (HOSA) and the Technology Student Organization (TSA).

Departments and Services

Focus on Effective Instructional Practices

• multiple mechanisms utilized to provide information to parents and community stakeholders to include student achievement data and school events

• district created formative assessment package used to guide and adjust classroom instructional effectiveness

• comprehensive instructional coach program that provides job embedded and on-site professional learning

RCSS Technology

• Five years ago, the student to computer ratio was as high as 17 students to 1 computer. Now, all schools have at least a 3:1 ratio.

• Over 85% of all classrooms have an interactive whiteboard and projector.

• Students have access to many online resources such as Galileo, Destination Reading and Math, Carnegie, and Edmodo.

• There is a wireless “hotspot” in every school and we are planning for a district-wide wireless infrastructure.

Professional Learning

• Job Embedded Professional Learning Communities

• On Demand Professional Learning(PD360)

• Professional Learning Center

• Instructional Coaches

• Professional Learning Specialists

Richmond CountyPercentage Dropout Rate

RICHMOND COUNTY SCHOOLSPercentage of Graduates Eligible for the HOPE Scholarship

RICHMOND COUNTY SCHOOLSPercentages of Schools Who Met AYP

RICHMOND COUNTY SAT SCORES (5-YEAR SUMMARY

Community and School System Strengths• Low cost of living• Affordable housing• Cultural opportunities• Mild climate• Community inter-agency support for students and families• SPLOST• Professional learning opportunities• School support services• Network bandwidth and speed• 21st Century classroom technology• Race to the Top Reform• School Improvement Grant

Community and School District Challenges

• Economy• Budget cuts• Furloughs• Class Size increases• Recruitment and retention of Hi Q Teachers• Consistent, pervasive data-driven instruction• Loss of professional learning days • Limited technology support personnel

Continuous School Improvement Goals

• Develop and Utilize a Balanced Scorecard• Systemic Data Protocol– focus on data usage and interpretation of data – monitoring for effectiveness– share system story based on the data.

• Leadership Institute– administrator opportunities for professional growth – build capacity – create consistency with data usage

Questions

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