i this ssue - gwinnett county public schools · • credit union accepting gov. nathan deal...
TRANSCRIPT
Volume 10 Number 3 January 2018
CEOSuperintendentrsquos Message
Cooperation professionalism mark Digital Learning DaysThe early days of 2018 thanks to Mother Nature provided Gwinnett
County Public Schools with some exciting growth opportunities No sooner had we returned from the holidays than school had to be closed due to inclement weather On the bright side the closing allowed us to implement our first Digital Learning Day districtwidehellip an initiative wersquove been preparing for since 2013 Who would have guessed wersquod get to repeat the experience two more times the very next week
In recent days staff and I have been reviewing both the hits and misses of our first three Digital Learning Days I want you to know that we are pleased with what we learned and grateful for the good work and posi-
tive attitudes exhibited by our principals teachers and staff You were willing to give this new approach to delivering instruction a worthy try As a result our first ldquogordquo at it went bet-ter than expected No it wasnrsquot perfecthellip and we learned some valuable lessons From the first Digital Learning Day on Jan 8 to the third one on Jan 18 we were able to quickly make some helpful changes and significantly improve the digital learning experience for students and their families
Last week I called a number of principals about the Digital Learning Day at their schools Every one of them expressed enthusiasm for how well it went And they talked about see-ing unanticipated benefits for the school in terms of robust collaboration among teachers and students high levels of engagement in the learning and excitement over having the chance to try a different way of delivering quality instruction on a non-traditional school day
I look forward to continuing to learn with you how we can make Digital Learning Days even better for all our stakehold-ers Your ideas and suggestions are welcomed
Having three Digital Learning Days in two consecutive weeks was a challenge but it also had its merits We were able to identify the issues make adjustments and try them out right away It was a classic case of effective teaching and learning The bottom line however is that the success we saw with these first Digital Learning Days would not have been possible without the leadership and cooperative spirit of the administrators and teachers in our schools As you repeatedly do when presented with a challenge you rose to the occasion and met it as true professionals Please know the Board district leaders and I could not be more proud or grateful Thank you
In ThIs IssuehellipMessageDigital Learning Days
State and GCPS Education StoriesGold Dome report Board business new leaders US History HS Gateway Health Care tax Statements voter registration deadline (pgs 1ndash4)
News on the SideCEOSuperintendentrsquos contract Top Ten Issues in education credit union scholarships Mentoring Month check out Communiqueacute Spotlight deadline (pgs 1ndash4)
W This symbol is used throughout Torch to show that more information is available on the GCPS
website or through another online resource To access these resources look for a PDF with embedded links
on GCPSrsquo Communications Database or go to the
online version of Torch at httpWebHostEdBriefs
J Alvin WilbanksCEOSuperintendent
Board renews superintendentrsquos
contractAt the December Board meeting members of the Board of Education unanimously approved a motion to reappoint J Alvin Wilbanks as CEO
Superintendent of Gwinnett County Public Schools
approving a contract for his employment from July 1 2018
through June 30 2020
Find the video versionW of
Mr Wilbanksrsquo message online
School in session for three weather make-up daysThanks to Digital Learning Days teaching and learning continued when that
wintry blast hit metro Atlanta this month However the three school days missed in September due to Irma-related weather will be made up using desig-nated days built into the 2017ndash18 school calendar Those make-up daysmdash Feb
23 March 9 and March 23mdash will now be school days Feb 9 remains a studentteacher holiday while Feb 19 will remain a student holidayteacher staff development day Find an updated version of the 2017ndash18 calendarW on the Communications Database and on the district website
Georgia lawmakers kick off 2018 sessionWhile our students and teachers were
experiencing their first Digital Learning Day districtwide on Jan 8 Georgiarsquos lawmak-ers were kicking off the 2018 session of the Georgia General AssemblyW under the Gold Dome in Atlanta Budget education issues and a host of other concerns will be on the agenda during the 40 working days of the session
Last month the Gwinnett County Board of Education and district leaders came together with the Gwinnett legislative delegation to discuss key issues that affect our schools and programs students and staff and finances
and governance On the district website find an executive summaryW of the districtrsquos legislative priorities and the full 2018 Legislative ProgramW You can use these resources to stay up on the latest developmentsbull Gov Nathan Deal addressed a joint session of the 154th Georgia General Assembly
on Jan 11 to share his State of the State remarksW Online find the governorrsquos budget recommendations for Amended FY2018W and FY2019W (Find education notes starting on page 142 of the FY2019 PDF and on page 88 of the Amended FY2018 PDF This release includes a budget overviewW)
bull Follow the latest from both chambers on the General Assembly websiteWbull Subscribe onlineW for regular updates including bill tracking through Capitol
WatchW a free service of the Georgia School Boards AssociationWbull Watch a daily legislative wrap-up on ldquoLawmakersrdquoW from Georgia Public Broadcast-
ingW (GPB) or flip over to live coverage of HouseW and SenateW proceedings
