K-12 Common Core State Standards Released March 10

he National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers March 10 released the first public draft of the K-12 standards as part of the Common Core State Standards Initiative, co-chaired by Governor Sonny Perdue.  The standards provide a consistent framework to prepare students for college and the workforce.

“Common education standards and assessments aligned to those standards are in the best interest of both Georgia and the nation,” said Governor Perdue.  “They will allow for an authentic, credible scoreboard that tells us how we are doing compared to students in other states.”

The standards define the knowledge and skills students should have within their K-12 education careers so that upon graduating high school they will be able to succeed in entry-level, credit-bearing academic college courses and in workforce training programs. The standards are:

Aligned with college and work expectations;
Clear, understandable and consistent;
Rigorous content and application of knowledge through high-order skills;
Built upon strengths and lessons of current state standards;
Informed by other top performing countries, so that all students are prepared to succeed in our global economy and society; and
Evidence- and research-based.


“Georgia has developed rigorous standards that are as good as any in the nation,” said State School Superintendent Kathy Cox.  “The Common Core will allow us to accurately compare our students’ achievement with our neighboring states.”

Currently every state operates with different standards making it impossible to accurately compare data nationally or internationally.  The Common Core State Standards is a state-led initiative that reflects the knowledge and skills students need to be successful in college and in the global economy.  Governors and state commissioners of education from 48 states, 2 territories and the District of Columbia have committed to helping develop these standards. 

Parents, teachers, students and the public will have clear expectations for their state’s education program when the standards are adopted. They will be able to accurately compare progress nationally and internationally.  It will also allow textbooks, digital media, and curricula to be aligned with internationally benchmarked standards.  States may choose to include additional standards beyond the common core as long as the common core represents at least 85 percent of the state’s standards in English-language arts and mathematics.

 “In the 21st century, Georgia is competing on a national and international stage,” said State School Board Chair Wanda Barrs.  “It only makes sense that all states have common standards to strive for and compare themselves against.”

More information can be found at www.corestandards.org.

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Statement of Governor Sonny Perdue Regarding the Release of this Year's Graduation Rate

Governor Sonny Perdue issued the following statement October 1 regarding the release of this year’s final graduation rate, which is up to 78.9 percent:

“During my first year in office in 2003, our graduation rate stood at just over 63 percent. Since then, our efforts have been focused on helping students finish high school. We created the innovative graduation coach program which identifies at-risk students and creates individualized completion plans. Our Work Ready initiative engages local communities by requiring improvement in the graduation rate in order to qualify as a Certified Work Ready Community. As a result, local leaders and businesses are getting more involved in their schools, ensuring their hometown has an educated, talented workforce. Thanks to the hard work of our teachers, graduation coaches, principals and community leaders, we have seen tremendous improvement in the graduation rate of more than 15 percent in just six years. We are now on the cusp of achieving a benchmark goal of an 80 percent graduation rate by next year, and with another year of hard work and dedication I know we can achieve what some believed was impossible.”

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Governor Perdue Signs Student Health and Physical Education Act

Governor Sonny Perdue yesterday signed into law HB 229, the Student Health and Physical Education Act. He signed the bill at Glen Haven Elementary School in Decatur. The Governor was joined by Atlanta Falcons players Matt Ryan, Erik Coleman and Brian Finneran and the Atlanta Dream’s Chantelle Anderson.

“A big part of getting better in anything – a class, your personal fitness, a sport – is knowing how you measure up and what you need to improve on,” said Governor Sonny Perdue. “This legislation will help students live healthier lives.”

With the signing of HB 229 students in a physical education course will receive an annual fitness assessment. Beginning in 2012, each year the State Board of Education will submit a report to the Governor detailing the compliance of each school system and school.

“Instilling the importance of physical fitness at a young age will improve the quality of life for children for years to come,” said Brooks Coleman, House Education Chairman. “This important piece of legislation will encourage all parents, students, and educators to take a serious look at health education being taught in their school systems.”

"The American Heart Association is very pleased that Governor Perdue and the majority of the state legislature are willing to address the alarming problem of childhood obesity in Georgia,” said Bill Burns, Georgia Advocacy Director for the American Heart Association. “We applaud the enactment of this important legislation. It’s an excellent first step towards allowing the Department of Education to make informed policy and curricula decisions when it comes to our children's physical well-being."

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Governor Signs Bill to Help Recruit More Math, Science Teachers

Governor Sonny Perdue yesterday signed House Bill 280, which will start new fully-certified math and science teachers at the same salary as a fifth year teacher.

“Just as Georgia businesses increase incentives to fill critical positions, we now have the same ability,” said Governor Perdue. “Last year, Georgia produced only one physics teacher. This legislation will help us address the shortage of math and science teachers in the state.”

The legislation was introduced by House Education Committee Chairman Rep. Brooks Coleman and carried in the Senate by Education and Youth Committee Chairman Sen. Dan Weber. The Governor was joined at the bill signing by the Georgia robotics teams that participated at the FIRST Championship that was held in Atlanta last weekend.

