Volume 2, Number 1 August 2004

Timely, Quick-Reads onIssues Facing Education,

Gwinnett County Public Schools,and District EmployeesE EWSDUCATIONN

Pass the word toyour friends, family,

and neighbors…

Bus Drivers Wanted

For an application,call (678) 377-8909,

or visitwww.gwinnett.k12.ga.us.

Requirements:• Be able to pass a

physical and a criminalbackground check

• Be eligible to obtain acommercial driver’slicense.

• Be able to read andspeak English wellenough to read roadsigns, prepare reports,and communicate withlaw enforcement officersand the public.

GCPS is an equal opportunity employer. Congratulations to the GCPS Team on a smooth school opening!

GCPS’ world-class vision sets tone for 2004–05With the excitement of a new school year upon us once again, I am delighted to welcome

our new employees, and “welcome back” our veteran staff, as we start the 2004–05academic year in Gwinnett County Public Schools. Whether you are new to Gwinnett or along-time member of the team, our people are the major reason this is a great organization.The Gwinnett County School Board joins me in saying welcome to all of you!

On Aug. 9, we started this school year with a record-setting 10 new schools. We willhave our largest enrollment ever this year— close to 136,000 students, including more than6,000 new students. In addition, more than 1,200 new teachers are on board, plus manyother new staff members. In our 106 schools and numerous offices and support facilities,Gwinnett’s students and staff will be focused on the business of teaching and learning, andno doubt, achieving great things. That goes without saying when you aspire to be world-class, as we do in Gwinnett County Public Schools. We work toward our vision every day,at every worksite, whether it be a classroom, an office, a cafeteria, a school bus, or a shop.

To us, “world-class” means many things: high academic standards for all students;effective and innovative teaching strategies; continuous improvement, and accountabilityfor results; an attitude of partnership with the community and with parents; safe and securefacilities; and high-performing and inspiring employees with diverse ideas and strengths.

But what exactly does that mean for you? Gwinnett County Public Schools’ vision andmission statements, and the seven strategic goals, clearly communicate the school system’sdirection. Every employee needs to know what that direction is and be able to tell othersabout it. We will achieve our goals only through you, our employees— through yourcreativity, hard work, dedication to children, and commitment to excellence. That is why itis so important that you know our direction and understand that you play an essential role incarrying out our mandate to ensure a quality and effective education for every student.

So I encourage every employee to know well the vision, mission, and strategic goals ofthe school system. To help you, cards like the one pictured on this page are available in yourschool or department. I urge you to take one and keep it handy. The card contains ourvision and mission on one side, and the seven strategic goals on the other. The first goaladdresses our main business— teaching and learning. Each remaining goal focuses on allthe other things teachers and schools need if they are going to be successful. In other words,the goals declare that what every employee does within this school system is necessaryand valuable to achieving our mission. Your work makes a difference in the lives of ourstudents… and the success of this organization. Never doubt that, and never forget it.

As I open school for the ninth time as superintendent, I want you to know how proud Iam to work with you— a team of extraordinary professionals in this all-important businessof public education. With our direction firmly in mind, and student success our mutualobjective, let’s make 2004–05 another outstanding year for the students in Gwinnett CountyPublic Schools.

J. Alvin Wilbanks, CEO/Superintendent

The mission of Gwinnett CountyPublic Schools is to pursue

excellence in academicknowledge, skills, and behavior

for each student, resulting inmeasured improvement against

local, national, andworld-class standards.

Education News is produced bythe Office of Publications

& Public Information.EN Staff: Laura Nurse,

Jill Russell, and Lori Larsen

2004 GWINNETT COUNTYBOARD OF EDUCATIONDr. Mary Kay Murphy, chair;Dr. Billy Britt, vice chair;

Dr. Robert McClure;Louise Radloff; andDaniel Seckinger

CEO/SUPERINTENDENTJ. Alvin Wilbanks

www.gwinnett.k12.ga.us

NCLB Update:Gwinnett schools make academic progress

From prep rallies and parent meetings to the daily teaching and learning that preparesstudents for academic success, Gwinnett school communities have worked hard to meetstatewide improvement goals in academics and attendance/graduation rates for their entirestudent population and for selected student groups, as required under the federal No ChildLeft Behind (NCLB) Act, the now-familiar school improvement law.