Boyce elected chair BOE conducts annual business As we turn the calendar to 2018 the Gwinnett County Board of Education (BOE)W
recently conducted its annual business in the first meeting of the calendar year At the Jan 18 meeting the Board elected District Irsquos Carole C Boyce to serve as 2018 chair-man of the Board Daniel D Seckinger of District II was elected vice chairman In other annual business the BOE reaffirmed its policies designated the Gwinnett Daily Post as the official media organ for the school system and retained Thompson Sweeny Kinsinger amp Pereira PC as the Boardrsquos legal counsel Board members also approved the 2018 meeting schedule Feb 8 March 15 April 19 May 17 June 21 July 19 Aug 16 Sept
13 Oct 18 Nov 15 and Dec 20 The proposed date for the first meeting in 2019 is Jan 17
GPEE watching issuesThe Georgia Partnership for Excellence in EducationW (GPEE)
produces an annual ldquoTop Ten Issues to WatchrdquoW to
help guide conversations among policymakers
educators and business and community leaders about the
challenges and opportunities that face Georgiarsquos education reform
efforts Top issues identified in the 2018 report include
bull Charting Education ReformW
bull Equity and FairnessW
bull The Early Learning WorkforceW
bull Teachers Leadership from the ClassroomW
bull Increasing Georgiarsquos HS Graduation RateW
bull Closing Georgiarsquos Talent GapW
bull Literacy A Foundational NecessityW
bull Student HealthW
bull Rural GeorgiaW
bull Whatrsquos Next for ESSAW
Read the report online W to learn more about GPEErsquos observations and recommended action steps in these 10 key areas
Credit union accepting scholarship applications
GCPS staffers may apply for one of 23 Career Advancement Scholar-shipsW offered by Peach State Fed-eral Credit UnionW in recognition of education as a lifelong experience Applicants must be Credit Union members in good standing and enrolled in an accredited program at a college university or techni-cal institute with the goal of career advancement Find an applicationW on the PSFCU website or at any branch Apply for one of the $2000 scholarships by March 16 Send applications to Peach State Federal Credit Union Attention Scholarship Committee 1505 Lakes Parkway Suite 100 Lawrenceville GA 30043 Recipients will be named by the end of April
Leaders approved by Board at December January meetingsThe following appointments were announced during December and January
Name New Position Previous Position
Dr Allan GeeW Principal Rock Springs ES Principal Mountain Park ES
Karyn M Tircuit Director of Assessment Curriculum and Instructional Support
Coordinator of Accountability and Assessment
Curriculum and Instructional Support
Peter ldquoPeterdquo
Wilson
Director of Construction Facilities and Operations
Contract Engineer Facilities and Operations
Dr Sheril R Smith
Director of Evaluationndash Research and Evaluation
CEOSuperintendentrsquos Office
Education Assessment Specialist Georgia Department of Education
Dr Gee moves to Rock Springs with the retirement of Principal Penny Clavijo Ms Tircuit fills the position recently vacated by Leslie Aiken who stepped up to head the Department of Accountability and Assessment
District to pilot US History Gateway for GCPS 11th graders The members of the Gwinnett County Board of EducationW have long held that
our public schools are entrusted with a duty to educate students to be civic-minded individuals who understand the responsibilities of American citizenship Those senti-ments are key to the Boardrsquos Core Beliefs and CommitmentsW most recently updated in March of 2016
That focus on civic virtues is mirrored in re-cent changes in the statersquos social studies curric-ulum in place for the first time in the 2017ndash18 school year With that in mind district leaders have worked to develop new prompts for the social studies section of the GCPS High School GatewayW with plans to change the focus on the district-level assessment from World History to US History
First administered in 2000 the Gateway is a GCPS-developed writing assessment that measures a high school studentrsquos knowledge and skills related to social studies science and language arts In addition to the social studies focus the science Gateway covers topics in Biology and Chemistry Typically this assessment is administered to sophomores in the spring With the change to a US History focus the updated Gate-way in social studies will be administered to 11th graders rather than 10th graders The science Gateway will continue to be given at 10th grade A passing score on both tests is required for graduation in Gwinnett
The new US History prompts will offer more opportunities to measure studentsrsquo knowledge of civics and civic engagement and will allow for more in-depth study of founding documents and their significance In addition the new prompts are expected to promote historical inquiry and student writers will be required to use fact and opinion in their answers compare and contrast information from their reading and demonstrate cause and effect
ldquoMoving the Gateway test to US History allows GCPS students to make connec-tions to our founding documents principles of our constitutional republic and events in our countryrsquos history that have become the foundation for the world they live inrdquo says Debbie Daniell the districtrsquos social studies director ldquoAt the forefront it will pro-vide our students a foundation for civic engagement and literacy for their life beyond GCPSrdquo She notes that educators who teach US History and 11th Grade Language Arts and American Literature will have the opportunity to collaborate ensuring that
[Continued]