In the 2007-2008 school year Georgia produced 2,000 early childhood teachers, but only one physics teacher, nine chemistry teachers and 140 math teachers.

The Governor’s proposal was based on recommendations by the Alliance of Education Agency Head’s Math and Science Task Force. Under the legislation, math and science teachers with less than five years experience will be brought up to the fifth year pay level. To encourage elementary teachers to increase their competency in math and science, the Governor’s proposal also provides a $1,000 annual bonus to elementary teachers who hold a math or science endorsement.

The incentives will be available for the 2010-11 school year, which will begin in the Fiscal Year 2011 state budget.

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State of Georgia Approves First IE2 Contract

Yesterday, the State Board of Education (SBOE) approved a five-year contract with Gwinnett County Public Schools that grants the school district greater flexibility in exchange for increased accountability. The contract was made possible by Governor Sonny Perdue’s Investing in Educational Excellence (IE2) legislation, which was passed and signed into law last year. IE2 allows for balanced local control, allowing officials closest to the students to make important decisions concerning their schools. Gwinnett, which educates 10 percent of the state’s students, is the first school system to accept the challenge of linking accountability with increased flexibility.

“I commend Superintendent Wilbanks and the Gwinnett County Board of Education for their willingness and courage to be held to a higher standard,” said Governor Perdue. “This contract fundamentally shifts the state-local relationship from being based on compliance to a true partnership focused on performance. IE2 is about increasing student achievement, and I am confident that Gwinnett will use its flexibility to deliver superior results and be a model district for the state.”

Under IE2 local school districts work with the Georgia Department of Education and the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement to create a strategic plan that clearly identifies the flexibility sought from Georgia education laws, the accountability goals in addition to federal NCLB requirements the district is willing to accept at the school level in exchange for the flexibility, and the consequences that will be imposed upon the district for schools that do not reach their accountability goals.

The Governor’s Office of Student Achievement will monitor Gwinnett County’s progress towards meeting annual goals and will report these findings to the SBOE each fall. In addition, Gwinnett will provide interventions and sanctions throughout the contract period to those schools that do not meet their annual IE2 accountability goals. Those schools that do not meet their IE2 accountability goals by the end of the contract period will be converted to charter schools.

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Five Georgia High Schools Win Governor's Cup

Governor Sonny Perdue and State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox honored five Georgia high schools today with Governor’s Cup trophies for improvement in SAT scores. Governor Perdue initiated the statewide competition in 2003 as part of an overall effort to raise Georgia's SAT scores.

"In any competition – athletic or academic – how you prepare is how you’ll play. Georgia's students are working harder than ever to perform well on the SAT,” said Governor Sonny Perdue. "I know that dedicated teachers, involved parents and hard-working students all worked together on this outstanding achievement. I’m pleased to recognize their collective success and present these schools with the Governor’s Cup trophies."

Each of the five high schools that won their respective classes was awarded a Governor's Cup trophy and a $2,000 grant towards SAT preparation resources. Juniors and seniors at the winning schools also received T-shirts. The Governor's Cup challenge is based on high school athletic regions and classifications previously assigned by the Georgia High School Association. The winning schools are:

Towns County High School Towns County A

Model High School Floyd County AA

Crisp County High School Crisp County AAA

Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School Catoosa County AAAA

Savannah Arts Academy Chatham County AAAAA

"This type of improvement on the SAT comes from focusing on the importance of reading, writing and analytical thinking across all areas of the curriculum," said Superintendent Cox. "Our Governor's Cup winners are showing the entire state what happens when you combine hard work and high expectations. Congratulations to all of the students and educators in these winning schools."

A regional champion trophy and a $1,000 grant were also awarded to 32 high schools with the largest numerical improvement in SAT scores in their region. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. is a partner in the Governor’s Cup, providing all prizes to the winning schools.

The Governor's Cup challenge is a part of Governor Perdue's efforts to improve students' performance on the SAT and their potential for success in post-secondary education. Along with the Governor's Cup challenge, Governor Perdue also launched gacollege411.org, an online resource providing post-secondary education planning materials to students statewide.

Governor Perdue and Superintendent Cox have also made free online SAT prep classes available to all high school students. In 2006-2007, nearly 40 percent of Georgia's high school students from private, public and home school programs used the SAT prep class.

Governor Perdue has placed graduation coaches in Georgia's middle and high schools to identify students who otherwise might not graduate and help them back on the path towards a diploma.

