TECHNOLOGY UPDATE:

Mt. Bethel Parents Experience 21st Century Classroom In Action

Parents of Mt. Bethel Elementary students got a first look at the District’s 21st Century Classroom technology during an open demonstration Nov. 29, 2007. First grade teachers Kim Osburn and Maribeth Smith exhibited the capabilities of the new interactive whiteboards for parents, explaining how the software helps teachers deliver curriculum standards to students.

Read more and view photos of the demonstration. Additional photos are available on the Cobbcast news blog.

SPLOST UPDATE:

• Construction for Allatoona High School (pictured above) and Pickett's Mill Elementary continues to progress on schedule for the schools' August 2008 opening. Updates on Allatoona High are available on the school's blog.

The good news story of SPLOST continues for Cobb County taxpayers. In November and December 2007, the school board:

• Extended a contract with Dell Marketing, LP for acquiring desktop and laptop computers and related peripheral items. The estimated cost of the contract is $4,438,828.12. The contract expires Nov. 30, 2008.

• Extended a contract with NetPlanner Systems Inc. for purchasing Network Data Cabling and Wireless Infrastructure parts and labor. The estimated cost of the contract is $300,000. The contract expires Oct. 30, 2008.

• Approved the final project closeout for a classroom addition at Shallowford Falls Elementary School. By certifying that all accounts for labor, materials and services for the projects’ construction have been paid in full and that there are no claims of any nature outstanding, either liquidated or disputed, the District will be eligible to receive $176,564.50 in State Capitol Outlay Funds allocated for the projects.

These projects were part of the SPLOST II program approved in 2003. To view the agenda items for the projects, click here.

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT:
Daniell Middle, Murdock Elementary Named 2007 Schools of Excellence

Daniell Middle School and Murdock Elementary School have been named 2007 Georgia Schools of Excellence by the Georgia Department of Education. The two Cobb County schools are among only 23 schools statewide to receive the honor, and were selected based on overall excellence and gains in student achievement. The Georgia Schools of Excellence program began in 1984 and has become a badge of honor for schools across the state. Cobb schools have received 39 Georgia School of Excellence designations since the program’s inception.

Read more about the newest Cobb Schools of Excellence here.

Cobb Students Top State, Metro Scores on Georgia High School Writing Test

Cobb County 11th-graders turned in a strong performance on the newly revised writing portion of the 2007 Georgia High School Graduation Test (GHSWT), topping their state and metro Atlanta peers’ average scores. The test was administered in early September, and has been revised to reflect the current Georgia Performance Standards, or GPS. The 7,285 Cobb high school students tested attained a scale score of 221, two points higher than the average of metro Atlanta schools, and three points higher than the state average.  The new scale used to measure achievement ranges from 100 to 350, with a score of 200 as “meets expectations,” and 250 as “exceeds expectations.”  Ninety-two percent of Cobb high school students met or exceeded expectations on the test, which gauges writing skills considered essential for a high school diploma.

Click here to read the full release and view individual school scores.

Cobb ITBS Scores Top National Averages, Improve at Every Grade Level

Cobb County students surpassed national averages on the fall administration of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) and improved at every grade level tested, according to recently released results. The school district administered the ITBS to students in grades 3, 5, and 8 during September. Cobb third graders had a composite score average of 71st percentile, which means they scored equal to or better than 71 percent of all other third grade students who participated in the ITBS nationwide. Composite scores for fifth graders ranked in the 68th percentile nationally, while eighth graders scored in the 60th percentile. These scores reflect an increase over last year’s scores at all three grade levels.

Click here to read the full release and view individual school scores.