Where Do We Stand Today ?

By all measures, Forsyth County Schools are excellent...

among the best.

The challenge of Forsyth County Schools is to move from being among

the best to being THE BEST.

Where Do We Stand Today ? 2006-08 Georgia SAT TotalSystem (# tested) 2008 2007 2006

1 Trion City (23) 1625 1504 1669

2 FULTON (3973) 1593 1595 1580

3 CHEROKEE (1196) 1575 1548 1565

4 OCONEE (363) 1566 1575 1541

5 Rome City (133) 1558 1621 1545

6 Decatur City (146) 1555 1574 1534

7 FAYETTE (1394) 1551 1548 1555

8 FORSYTH (1104) 1550 1546 1538

Where Do We Stand Today ? 2006-08 Metro SAT Total

System (# tested) 2008 2007 20061 FULTON (3973) 1593 1595 1580

2 CHEROKEE (1196) 1575 1548 1566

3 Decatur City (146) 1555 1574 1534

4 FAYETTE (1394) 1551 1548 1556

5 FORSYTH (1104) 1550 1546 15386 COBB (5433) 1523 1534 1538

7 GWINNETT (6254) 1521 1524 1541

Where Do We Want to Be ?All students will be prepared fully for success after high school.

All college-bound students will be prepared fully for superior performance on the SAT / ACT and for the opportunity to attend the college university of first choice.

All college-bound students will be prepared fully for success in college.

Where Do We Want to Be ?

System (# tested) 20081 Trion City (23) 1625

2 FULTON (3973) 1593

3 CHEROKEE (1196) 1575

4 OCONEE (363) 1566

5 Rome City (133) 1558

6 Decatur City (146) 1555

7 FAYETTE (1394) 1551

8 FORSYTH (1104) 1550

If FCS students gained…

1% 16 points = 1566

2% 31 points = 1581

3% 47 points = 1597

4% 62 points = 1612

5% 78 points = 1628

How Will We Get There ?

Implement SAT 2400 recommendations in five key areas:

• Academic Rigor in Curriculum & Instruction

• SAT / ACT Test Preparation Opportunities

• Advisement & Guidance Programs

• School & Student Incentives

• Stakeholder Communication

CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTION

Increase the level of academic rigor in every K-12 classroom in Forsyth County Schools through focused professional learning and collaboration.

• Define academic rigor K-12 for all classrooms & content areas.

• Increase academic rigor by increasing the quantity & quality of AP/IB and advanced content course offerings across FCS 6-12.

• Provide 6-12 professional learning for teachers in areas of vertical teaming and teaching critical thinking / problem solving strategies.

• Develop process / plan for incorporating critical thinking / problem solving, academic vocabulary & reading comprehension, and student application of knowledge into all K-12 classrooms.

CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTION

Increase the level of academic rigor in every K-12 classroom in Forsyth County Schools through focused professional learning and professional collaboration.

• Provide 6-12 professional learning for teachers to improve use of national

(PSAT, PLAN, etc.), state & district standardized assessment data to inform classroom instruction.

• Implement 6-12 vertical teams (ex. Math) to increase academic rigor by embedding “college readiness standards” into FCS curriculum along with the GPS & QCC.

• Develop process / plan for incorporating critical thinking / problem solving, academic vocabulary, reading comprehension, and student application of knowledge into all K-12 classrooms.

SAT / ACT PREP Offer comprehensive, district-wide SAT / ACT Prep

opportunities to Forsyth County students.

• Provide all Forsyth County students access to SAT / ACT Prep opportunities outside of the school day (College Board SAT Prep Course).

• Offer SAT/ACT Prep in the standard high school curriculum district-wide.

ADVISEMENT & GUIDANCE Improve the quantity, quality & timing of information

provided to students and parents related to post-secondary options through guidance counseling and academic advisement programs.

• Implement a revised 6-12 assessment plan (incorporating PLAN, PSAT in grades 9-12).

• Provide 6-12 professional learning for teachers to use & explain testing data to students & parents. (Georgia DOE PSAT Workshop).

• Develop an improved 6-12 counseling plan for improved post-secondary planning by students & families (Georgia 411).

• Include post-secondary planning as part of 6-12 academic advisement program (Teachers As Advisors).

STUDENT & SCHOOL INCENTIVES Develop programs that will provide incentives &

recognition to students and schools for high achievement and improvement.

• Develop district-wide scholarship & recognition program for students showing greatest improvement in SAT.

• Develop programs where successful high schools students mentor & advise 6-8 students to prepare them for high school success and post-secondary planning.

• Develop a classroom program rewarding students for participation in SAT Question of the Day in every core high school classroom (ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies).

• Design on-going recognition programs at all high schools for students (pep rallies, T shirts, etc.)

• Design FCS “Academic Trophy” process to reward schools for achievement & improvement in SAT / ACT scores.

COMMUNICATIONS

Develop a district-wide communication plan that effectively targets our stakeholder audiences:

• Students

• Parents

• School System Staff

• Community

And uses varied resources (print, electronic, mail, DVD) to reach all school system stakeholders with accurate, timely, and relevant post-secondary planning information on an ongoing basis.

How Will We Measure Progress?

“It’s more than just SAT scores…” Using data collection & analysis tools including

performance data stored in Infinite Campus, the R4 Digital Dashboard, and Class Profiles to track FCS progress through

-- standardized test scores (SAT, ACT, PSAT, PLAN, etc.)

-- student course & program enrollment data

-- student classroom performance

-- student attendance & extra-curricular involvement

-- student HS grad rate, college admissions & scholarship awards data

-- stakeholder perception data (ex-survey)

What Do We Do Next ?

Engage district, school, community & business leadership in implementing all recommendations.

Coordinate SAT 2400 recommendations with other improvement & planning efforts (ex— FCS Strategic Planning, HS Improvement, MS Improvement, Teachers As Advisors Program & Guidance, R4 Digital Dashboard Implementation, ANGEL Learning & Technology initiatives).

For areas requiring expenditure of funds (ex-SAT Prep, Professional Learning) continue exploring service providers, vendors & plan for funding.

Where Can I Go To Learn More?

SAT 2400 Challenge Webpage