UGA graduate programs continue to rank among the best in the nation

University of Georgia graduate programs remained among the best in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2012 edition of America’s Best Graduate Schools. The School of Law tied for 35th and the College of Education tied for 46th.

“Rankings such as these are satisfying because they are a reflection of the quality of the programs at the University of Georgia,” said UGA President Michael F. Adams. “As we begin to implement a new strategic plan with a focus on graduate and professional education, we do so knowing that the foundation on which we will expand is strong and the state of Georgia is well-served by these programs.”

Maureen Grasso, dean of the UGA Graduate School said, “UGA’s graduate programs do an outstanding job of preparing our students for success in the 21st century. The excellent teaching and research conducted by our faculty provide our graduates with the knowledge and skills they need to make an impact in our local and global communities as they drive the economic competitiveness of Georgia.”

While coming in at 35th overall on the list, the School of Law is ranked among the top 14 public law schools in the nation and among the top four public schools in the Southeast.

“Rankings continue to provide a snapshot look of an institution and only some of its programming,” School of Law Dean Rebecca Hanner White said. “At Georgia Law, we offer the whole experience—dedicated teachers who are productive scholars, a challenging and varied curriculum, numerous co-curricular opportunities via 12 clinics and four study/work abroad programs, a talented student body and a collegial atmosphere. Our goal, year in and year out, is to provide one of the finest legal educations in the country at an attractive cost.

“Additionally, we are pleased our graduates continue to be prepared for the practice of law as evidenced by the fact that five of our graduates have been selected over the past seven years to serve as a U.S. Supreme Court judicial clerk, the most prestigious appointment a new lawyer can obtain.”

The College of Education ranked 46th overall in a tie with Temple University, but was ranked 32nd among public universities in the nation. The college was ranked 3rd among public universities in the Southeast.

“These graduate program rankings confirm the college’s excellence across a broad range of academic endeavors, from K-12 teacher education to curriculum/instruction to counseling,” said Arthur M. (Andy) Horne, dean and Distinguished Research Professor of the College of Education. “Equally important, however, is what numerical rankings cannot measure: the University of Georgia’s profound commitment to expanding educational opportunities for every student and improving our communities in Georgia and across the nation.”

Among the 10 specialty rankings, five of the College of Education’s programs ranked in the top 10 in the nation: Vocational/technical education ranked second, counseling/personnel services tied for second, secondary education ranked fifth, higher education administration ranked fifth, and elementary education ranked sixth.

The doctor of veterinary medicine program tied for ninth. “We are pleased that the U.S. News and World Report ranking recognizes the outstanding accomplishments of the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine in recent years, reflecting the achievements of our great faculty, staff and students,” said Dr. Sheila W. Allen, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine.

The biological and agricultural engineering program, within the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, ranked 12th.

The biological sciences program, within the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, tied for 46th.

The School of Public and International Affairs’ master of public administration degree program continues to be ranked 4th in the nation, and the 2nd best among public universities. SPIA also has four highly ranked specialty programs. Both the specialization in public finance and budgeting as well as the specialization in public management and administration continue to be ranked 2nd in the nation. The nonprofit management specialization is ranked 11th and the public policy analysis specialization is ranked 16th.

Other programs with current rankings include: clinical psychology tied for 33rd, master of fine arts tied for 37th, and psychology tied for 50th.

The rankings, with the methodology, are available online at
http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools. Highlights of the graduate school rankings will be published in the Best Graduate Schools 2012 edition book, available April 5.

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Georgia Has 12th Highest Percent of Seniors Scoring a 3 or Higher on AP Exams

Georgia has the 12th highest percent of seniors scoring a 3 or higher on Advanced Placement (AP) Exams, according to The College Board's AP Report to the Nation released last week. This report measures progress of the class of 2009.

"I am proud that more Georgia students than ever are challenging themselves with demanding course work and are successfully mastering the material," said State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox. "We recognize that one of the best ways to close the achievement gap is to challenge all students with rigorous work and high expectations."