Itrsquos Mentoring MonthNational Mentoring Month celebrates the contributions of community-based mentorshellip the caring adults who make a difference in the lives of hundreds of GCPS students Both men and women are invited to go beyond digital engagement in order to make a real-life impact in this districtwide program for Gwinnett young people New this spring the program has expanded to include girls as well as boys For information about becoming a mentor visit Community-Based Mentoring ProgramW online Questions If you have questions about the program for boys contact James Rayford at (770) 682-8086 or send an email to James_Rayfordgwinnettk12gaus Those with questions about the new mentoring program for girls should contact Janice Warren at Janice_Warrengwinnettk12gaus or call (678) 226-4254
Pete Wilson
Dr Allan Gee Karyn Tircuit
Dr Sheril Smith
2018 GWINNETT COUNTYBOARD OF EDUCATION
Carole C Boyce chair Daniel D Seckinger vice chair
Dr Robert McClure Dr Mary Kay Murphy and
Louise RadloffCEOSUPERINTENDENT
J Alvin Wilbanks
The mission of Gwinnett County Public Schools is to pursue excellence in
academic knowledge skills and behavior for each student resulting in measured
improvement against local national and world-class standards
Torch is produced by the Department of Communication and Media Relations
torchgwinnettk12gaus
It is the policy of Gwinnett County Public Schools not to discriminate on the basis of race color sex religion national origin
age or disability in any employment practice educational program or any other
program activity or service
Gwinnett County Public Schools437 Old Peachtree Road NW
Suwanee GA 30024-2978678-301-6000 bull wwwgwinnettk12gaus
students make connections between the content covered in the two courses The prompts are under development by a group of GCPS teachers from across the
district who are experts in the field of US History The teachers were trained by staff in the offices of Accountability and Assessment and Curriculum and Instruction on various aspects of assessment literacy and bias and sensitivity The prompts will reflect key time periods and themes from the curriculum
The development team has created seven prompts that will be administered in a limited pilot on Feb 20 to approximately 3000 students enrolled in US History at participating schools Presently six schoolsmdash Berkmar HS Brookwood HS Central
Gwinnett HS Collins Hill HS Meadowcreek HS and North Gwinnett HSmdash have volun-teered to participate in the pilot No scores for the pilot will be reported to the schools or students This pilot is designed only to gather feedback and to conduct various stud-ies of student performance on the prompts
The development team also will use this information to create additional prompts to be used in a districtwide field test for students enrolled in US History in March of
2019 Students who take the field test will receive scores which can be used to fulfill the graduation requirement in social studies for the Class of 2020 (Members of the class current 10th graders can use a passing score from either the World History or the US History assessment to meet district requirements) Students currently in the 9th grade will take the World History Gateway in 2018ndash19 If unsuccessful on the assessment they will have the opportunity to take both the World History retest and the US His-tory exam their junior year A passing score on either will fulfill graduation require-ments The Class of 2022mdash students who enter high school in August of 2018mdash will be the first class required to pass the US History Gateway to earn a GCPS diploma
IRS delays distribution of Health Care Tax StatementsThe IRS (Notice 2018-06) has extended the distribution date for 1095-C Health
Care Tax StatementsW to March 2 2018 GCPS anticipates mailing 1095-C state-ments to employees in late February The IRS notification states ldquoBecause of these extensions individuals may not receive their forms by the time they are ready to file their 2017 individual income tax return While information on these forms may assist in preparing a return the forms are not required to file Taxpayers can prepare and file their returns using other information about their health coveragerdquo For more information about the extension and this form please visit the Internal Revenue Service website at wwwirsgovW
Register by April 24 to vote in May primaryGeorgians have the opportunity to make their voices heardmdash in Atlanta in Wash-
ington DC and at the local levelmdash when the 2018 election seasonW opens later this spring On May 22 Georgians will vote on ballot measures and determine which candidates will meet in the General Election on Nov 6 for a number of statewide and local offices including governor state school superintendent statehouse and con-gressional seats and other state and local officials However you canrsquot vote if yoursquore not registered April 24 is the deadline to register to vote in the Primary Citizens can
submit a voter registration applicationW online or by mail County residents can call the Gwinnett County Office of Elections at (678)
226-7210 with questions On the Secretary of Statersquos website log on to MVPWmdash My Voting Pagemdash for voter registration status mail-in application and ballot status poll locations information
on absentee voting rules related to change of address and more
Visit online magazineCommuniqueacuteW is the districtrsquos digital magazine sporting new content every few days Recent and upcoming posts include news on community support a wrap-up
of staff honors photo galleries from Principal for a Day and visits
from other special guests links to recent GCPS TV videos calendar notes and more
Something to celebrateShare your good news with your colleagues in Spotlight W If you have earned a state or national award earned a degree made a presentation or had work published send the information to the Spotlight mailboxW via Lotus Notes or to the Communication and Media Relations Department through the courier The fall issue is available now and the next issue is in the works (submissions due date March 6)
US History Gateway (continued)
