Curriculum & Instruction

Advanced Placement Certified Schools
Encouraging Students to Take On New Challenges

The Cobb County School District’s Advanced Placement Certified Schools (APCS) program is designed to increase access to and participation in challenging coursework for all students, especially underrepresented populations, in order to improve post-secondary success. Middle and high schools apply for the APCS designation, with three award tiers in place for schools that meet core criteria and benchmarks for AP participation and support.

In early 2008, Osborne and Wheeler high schools joined Harrison, Kennesaw Mountain, Lassiter, Pope, Sprayberry and Walton in the highest tier of APCS, the Demonstration Level. This designation is reserved for model programs that collaborate with other Cobb high and middle schools to promote advanced placement activity.

Kell High joined Campbell and North Cobb high schools as Certified Level programs, while Hillgrove, McEachern, Pebblebrook and South Cobb attained first-year Affiliate Level status. 2007 was the first year in which all 15 Cobb high schools qualified for the APCS program.

The District also awarded Middle School Affiliate status to 10 middle schools. Awtrey, Campbell, Daniell, Dickerson, Dodgen, Durham, Hightower Trail, Lindley and Palmer middle schools are in their respective second years as Affiliate programs. They are joined by first-time Affiliate Schools Lovinggood and Simpson for 2008. Each middle school met specified APCS criteria and work closely with their local high schools to build AP participation.

AVID (Advancement via Individual Determination)
Helping Students Meet Their Potential

The AVID program is a support program designed to boost secondary students in the academic middle toward a higher level of college preparation. By enrollling students in a unique AVID elective course and providing tutor support, AVID aims to shift the student’s mindset from a “path of least resistance” to an approach focused on personal achievement.

AVID works by providing students with direct instruction in critical thinking, writing to learn, college awareness, and academic collaboration with tutors and teachers. In the process of implementing an AVID program, schools are challenged to rethink preconceptions of student ability, capitalizing on the capacity of all students to become critical thinkers and academic achievers. Merrilee Heflin, principal of Daniell Middle School in 2006-07, attributes the school’s three-year academic gains to the way AVID changed the school culture.

Since its initial implementation in four Cobb schools in 2001, AVID has expanded to 21 Cobb schools. Ninety-seven percent of the District’s 1,037 AVID students are on track for acceptance to four-year colleges upon graduation. In 2007, 66 Cobb AVID seniors took 96 AP exams, the basis for a Newsweek Challenge Index of 1.45, comparable to the index scores at Wheeler and Pope high schools. AVID programs are evaluated annually on rigorous national standards. In 2007, 12 of 13 AVID National Certified schools in the entire state of Georgia are part of the Cobb County School District.

English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Program
and the International Welcome Center
Bridging Languages and Cultures To Promote Student Success

Approximately 8,000 students enrolling in Cobb County schools come from non-English- speaking backgrounds, including almost 6,000 at the elementary level. The District’s English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program is a state-funded, federally mandated program designed to meet the needs of these students. All students enrolling in Cobb schools are asked to fill out a Home Language Survey as part of the registration process. The survey assists the District in identifying students who may qualify for assistance through the ESOL Program. Identified English Language Learners (ELLs) are placed in classes in which the acquisition of the English language is the highest priority. The District further addresses the complex needs of many newly arrived middle and high school ELLs through placement in Intensive English Language (IEL) classes.
After exiting the primary ESOL classes, ELLs continue to receive support services from the ESOL program over a two-year monitoring period. Services focus on continued English language acquisition and proficiency in academic courses.

The International Welcome Center in Mableton provides additional support for all international students and their families in a variety of ways. In an effort to facilitate communication between school and home, the center offers assistance in Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, French, Haitian Creole, Russian, Chinese, Vietnamese and other languages as requested. In 2006-2007, the IWC provided more than 10,500 translation/interpretation services. The IWC team of translators/interpreters further supports the Cobb community by promoting cultural understanding and fostering parental involvement.

High School Magnet Programs
Advanced Studies With A Special Focus

The Cobb County School District’s high school magnet programs provide opportunities for committed students to pursue an advanced course of study in a specific focus area while earning a college preparatory diploma. The magnet programs are coordinated through the District’s Advanced Learning Programs Office.

Students are selected for participation during the eighth grade year. Prospective candidates should contact coordinators of the programs of interest to obtain application deadlines. Transportation for accepted students is provided from specific collector points. Magnet students in good standing are eligible to participate in all school activities. Read more about the District's high school magnet programs on the main District Web site.

Special Student Services
Assisting Students With Special Needs

The Special Student Services division strives to meet the unique educational needs of students who may require specialized programs and services in order to learn, to succeed, and to grow educationally in a safe and productive school environment.
Some of the components of the Special Student Services division include:
• Special Education - Individualized services were provided to 13,247 students during the 2006-07 school year through a variety of educational delivery models ranging from regular class placements to full-day programs in highly specialized environments. These unique programs and services are developed for each special student and outlined in Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) — a plan devised jointly by parents, teachers, administrators and, when appropriate, the
students themselves.
• The H.A.V.E.N. Academy - One of the 24 programs of the Georgia Network for Education and Therapeutic Services (G-NETS), the academy serves severely emotionally and behaviorally disordered (SEBD) students and is a part of the special education services provided by the Cobb, Douglas and Marietta school systems. Services include behavior management strategies, individual and group counseling, and interagency coordination.
• Psychological Services - Cobb County has a school psychologist assigned to every school, providing services such as counseling and therapy, parent and teacher consultations and psychological assessments.
• School Counseling Program – The goal of the school counselors is to assist students in overcoming barriers that impede learning and to implement a standards-based comprehensive school counseling program in every school.