Advanced Placement classes and exams are administered by the College Board, which also administers the SAT. AP classes offer rigorous college-level learning options to students in high school. Students who receive a 3, 4 or 5 on AP exams may receive college credit. The AP Report to the Nation looks at data for 2009 High School seniors. Among Georgia's public high school seniors in 2009:

* 17.8% scored a 3 or higher on at least one AP exam during high school. That is higher than the national average of 15.9%.
* Georgia is tied for 2nd in the nation when comparing the five-year increase of public school seniors scoring a 3 or higher on at least one AP exam (5.4% growth compared to 3.2% for the nation.)
* Georgia ranks 3rd in the nation for its one-year increase of public school seniors scoring a 3 or higher on at least one AP exam (1.5% growth compared to 0.7% for the nation.)

When it comes to public school students enrolling in AP courses and taking the exams, Georgia is also a national leader. Only one other state in the country had a greater one-year increase in the number of AP exam-takers and number of exams given. The number of AP exams taken by Georgia's public school seniors increased 3.3% since 2008, compared to a 1.5% national average increase.

AP Growth Among All Students

Almost 64,000 Georgia students in all grades took at least one AP exam in 2008-2009, an increase of more than 11 percent from the previous year. Georgia's AP population continues to get more diverse as well, with more African-American and Hispanic students taking the rigorous classes.

"We know in Georgia that we must continue to close the achievement gap, and that's why it is so important that more of our minority students are taking these rigorous AP courses and doing well on the exams," Superintendent Cox said. "This AP report shows that Georgia is a leader in minority test-takers and success. We have work left to be done, but we are making tremendous progress."

During the 2008-2009 school year, more than 12,300 African-American public school students (all grades) took an AP exam. That's an increase of 17 percent from the previous year and represents more than 10 percent of all public school African-American test-takers nationwide. There were 3,507 Hispanic students (all grades) that took at least one AP exam in 2008-2009, an increase of more than 19% from the previous year.

According to the AP Report to the Nation, among Georgia's high school seniors:

* More than 23% of students who took an AP exam in 2008-2009 were African-American, an increase of almost one percentage point from the previous year.
* 11.4% of Georgia's African-American high school seniors scored 3 or higher on at least one AP exam. That is almost eight points higher than the national average.
* About 5.6% of Georgia's AP test takers were Hispanic, higher than Georgia's overall Hispanic student population (5.5 percent).

State Efforts to Increase AP Participation

The State of Georgia has undertaken many successful efforts to increase participation in AP programs and success on AP exams. Among the initiatives:

* At the request of Governor Perdue and Superintendent Cox, the Legislature has approved money to pay for students to take one AP exam per year. Economically-disadvantaged students can have all of their AP exams paid for each year.
* The Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) has organized the distribution of AP Teacher Quality Training Grants. Since 2006, the GaDOE has funded approximately $717,000 in grant awards to train 869 new AP teachers. These awards have allowed 573 new AP courses to be offered in public high schools throughout the state. It is anticipated that in 2010 an additional 282 AP teachers will be trained.
* The GaDOE has sponsored regional workshops for teachers of AP in the fall for the past three years. These workshops are led by master teachers of AP in Georgia high schools. To date, over 1,600 AP teachers have participated in these course-specific workshops.
* The Georgia Virtual School (GAVS) continues to add AP classes, increasing access to students throughout the state, including those that might not otherwise be able to take an AP class. In 2008-2009, 578 students enrolled in 20 different AP courses. The Georgia Virtual School will begin offering AP Spanish in Fall 2010.
* The GaDOE developed the AP Handheld Project this year and gave $64,580 in grants to 56 schools for the purchase of handheld technology for students to use in their courses.

AP Honor Schools

Superintendent Cox also named today more than 125 AP Honor Schools.

"Georgia is making tremendous strides with Advanced Placement -- not only in the number of students taking the courses, but in the number of students having success," Superintendent Cox said. "Much of that progress comes from the dedication to rigor and excellence at each of our AP Honor Schools."

The 2010 AP Honor Schools are named in three categories, based on the results of 2008-2009 AP classes and exams:

* AP CHALLENGE SCHOOLS: Schools with fewer than 900 students that are offering AP classes in the four core areas of English, Mathematics, Social Studies and Science
* AP ACCESS & SUPPORT SCHOOLS: Schools with 30% of AP test takers that are African-American or Hispanic and at least 30% of all AP exams scoring 3 or higher
* AP MERIT SCHOOLS: Schools with at least 20% of students taking AP exams and at least half of the AP exams scoring a 3 or higher

The AP Honor Schools are listed below.

AP CHALLENGE SCHOOLS: Schools with fewer than 900 students that are offering AP classes in all four academic areas

Albany HS, Dougherty County Allatoona HS, Cobb County AR Johnson Magnet HS, Richmond County Armuchee HS, Floyd County Avondale HS, DeKalb County Bowdon HS, Carroll County Buford HS, Buford City Callaway HS, Troup County Carver School of Health Sciences, Atlanta City Chattooga HS, Chattooga County Clinch County HS, Clinch County Commerce HS, Commerce City Cook County HS, Cook County Coosa HS, Floyd County Cross Keys HS, DeKalb County Decatur HS, Decatur City DeKalb School of the Arts, DeKalb County Gordon Central HS, Gordon County Gordon Lee HS, Chickamauga City Greene County HS, Greene County Hancock Central HS, Hancock County

Heritage HS, Catoosa County Howard HS, Bibb County Jefferson HS, Jefferson City John Davidson Magnet HS, Richmond County Lincoln County HS, Lincoln County Long County HS, Long County McIntosh County Academy, McIntosh County Model HS, Floyd County Mount Zion HS, Carroll County Northeast HS, Bibb County Oglethorpe County HS, Oglethorpe County Rabun County HS, Rabun County Savannah School of the Arts, Chatham County Screven County HS, Screven County Southwest HS, Bibb County TEACH Charter HS, Fulton County Temple HS, Carroll County Therrell School of Health Sciences, Atlanta City Thomasville HS, Thomasville City Vidalia HS, Vidalia City Westside HS, Richmond County

AP ACCESS & SUPPORT SCHOOLS: Schools with 30% of AP test takers that are African-American or Hispanic and at least 30% of all AP exams scoring 3 or higher

AR Johnson Magnet HS, Richmond County Academy of Richmond County HS, Richmond County Baldwin HS, Baldwin County Benjamin Mays HS, Atlanta City Berkmar HS, Gwinnett County Bradwell Institute, Liberty County Campbell HS, Cobb County Cedar Shoals HS, Clarke County Cedartown HS, Polk County Central Gwinnett HS, Gwinnett County Chamblee Charter HS, DeKalb County Chapel Hill HS, Douglas County Cross Keys HS, DeKalb County Dacula HS, Gwinnett County Dalton HS, Dalton City DeKalb School of the Arts, DeKalb County Douglas County HS, Douglas County Dutchtown HS, Henry County Eagle’s Landing HS, Henry County Early County HS, Early County

Fayette County HS, Fayette County Henry Grady HS, Atlanta City Herschel Jenkins HS, Chatham County Jenkins County HS, Jenkins County John Davidson Magnet HS, Richmond County Liberty County HS, Liberty County Lithia Springs HS, Douglas County Luella HS, Henry County Marietta HS, Marietta City McEachern HS, Cobb County Phoenix HS, Gwinnett County Rockdale County HS, Rockdale County Salem HS, Rockdale County Sandy Creek HS, Fayette County Shiloh HS, Gwinnett County South Gwinnett HS, Gwinnett County Southwest DeKalb HS, DeKalb County Statesboro HS, Bulloch County Woodland HS, Henry County

AP MERIT SCHOOLS: Schools with at least 20% of students taking AP exams and at least half of the AP exams scoring a 3 or higher

Alpharetta HS, Fulton County Brookwood HS, Gwinnett County Centennial HS, Fulton County Chamblee Charter HS, DeKalb County Chattahoochee HS, Fulton County Columbus HS, Muscogee County Decatur HS, Decatur City DeKalb School of the Arts, DeKalb County Druid Hills HS, DeKalb County Duluth HS, Gwinnett County Dunwoody HS, DeKalb County George Walton HS, Cobb County Greenbrier HS, Columbia County Gwinnett School of Math, Science, and Technology, Gwinnett County Harrison HS, Cobb County John Davidson Magnet HS, Richmond County Lakeside HS, Columbia County

Lakeside HS, DeKalb County Lassiter HS, Cobb County Milton HS, Fulton County North Gwinnett HS, Gwinnett County North Oconee HS, Oconee County North Springs HS, Fulton County Northview HS, Fulton County Oconee County HS, Oconee County Parkview HS, Gwinnett County Peachtree Ridge HS, Gwinnett County Riverwood HS, Fulton County Roswell HS, Fulton County Savannah Arts Academy, Chatham County South Forsyth HS, Forsyth County Starr’s Mill HS, Fayette County West Forsyth HS, Forsyth County

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2009 Nation's Report Card in Mathematics Reveals No Change at 4th-Grade, But New High for 8th-Grade Score

/PRNewswire/ -- There has been no significant change in the performance of the nation's 4th-graders in mathematics from 2007 to 2009, a contrast to the progress seen from 1990 to 2007 at that grade level and subject, according to the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in mathematics. But the 8th-grade mathematics score on the NAEP, which is also called The Nation's Report Card, continued to improve nationwide and reached its highest level since 1990.

The Nation's Report Card: Mathematics 2009, released today, details the achievement of 4th- and 8th-graders on the NAEP, administered by the U.S. Department of Education earlier this year. The report compares national results in 2009 with each prior assessment year going back to 1990, and state results going back to 1990 at grade 8 and 1992 at grade 4.

At the state level, scores improved at 4th-grade in eight states, while four states saw decreases from 2007. At the 8th-grade, scores increased from 2007 to 2009 in 15 states, and no states showed declines. Overall, four states and the District of Columbia saw increases at both 4th- and 8th-grades.

None of the gaps in either grade narrowed from 2007 to 2009. The gaps between Black and White students and between private and public school students narrowed from 1990 to 2009 for 4th-graders and remained unchanged for 8th-graders.

"While the scores for 8th-graders in math continue to be encouraging, the failure of our 4th-graders to make progress nationally is a cause for concern," said David P. Driscoll, chair of the National Assessment Governing Board, which sets policy for NAEP. "With a lack of progress at 4th-grade and large achievement gaps that are relatively unchanged, we need to re-examine our efforts to improve student achievement in math."

While average scores for 4th-graders in all racial/ethnic groups reported in NAEP did not change significantly since 2007, they were higher than in 1990 for those groups with reportable results. Scores for 8th-graders were higher in 2009 than in both 2007 and 1990 for all racial/ethnic groups except American Indian/Alaska Native students, who showed no significant change since 2007.

The trends at different achievement levels mirrored the overall trends in scores. For example, the percentages of 4th-graders performing at or above Basic (82 percent) and at or above Proficient (39 percent) in 2009 were the same as those in 2007 but still higher than they were from 1990 to 2005. Improvements in national 8th-grade scores since 2007 and all previous assessment years were consistent with increases in the percentages of 8th-graders performing at or above Basic (73 percent) and at or above Proficient (34 percent) in 2009.

Results across NAEP performance levels were also consistent with national trends. In grade 4, there were no significant changes in scores from 2007 to 2009 for lower-performing students (at the 10th and 25th percentiles), middle-performing students (at the 50th percentile), or higher-performing students (at the 75th and 90th percentiles). The scores at grade 8 improved at all performance levels, except for the lowest-performing students (10th percentile) who saw no significant change since 2007.

Male students continue to score two points higher than female students in mathematics at both grades 4 and 8. The gaps have not widened, however, since 2007.

The 2009 NAEP assessment in mathematics was administered by the National Center for Education Statistics of the U.S. Department of Education to a nationally representative sample of 168,800 4th-grade and 161,700 8th-grade public and private school students. Results for representative samples of public school students only are also reported for each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Department of Defense schools.

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U.S. News Media Group Names 2009 America's Best High Schools

Congratulations to Davidson Magnet School in Augusta, GA with its number 89 ranking in the nation!

Congratulations to these Georgia schools for making the list as well.

Appling County High School (Appling County)
Bowdon High School (Carroll County)
Calhoun High School (Gordon County)
Clinch County High School (Clinch County)
Columbus High School (Muscogee County)
Davidson Magnet School (Richmond County)
East Hall High School (Hall County)
Elberta Open Campus High School (Houston County)
Etowah High School (Cherokee County)
Gainesville High School (Hall County)
Greene County High School (Greene County)
Johnson Magnet (Richmond County)
Long County High School (Long County)
Margaret Harris High School (Dekalb County)
Mitchell-Baker High School (Mitchell County)
Peach County High School (Peach County)
Pierce County High School (Pierce County)
Rome High School (Floyd County)
Savannah Arts Academy (Chatham County)
Schley Middle High School (Schley County)
Seminole County Middle/High School (Seminole County)
Southside High School (Fulton County)
Telfair County High School (Telfair County)
Ware Magnet School (Ware County)
Washington-Wilkes High School (Wilkes County)
Woody Gap High/Elementary School (Union County)

/PRNewswire/ -- U.S. News Media Group today released its second annual survey of America's Best High Schools, available online at www.usnews.com/highschools and on newsstands December 8, 2008. Based on an in-depth methodology by School Evaluation Services (www.schoolmatters.com), the list recognizes more than 1,900 schools in 48 states*, up from the 1,600 schools in 40 states recognized by U.S. News in 2007. The high schools listed fall into one of four categories of distinction: Gold, Silver, Bronze, or Honorable Mention.

This year's ranking criteria include increased measures of college readiness, and the 2009 list demonstrated an 11-percent increase in the number of top-performing schools (Gold and Silver medal). This increase shows that a greater number of schools are providing students with access to college-level coursework and, more importantly, that these same students are demonstrating mastery of the coursework, which will benefit their work towards higher education.

"In just its second year, America's Best High Schools has proven to be a trusted source for educators, students, and especially parents making important decisions about their children's educational future," said Brian Kelly, editor, U.S.News & World Report. "Not only do our rankings highlight schools succeeding at the highest national level, but the Best High School package also allows communities and states to compare schools at a local level and measure why some are doing so well. This is the most comprehensive and inclusive information on hundreds of high schools nationwide."

Kelly noted the significant increase in the number of states providing information for the rankings and U.S. News' role in fostering transparency among America's most important institutions, saying, "Just as U.S. News has increased transparency in the health sector through its rankings of hospitals and health plans, and in the higher education sector through its rankings of colleges and graduate schools, its participation in the evaluation of America's high schools are helping to shine a light on how these schools prepare our children for college, and for life."

Since the release of the 2008 high school rankings, U.S. News and School Evaluation Services have developed the methodology to include the International Baccalaureate program as a measure of college readiness. In addition, an honorable mention distinction has been added to recognize schools that were able to achieve high levels of college readiness but only partially met state test performance criteria.

A high school is recognized as a top school if it:
1. Attains performance levels that exceed statistical expectations given
the school's student body, as measured by state accountability test
scores for all the school's students in the core subjects of reading
and math;
2. Achieves proficiency rates on state tests for their least advantaged
student groups that exceed state averages; and
3. Prepares its students for college, as measured by student participation
in and performance on Advanced Placement (AP) and/or International
Baccalaureate (IB) exams.



The 100 top-performing high schools were given a distinction of "Gold" and are listed numerically. The remaining 504 schools meeting all three criteria have been designated "Silver" high schools.

Additionally, 1,321 high schools were identified as "Bronze" schools for their performance on state tests. These Bronze high schools met the first two criteria of this methodology but did not meet the college-readiness criteria based on AP or IB exams. While AP and IB are by far the most widely used college-level programs in the country, there are schools that focus on providing students with access to alternative college-level programs.

Finally, 17 schools received honorable mentions. As previously described, the "honorable mention" distinction recognizes schools that were able to achieve high levels of college readiness but only partially met state test performance criteria.

Using this methodology, more than 21,000 high schools were analyzed for inclusion in the 2009 edition. Highlights of analytical findings include:

-- 604 high schools met all three of the demanding top schools criteria
(Gold and Silver categories)
-- Nearly 10 percent of top schools have minority populations of 75
percent or greater
-- Five percent of the top schools are charter schools
-- More than 75 percent of the top schools have open admissions
-- 20 percent of the top schools are located in large cities (populations
of 250,000 or more)

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