Gwinnett County Public Schools
An online magazine with news and stories about your classrooms your schools and your community
Story ideas Great photos Feedback Let us know at
communiquegwinnettk12gaus
School in session for three weather make-up daysThanks to Digital Learning Days teaching and learning continued when that
wintry blast hit metro Atlanta this month However the three school days missed in September due to Irma-related weather will be made up using desig-nated days built into the 2017ndash18 school calendar Those make-up daysmdash Feb
23 March 9 and March 23mdash will now be school days Feb 9 remains a studentteacher holiday while Feb 19 will remain a student holidayteacher staff development day Find an updated version of the 2017ndash18 calendarW on the Communications Database and on the district website
Georgia lawmakers kick off 2018 sessionWhile our students and teachers were
experiencing their first Digital Learning Day districtwide on Jan 8 Georgiarsquos lawmak-ers were kicking off the 2018 session of the Georgia General AssemblyW under the Gold Dome in Atlanta Budget education issues and a host of other concerns will be on the agenda during the 40 working days of the session
Last month the Gwinnett County Board of Education and district leaders came together with the Gwinnett legislative delegation to discuss key issues that affect our schools and programs students and staff and finances
and governance On the district website find an executive summaryW of the districtrsquos legislative priorities and the full 2018 Legislative ProgramW You can use these resources to stay up on the latest developmentsbull Gov Nathan Deal addressed a joint session of the 154th Georgia General Assembly
on Jan 11 to share his State of the State remarksW Online find the governorrsquos budget recommendations for Amended FY2018W and FY2019W (Find education notes starting on page 142 of the FY2019 PDF and on page 88 of the Amended FY2018 PDF This release includes a budget overviewW)
bull Follow the latest from both chambers on the General Assembly websiteWbull Subscribe onlineW for regular updates including bill tracking through Capitol
WatchW a free service of the Georgia School Boards AssociationWbull Watch a daily legislative wrap-up on ldquoLawmakersrdquoW from Georgia Public Broadcast-
ingW (GPB) or flip over to live coverage of HouseW and SenateW proceedings
Boyce elected chair BOE conducts annual business As we turn the calendar to 2018 the Gwinnett County Board of Education (BOE)W
recently conducted its annual business in the first meeting of the calendar year At the Jan 18 meeting the Board elected District Irsquos Carole C Boyce to serve as 2018 chair-man of the Board Daniel D Seckinger of District II was elected vice chairman In other annual business the BOE reaffirmed its policies designated the Gwinnett Daily Post as the official media organ for the school system and retained Thompson Sweeny Kinsinger amp Pereira PC as the Boardrsquos legal counsel Board members also approved the 2018 meeting schedule Feb 8 March 15 April 19 May 17 June 21 July 19 Aug 16 Sept
13 Oct 18 Nov 15 and Dec 20 The proposed date for the first meeting in 2019 is Jan 17
GPEE watching issuesThe Georgia Partnership for Excellence in EducationW (GPEE)
produces an annual ldquoTop Ten Issues to WatchrdquoW to
help guide conversations among policymakers
educators and business and community leaders about the
challenges and opportunities that face Georgiarsquos education reform
efforts Top issues identified in the 2018 report include
bull Charting Education ReformW
bull Equity and FairnessW
bull The Early Learning WorkforceW
bull Teachers Leadership from the ClassroomW
bull Increasing Georgiarsquos HS Graduation RateW
bull Closing Georgiarsquos Talent GapW
bull Literacy A Foundational NecessityW
bull Student HealthW
bull Rural GeorgiaW
bull Whatrsquos Next for ESSAW
Read the report online W to learn more about GPEErsquos observations and recommended action steps in these 10 key areas
Credit union accepting scholarship applications
GCPS staffers may apply for one of 23 Career Advancement Scholar-shipsW offered by Peach State Fed-eral Credit UnionW in recognition of education as a lifelong experience Applicants must be Credit Union members in good standing and enrolled in an accredited program at a college university or techni-cal institute with the goal of career advancement Find an applicationW on the PSFCU website or at any branch Apply for one of the $2000 scholarships by March 16 Send applications to Peach State Federal Credit Union Attention Scholarship Committee 1505 Lakes Parkway Suite 100 Lawrenceville GA 30043 Recipients will be named by the end of April
Leaders approved by Board at December January meetingsThe following appointments were announced during December and January
Name New Position Previous Position
Dr Allan GeeW Principal Rock Springs ES Principal Mountain Park ES
Karyn M Tircuit Director of Assessment Curriculum and Instructional Support
Coordinator of Accountability and Assessment
Curriculum and Instructional Support
Peter ldquoPeterdquo
Wilson
Director of Construction Facilities and Operations
Contract Engineer Facilities and Operations
Dr Sheril R Smith
Director of Evaluationndash Research and Evaluation
CEOSuperintendentrsquos Office
Education Assessment Specialist Georgia Department of Education
Dr Gee moves to Rock Springs with the retirement of Principal Penny Clavijo Ms Tircuit fills the position recently vacated by Leslie Aiken who stepped up to head the Department of Accountability and Assessment
District to pilot US History Gateway for GCPS 11th graders The members of the Gwinnett County Board of EducationW have long held that
our public schools are entrusted with a duty to educate students to be civic-minded individuals who understand the responsibilities of American citizenship Those senti-ments are key to the Boardrsquos Core Beliefs and CommitmentsW most recently updated in March of 2016