Governor Perdue and Superintendent Kathy Cox also announced the 2008 top score winners. The following schools demonstrated the highest SAT scores in their GHSA class over a 3 year period:

Trion City Trion High School A

Decatur City Decatur High School AA

Richmond Davidson Magnet School AAA

Fayette McIntosh High School AAAA

Cobb Walton High School AAAAA

The following schools represent the Governor’s Cup regional winners: Alpharetta High School, Banneker High School, Brooks County High School, Burke County High School, Callaway High School, Campbell High School, Central High School, Chestatee High School, Clinch County High School, Colquitt County High School, Dawson County High School, Decatur High School, Douglass High School, Forsyth Central High School, Gordon Lee High School, Lakeside High School, Lincoln County High School, Long County School, Madison County High School, Mary Persons High School, Mays High School, McNair High School, Metter High School, Newnan High School, Oconee County High School, Parkview High School, Schley Middle High School, Sequoyah High School, Spencer High School, Treutlen Middle/High School, Upson-Lee High School, Vidalia Comprehensive High School.

For more information on the Governor’s Cup, visit www.satrocks.com.

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Governor Perdue, Georgia Lottery Officials Announce Milestone Achievement

Today (July 15, 2008) Governor Sonny Perdue joined Georgia Lottery Corporation President and CEO Margaret DeFrancisco at Georgia Lottery headquarters to announce that it has transferred a total of $10 billion for education to the state of Georgia since the lottery’s inception in 1993.

“Today, we mark $10 billion in total that the Georgia Lottery has contributed to education in Georgia since it was launched in 1993,” said Governor Sonny Perdue. “In those fifteen years, we’ve seen record payouts, record ticket sales and, now, this staggering contribution to the future of Georgia’s children and our state as a whole.”

The Georgia Lottery has experienced extraordinary success as one of only two traditional lotteries in the nation to experience 10 consecutive years of growth in profits.

“The Georgia Lottery Corporation has a success formula that works and delivers results for Georgia’s students and families,” DeFrancisco said. “Lottery-funded HOPE Scholarships and Pre-K Programs have made a fundamental difference in the lives of so many Georgians. The transfer of our $10 billionth dollar to education is a tremendous accomplishment that we can all celebrate.”

DeFrancisco presented Governor Perdue with an oversized check for $10 billion made payable to “Georgia Students” during today’s ceremony.

The Georgia Lottery’s fiscal year 2008 profits transferred to the State Treasury’s Lottery for Education Account amount to $858,355,000, surpassing last year’s record transfer by more than $4.8 million.

Georgia Lottery sales for fiscal year 2008, which spanned from July 1, 2007 to June, 30, 2008, totaled $3,519,341,000 – the highest in the lottery’s 15-year history and more than $97.6 million ahead of the previous sales record of $3.42 billion in fiscal year 2007.

The mission of the Georgia Lottery Corporation is to raise revenue for education in Georgia. Since its first year, the Georgia Lottery Corporation has returned over $10.1 billion to the state of Georgia for education. All Georgia Lottery profits go to pay for specific educational programs including Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship Program and Georgia’s Prekindergarten Program. More than 1 million students have received HOPE, and more than 860,000 4-year-olds have attended the statewide, voluntary prekindergarten program.

Governor Perdue Appoints Working Group to Study Education Policies and Practices to Make Georgia More Globally Competitive

Governor Sonny Perdue today announced the appointment of a working group tasked with investigating innovative ways to create long-term, comprehensive education reform to make Georgia more globally competitive. This working group, chaired by Dr. Charles Knapp and Dean Alford, will build off the work of the Investing in Educational Excellence (IE2) Task Force and review a provocative national report called Tough Choices or Tough Times to determine how Georgia might reform its education policies and practices to cause needed change for its educational system.

“I believe the experts serving on this group fully understand the urgency of the challenges we face in education in Georgia,” said Governor Perdue. “I am confident that they will create a blueprint for change that will facilitate higher achievement, thereby increasing Georgia’s economic competitiveness through our most valuable resource – our children.”

The working group will meet for the first time on July 17, 2008 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Empire Room of the West Twin Tower in Atlanta to focus specifically on several areas of education policy reform:

· Moving students to postsecondary-level work as soon as they demonstrate the necessary ability;
· Enhancing the quality of preschool education opportunities;
· Improving P-12 teacher quality;
· Creating high performance school systems (in collaboration with the State Board of Education);
· Improving the academic performance of underachieving students;
· Further enhancing and supporting a world-class P-12 curriculum; and
· Ensuring the efficient use of the financial resources Georgia devotes to education.

Governor Perdue has charged the group to identify the policy changes that should be put into place quickly in order to make Georgia’s educational system more competitive in the next 15 years. He has asked them to work swiftly and submit recommendations to him in time for consideration for possible legislation in the 2009 session of the General Assembly.
Those chosen to serve on this working group include:

·Dr. Charles Knapp – (Co-Chair), Chair of the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce (which produced the Tough Choices or Tough Times report), President Emeritus of UGA, and Chairman of the East Lake Foundation
· Dean Alford – (Co-Chair), Chair of the IE2 task force, former state legislator, former State Board of Education member, current member of the Technical College System of Georgia Board, businessman
· Julia Bernath – Board Member, Fulton County Schools
· Veronica Biggins – Senior Partner , HNCL Executive and Board Search Firm
· Dr. