|
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT:
27 Cobb Schools Win Awards For
Meeting, Exceeding State Standards
Cobb is well-represented on the 'honor roll' for schools released by the Governor's Office and Georgia Department of Education. The awards recognize schools with the Greatest Gains in percentage of students meeting or exceeding standards, and for having at least 95 percent of students reach these marks.
In the ‘Greatest Gains’ category, Daniell Middle School received the Gold award for progress in student achievement.
26 schools from all three levels made the ‘Highest Percentage’ award list. These include Addison, Bullard, Davis, Due West, East Side, Ford, Garrison Mill, Kemp,
Mt. Bethel, Mountain View, Murdock,
Rocky Mount, Shallowford Falls, Sope Creek, Still, Timber Ridge, Tritt and Vaughan Elementary Schools; Dickerson, Dodgen, Hightower Trail and Mabry Middle Schools; and Harrison, Lassiter, Pope and Walton High Schools.
DISTRICT NEWS:
Superintendent Search
The Board of Education is currently conducting a search for superintendent. Following a process of reviewing applications from qualified candidates and scheduling interviews, the Board hopes to have a new superintendent in place as soon as possible. However, the Board intends to take as much time as is necessary to find the right candidate.
To assist in the search, the Board conducted a focus group on Oct. 10, 2005 to help identify public sentiment as to the most desirable qualifications, qualities and attributes of an effective leader. A group of 24 randomly selected Cobb County citizens – parents, business-people, teachers, and others – took part in the focus group. School board members have participated in similar leadership quality training previously, but did not participate directly in the focus group. The results were presented to the school board at its Oct. 12, 2005 public meeting. Later, board members reviewed the results in executive session during a discussion of the superintendent search.
The Board then conducted an online survey to allow the full community an opportunity to provide input. There were more than 900 responses to the survey. Participants were asked to rank various characteristics, qualifications and attributes of a leader in order of importance to them. The results below show the top three responses in each category, and the percentage of all first-, second- and third-place votes each received.
Characteristics
Honest: 18 percent
Competent: 14 percent
Intelligent: 9 percent
Qualifications (Skills & Background)
Curriculum & Instruction: 27 percent
Local School Experience: 23 percent
CEO: 13 percent
Attributes
Integrity: 23 percent
Ability: 18 percent
Experience: 17 percent
The Board intends to analyze these results and apply them to the superintendent search. Complete survey and focus group results are available on the school district web site at www.cobbk12.org.
|
|
NEWS FROM OUR SCHOOLS:
Pope's Diana Lossner Honored As
Cobb Teacher of the Year
District Teacher of the Year Diana Lossner has had a busy October. She began the month at Marietta Square, where she put her handprints in the Cobb Chamber of Commerce's Teacher Walk of Fame. She was honored with other school Teachers of the Year at an Oct. 26 pep rally, and recognized by the Board of Education at their Oct. 27 meeting. At each event, students, parents, colleagues and community members have praised Lossner for her dedication to teaching and her spirit in the classroom.
SPLOST UPDATE:
The School District is nearly two years into the SPLOST II school construction program that ultimately will build nine new schools and add hundreds of classrooms throughout the District. In addition, all schools will receive upgrades and renovations as part of the $697 million program. A list of SPLOST II projects and their status is available on the school district web site at www.cobbk12.org.
Cobb voters approved the SPLOST II program in 2003 in response to sustained growth that has increased the School District’s total enrollment to more than 104,000 students. One result of building new schools and expanding existing facilities to relieve overcrowding is that students must be redistricted to balance enrollments and make the most efficient use of school facilities. When developing plans to move students and neighborhoods from one school to another, the District attempts to be as objective as possible.
The Board has approved a procedure for redistricting (Administrative Rule “JC”) that calls for a Central Administration Planning Group to develop a preliminary attendance zone plan that considers the following factors: residential development; population growth trends; school construction; transportation; educational programs; and budget implications. In addition, the planning group should strive to: maintain efficient and effective school sizes; use existing school facilities efficiently; equalize the student enrollment/capacity ratio; consider the safety of students traveling to and from school; minimize time/distance between home and school; and support efficient and direct feeder patterns, when possible.
Currently, the school board is considering a redistricting plan for Dickerson and Dodgen middle schools in east Cobb. Very soon, the District will begin plans for redistricting several schools in west Cobb in preparation for the 2006 opening of Hillgrove High School. The west Cobb redistricting will be a complex process requiring an objective approach to develop a proposal that is fair and rational. Public understanding of the redistricting process, as summarized above, will lead to constructive input and support for the school district’s efforts to provide students with the best facilities and environment in which to learn.
|