That focus on civic virtues is mirrored in re-cent changes in the statersquos social studies curric-ulum in place for the first time in the 2017ndash18 school year With that in mind district leaders have worked to develop new prompts for the social studies section of the GCPS High School GatewayW with plans to change the focus on the district-level assessment from World History to US History
First administered in 2000 the Gateway is a GCPS-developed writing assessment that measures a high school studentrsquos knowledge and skills related to social studies science and language arts In addition to the social studies focus the science Gateway covers topics in Biology and Chemistry Typically this assessment is administered to sophomores in the spring With the change to a US History focus the updated Gate-way in social studies will be administered to 11th graders rather than 10th graders The science Gateway will continue to be given at 10th grade A passing score on both tests is required for graduation in Gwinnett
The new US History prompts will offer more opportunities to measure studentsrsquo knowledge of civics and civic engagement and will allow for more in-depth study of founding documents and their significance In addition the new prompts are expected to promote historical inquiry and student writers will be required to use fact and opinion in their answers compare and contrast information from their reading and demonstrate cause and effect
ldquoMoving the Gateway test to US History allows GCPS students to make connec-tions to our founding documents principles of our constitutional republic and events in our countryrsquos history that have become the foundation for the world they live inrdquo says Debbie Daniell the districtrsquos social studies director ldquoAt the forefront it will pro-vide our students a foundation for civic engagement and literacy for their life beyond GCPSrdquo She notes that educators who teach US History and 11th Grade Language Arts and American Literature will have the opportunity to collaborate ensuring that
[Continued]
Itrsquos Mentoring MonthNational Mentoring Month celebrates the contributions of community-based mentorshellip the caring adults who make a difference in the lives of hundreds of GCPS students Both men and women are invited to go beyond digital engagement in order to make a real-life impact in this districtwide program for Gwinnett young people New this spring the program has expanded to include girls as well as boys For information about becoming a mentor visit Community-Based Mentoring ProgramW online Questions If you have questions about the program for boys contact James Rayford at (770) 682-8086 or send an email to James_Rayfordgwinnettk12gaus Those with questions about the new mentoring program for girls should contact Janice Warren at Janice_Warrengwinnettk12gaus or call (678) 226-4254
Pete Wilson
Dr Allan Gee Karyn Tircuit
Dr Sheril Smith
2018 GWINNETT COUNTYBOARD OF EDUCATION
Carole C Boyce chair Daniel D Seckinger vice chair
Dr Robert McClure Dr Mary Kay Murphy and
Louise RadloffCEOSUPERINTENDENT
J Alvin Wilbanks
The mission of Gwinnett County Public Schools is to pursue excellence in
academic knowledge skills and behavior for each student resulting in measured
improvement against local national and world-class standards
Torch is produced by the Department of Communication and Media Relations
torchgwinnettk12gaus
It is the policy of Gwinnett County Public Schools not to discriminate on the basis of race color sex religion national origin
age or disability in any employment practice educational program or any other
program activity or service
Gwinnett County Public Schools437 Old Peachtree Road NW
Suwanee GA 30024-2978678-301-6000 bull wwwgwinnettk12gaus
students make connections between the content covered in the two courses The prompts are under development by a group of GCPS teachers from across the
district who are experts in the field of US History The teachers were trained by staff in the offices of Accountability and Assessment and Curriculum and Instruction on various aspects of assessment literacy and bias and sensitivity The prompts will reflect key time periods and themes from the curriculum
The development team has created seven prompts that will be administered in a limited pilot on Feb 20 to approximately 3000 students enrolled in US History at participating schools Presently six schoolsmdash Berkmar HS Brookwood HS Central
Gwinnett HS Collins Hill HS Meadowcreek HS and North Gwinnett HSmdash have volun-teered to participate in the pilot No scores for the pilot will be reported to the schools or students This pilot is designed only to gather feedback and to conduct various stud-ies of student performance on the prompts
The development team also will use this information to create additional prompts to be used in a districtwide field test for students enrolled in US History in March of
2019 Students who take the field test will receive scores which can be used to fulfill the graduation requirement in social studies for the Class of 2020 (Members of the class current 10th graders can use a passing score from either the World History or the US History assessment to meet district requirements) Students currently in the 9th grade will take the World History Gateway in 2018ndash19 If unsuccessful on the assessment they will have the opportunity to take both the World History retest and the US His-tory exam their junior year A passing score on either will fulfill graduation require-ments The Class of 2022mdash students who enter high school in August of 2018mdash will be the first class required to pass the US History Gateway to earn a GCPS diploma
IRS delays distribution of Health Care Tax StatementsThe IRS (Notice 2018-06) has extended the distribution date for 1095-C Health