The results are in for 2003–04, and every single GCPS school showed improvementover the previous year, according to Linda Mitchell, executive director for StudentAccountability, Assessment, and Advisement. “We should have celebrations in everyschool throughout the county, because it was a success for Gwinnett as a whole, and foreach school.”

The state Department of Education (DOE) used test data and participation rates for thestate’s Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) and the Georgia High SchoolGraduation Test (GHSGT) to determine each school’s academic progress. The state alsolooked at safety data to determine if schools had a pattern of incidents over three years.Here’s a quick look at NCLB, by the numbers, in Gwinnett:• Last year, 78 of GCPS’ 92 schools— 85% of our schools— met accountability goals for

2003–04, higher than the state average of 78%.• 9 schools met goals for two consecutive years, and moved out of Needs Improvement

(NI) status. Congratulations to the students and staff of Benefield ES, Bethesda ES,Lawrenceville ES, Lilburn ES, Nesbit ES, Norcross ES, Peachtree ES, SimontonES, and Susan Stripling ES.

• 3 schools— Summerour MS, Meadowcreek ES, and Rebecca Minor ES— madeAYP, but will continue to offer choice in 2004–05 as they work to meet goals for asecond year so they can move off the NI list.

• Just 14 schools did not make adequate yearly progress (AYP), a significant decreasefrom the 30 schools that did not meet goals last year.*

• No Gwinnett schools were identified as Persistently Dangerous Schools.“The feeling of success from making AYP has been infectious for the staff, parents,

and students at Nesbit ES,” says Cecilia Garcia, the school’s principal. “These past fewyears, the Nesbit staff has worked hard to implement strategies that focus on the needs ofour student population. It has paid off and our parents are as proud of the progress as I amfor the staff and students. The feeling of success is fueling energies to work towardincreased success for this school year.”

So, to what can we attribute schools’ academic progress? A big factor is a continuedfocus on something schools been doing all along— teaching and learning the AcademicKnowledge and Skills (AKS) curriculum. “When our students are exposed to their grade-level curriculum through consistent, quality teaching, that’s some of the best preparationthey can have— both for academic success at the next grade level and for the state teststhat measure their achievement for AYP purposes,” says Dr. Cindy Loe associatesuperintendent for Organizational Advancement. Dr. Loe also credits the implementationof the AKS Continuous Improvement Model, which helps teachers assess studentsthroughout the year and provides focused and timely remediation, as well as enrichment.

* NI Background: Schools in the first year of Needs Improvement status must offerstudents the choice to attend another, selected school. Those in their second NI yearoffer choice and/or supplemental services (ex. tutoring). Schools in their third yearoffer choice and/or supplemental services, and develop a targeted improvement plan.

Ready for yourbig break?

Announcing a GCPS TVcasting call…

Periodically, GCPS TVneeds help with on-air

talent and voice work forlocally produced shows.

Staff auditions are setfor two upcoming

Saturdays—Aug. 21 and Aug. 28—between 1 and 4 p.m.

GCPS TV will scheduleappointments for

15-minute time slotson a first-come,

first-served basis.Call 770-822-6259 or

e-mail Peggy Shivers tomake an appointment.

Visit these Web sites— www.gwinnett.k12.ga.us and www.gadoe.org—for more on GCPS’ academic progress, plus links on NCLB and AYP,

and more on school improvement efforts in Georgia.

Find out what’snew for 2004–05,

the latest inschool system

news, plus perksand pride points,in the upcoming

issue ofEducation Briefs.