Care Tax StatementsW to March 2 2018 GCPS anticipates mailing 1095-C state-ments to employees in late February The IRS notification states ldquoBecause of these extensions individuals may not receive their forms by the time they are ready to file their 2017 individual income tax return While information on these forms may assist in preparing a return the forms are not required to file Taxpayers can prepare and file their returns using other information about their health coveragerdquo For more information about the extension and this form please visit the Internal Revenue Service website at wwwirsgovW
Register by April 24 to vote in May primaryGeorgians have the opportunity to make their voices heardmdash in Atlanta in Wash-
ington DC and at the local levelmdash when the 2018 election seasonW opens later this spring On May 22 Georgians will vote on ballot measures and determine which candidates will meet in the General Election on Nov 6 for a number of statewide and local offices including governor state school superintendent statehouse and con-gressional seats and other state and local officials However you canrsquot vote if yoursquore not registered April 24 is the deadline to register to vote in the Primary Citizens can
submit a voter registration applicationW online or by mail County residents can call the Gwinnett County Office of Elections at (678)
226-7210 with questions On the Secretary of Statersquos website log on to MVPWmdash My Voting Pagemdash for voter registration status mail-in application and ballot status poll locations information
on absentee voting rules related to change of address and more
Visit online magazineCommuniqueacuteW is the districtrsquos digital magazine sporting new content every few days Recent and upcoming posts include news on community support a wrap-up
of staff honors photo galleries from Principal for a Day and visits
from other special guests links to recent GCPS TV videos calendar notes and more
Something to celebrateShare your good news with your colleagues in Spotlight W If you have earned a state or national award earned a degree made a presentation or had work published send the information to the Spotlight mailboxW via Lotus Notes or to the Communication and Media Relations Department through the courier The fall issue is available now and the next issue is in the works (submissions due date March 6)
US History Gateway (continued)
Gwinnett County Public Schools
An online magazine with news and stories about your classrooms your schools and your community
Story ideas Great photos Feedback Let us know at
communiquegwinnettk12gaus
Leaders approved by Board at December January meetingsThe following appointments were announced during December and January
Name New Position Previous Position
Dr Allan GeeW Principal Rock Springs ES Principal Mountain Park ES
Karyn M Tircuit Director of Assessment Curriculum and Instructional Support
Coordinator of Accountability and Assessment
Curriculum and Instructional Support
Peter ldquoPeterdquo
Wilson
Director of Construction Facilities and Operations
Contract Engineer Facilities and Operations
Dr Sheril R Smith
Director of Evaluationndash Research and Evaluation
CEOSuperintendentrsquos Office
Education Assessment Specialist Georgia Department of Education
Dr Gee moves to Rock Springs with the retirement of Principal Penny Clavijo Ms Tircuit fills the position recently vacated by Leslie Aiken who stepped up to head the Department of Accountability and Assessment
District to pilot US History Gateway for GCPS 11th graders The members of the Gwinnett County Board of EducationW have long held that
our public schools are entrusted with a duty to educate students to be civic-minded individuals who understand the responsibilities of American citizenship Those senti-ments are key to the Boardrsquos Core Beliefs and CommitmentsW most recently updated in March of 2016
That focus on civic virtues is mirrored in re-cent changes in the statersquos social studies curric-ulum in place for the first time in the 2017ndash18 school year With that in mind district leaders have worked to develop new prompts for the social studies section of the GCPS High School GatewayW with plans to change the focus on the district-level assessment from World History to US History
First administered in 2000 the Gateway is a GCPS-developed writing assessment that measures a high school studentrsquos knowledge and skills related to social studies science and language arts In addition to the social studies focus the science Gateway covers topics in Biology and Chemistry Typically this assessment is administered to sophomores in the spring With the change to a US History focus the updated Gate-way in social studies will be administered to 11th graders rather than 10th graders The science Gateway will continue to be given at 10th grade A passing score on both tests is required for graduation in Gwinnett
The new US History prompts will offer more opportunities to measure studentsrsquo knowledge of civics and civic engagement and will allow for more in-depth study of founding documents and their significance In addition the new prompts are expected to promote historical inquiry and student writers will be required to use fact and opinion in their answers compare and contrast information from their reading and demonstrate cause and effect
ldquoMoving the Gateway test to US History allows GCPS students to make connec-tions to our founding documents principles of our constitutional republic and events in our countryrsquos history that have become the foundation for the world they live inrdquo says Debbie Daniell the districtrsquos social studies director ldquoAt the forefront it will pro-vide our students a foundation for civic engagement and literacy for their life beyond GCPSrdquo She notes that educators who teach US History and 11th Grade Language Arts and American Literature will have the opportunity to collaborate ensuring that
[Continued]
Itrsquos Mentoring MonthNational Mentoring Month celebrates the contributions of community-based mentorshellip the caring adults who make a difference in the lives of hundreds of GCPS students Both men and women are invited to go beyond digital engagement in order to make a real-life impact in this districtwide program for Gwinnett young people New this spring the program has expanded to include girls as well as boys For information about becoming a mentor visit Community-Based Mentoring ProgramW online Questions If you have questions about the program for boys contact James Rayford at (770) 682-8086 or send an email to James_Rayfordgwinnettk12gaus Those with questions about the new mentoring program for girls should contact Janice Warren at Janice_Warrengwinnettk12gaus or call (678) 226-4254
Pete Wilson
Dr Allan Gee Karyn Tircuit
Dr Sheril Smith
2018 GWINNETT COUNTYBOARD OF EDUCATION
Carole C Boyce chair Daniel D Seckinger vice chair
Dr Robert McClure Dr Mary Kay Murphy and
Louise RadloffCEOSUPERINTENDENT
J Alvin Wilbanks
The mission of Gwinnett County Public Schools is to pursue excellence in
academic knowledge skills and behavior for each student resulting in measured
improvement against local national and world-class standards
Torch is produced by the Department of Communication and Media Relations
torchgwinnettk12gaus
It is the policy of Gwinnett County Public Schools not to discriminate on the basis of race color sex religion national origin
age or disability in any employment practice educational program or any other
program activity or service
Gwinnett County Public Schools437 Old Peachtree Road NW
Suwanee GA 30024-2978678-301-6000 bull wwwgwinnettk12gaus
students make connections between the content covered in the two courses The prompts are under development by a group of GCPS teachers from across the
district who are experts in the field of US History The teachers were trained by staff in the offices of Accountability and Assessment and Curriculum and Instruction on various aspects of assessment literacy and bias and sensitivity The prompts will reflect key time periods and themes from the curriculum
The development team has created seven prompts that will be administered in a limited pilot on Feb 20 to approximately 3000 students enrolled in US History at participating schools Presently six schoolsmdash Berkmar HS Brookwood HS Central
Gwinnett HS Collins Hill HS Meadowcreek HS and North Gwinnett HSmdash have volun-teered to participate in the pilot No scores for the pilot will be reported to the schools or students This pilot is designed only to gather feedback and to conduct various stud-ies of student performance on the prompts
The development team also will use this information to create additional prompts to be used in a districtwide field test for students enrolled in US History in March of
2019 Students who take the field test will receive scores which can be used to fulfill the graduation requirement in social studies for the Class of 2020 (Members of the class current 10th graders can use a passing score from either the World History or the US History assessment to meet district requirements) Students currently in the 9th grade will take the World History Gateway in 2018ndash19 If unsuccessful on the assessment they will have the opportunity to take both the World History retest and the US His-tory exam their junior year A passing score on either will fulfill graduation require-ments The Class of 2022mdash students who enter high school in August of 2018mdash will be the first class required to pass the US History Gateway to earn a GCPS diploma
IRS delays distribution of Health Care Tax StatementsThe IRS (Notice 2018-06) has extended the distribution date for 1095-C Health
Care Tax StatementsW to March 2 2018 GCPS anticipates mailing 1095-C state-ments to employees in late February The IRS notification states ldquoBecause of these extensions individuals may not receive their forms by the time they are ready to file their 2017 individual income tax return While information on these forms may assist in preparing a return the forms are not required to file Taxpayers can prepare and file their returns using other information about their health coveragerdquo For more information about the extension and this form please visit the Internal Revenue Service website at wwwirsgovW
Register by April 24 to vote in May primaryGeorgians have the opportunity to make their voices heardmdash in Atlanta in Wash-
ington DC and at the local levelmdash when the 2018 election seasonW opens later this spring On May 22 Georgians will vote on ballot measures and determine which candidates will meet in the General Election on Nov 6 for a number of statewide and local offices including governor state school superintendent statehouse and con-gressional seats and other state and local officials However you canrsquot vote if yoursquore not registered April 24 is the deadline to register to vote in the Primary Citizens can
submit a voter registration applicationW online or by mail County residents can call the Gwinnett County Office of Elections at (678)
226-7210 with questions On the Secretary of Statersquos website log on to MVPWmdash My Voting Pagemdash for voter registration status mail-in application and ballot status poll locations information
on absentee voting rules related to change of address and more
Visit online magazineCommuniqueacuteW is the districtrsquos digital magazine sporting new content every few days Recent and upcoming posts include news on community support a wrap-up
of staff honors photo galleries from Principal for a Day and visits
from other special guests links to recent GCPS TV videos calendar notes and more
Something to celebrateShare your good news with your colleagues in Spotlight W If you have earned a state or national award earned a degree made a presentation or had work published send the information to the Spotlight mailboxW via Lotus Notes or to the Communication and Media Relations Department through the courier The fall issue is available now and the next issue is in the works (submissions due date March 6)
US History Gateway (continued)
Gwinnett County Public Schools
An online magazine with news and stories about your classrooms your schools and your community
Story ideas Great photos Feedback Let us know at
communiquegwinnettk12gaus
2018 GWINNETT COUNTYBOARD OF EDUCATION
Carole C Boyce chair Daniel D Seckinger vice chair
Dr Robert McClure Dr Mary Kay Murphy and
Louise RadloffCEOSUPERINTENDENT
J Alvin Wilbanks
The mission of Gwinnett County Public Schools is to pursue excellence in
academic knowledge skills and behavior for each student resulting in measured
improvement against local national and world-class standards
Torch is produced by the Department of Communication and Media Relations
torchgwinnettk12gaus
It is the policy of Gwinnett County Public Schools not to discriminate on the basis of race color sex religion national origin
age or disability in any employment practice educational program or any other
program activity or service
Gwinnett County Public Schools437 Old Peachtree Road NW
Suwanee GA 30024-2978678-301-6000 bull wwwgwinnettk12gaus
students make connections between the content covered in the two courses The prompts are under development by a group of GCPS teachers from across the
district who are experts in the field of US History The teachers were trained by staff in the offices of Accountability and Assessment and Curriculum and Instruction on various aspects of assessment literacy and bias and sensitivity The prompts will reflect key time periods and themes from the curriculum
The development team has created seven prompts that will be administered in a limited pilot on Feb 20 to approximately 3000 students enrolled in US History at participating schools Presently six schoolsmdash Berkmar HS Brookwood HS Central
Gwinnett HS Collins Hill HS Meadowcreek HS and North Gwinnett HSmdash have volun-teered to participate in the pilot No scores for the pilot will be reported to the schools or students This pilot is designed only to gather feedback and to conduct various stud-ies of student performance on the prompts
The development team also will use this information to create additional prompts to be used in a districtwide field test for students enrolled in US History in March of
2019 Students who take the field test will receive scores which can be used to fulfill the graduation requirement in social studies for the Class of 2020 (Members of the class current 10th graders can use a passing score from either the World History or the US History assessment to meet district requirements) Students currently in the 9th grade will take the World History Gateway in 2018ndash19 If unsuccessful on the assessment they will have the opportunity to take both the World History retest and the US His-tory exam their junior year A passing score on either will fulfill graduation require-ments The Class of 2022mdash students who enter high school in August of 2018mdash will be the first class required to pass the US History Gateway to earn a GCPS diploma
IRS delays distribution of Health Care Tax StatementsThe IRS (Notice 2018-06) has extended the distribution date for 1095-C Health
Care Tax StatementsW to March 2 2018 GCPS anticipates mailing 1095-C state-ments to employees in late February The IRS notification states ldquoBecause of these extensions individuals may not receive their forms by the time they are ready to file their 2017 individual income tax return While information on these forms may assist in preparing a return the forms are not required to file Taxpayers can prepare and file their returns using other information about their health coveragerdquo For more information about the extension and this form please visit the Internal Revenue Service website at wwwirsgovW
Register by April 24 to vote in May primaryGeorgians have the opportunity to make their voices heardmdash in Atlanta in Wash-
ington DC and at the local levelmdash when the 2018 election seasonW opens later this spring On May 22 Georgians will vote on ballot measures and determine which candidates will meet in the General Election on Nov 6 for a number of statewide and local offices including governor state school superintendent statehouse and con-gressional seats and other state and local officials However you canrsquot vote if yoursquore not registered April 24 is the deadline to register to vote in the Primary Citizens can
submit a voter registration applicationW online or by mail County residents can call the Gwinnett County Office of Elections at (678)
226-7210 with questions On the Secretary of Statersquos website log on to MVPWmdash My Voting Pagemdash for voter registration status mail-in application and ballot status poll locations information
on absentee voting rules related to change of address and more
Visit online magazineCommuniqueacuteW is the districtrsquos digital magazine sporting new content every few days Recent and upcoming posts include news on community support a wrap-up
of staff honors photo galleries from Principal for a Day and visits
from other special guests links to recent GCPS TV videos calendar notes and more
Something to celebrateShare your good news with your colleagues in Spotlight W If you have earned a state or national award earned a degree made a presentation or had work published send the information to the Spotlight mailboxW via Lotus Notes or to the Communication and Media Relations Department through the courier The fall issue is available now and the next issue is in the works (submissions due date March 6)
US History Gateway (continued)
Gwinnett County Public Schools
An online magazine with news and stories about your classrooms your schools and your community
Story ideas Great photos Feedback Let us know at
communiquegwinnettk12gaus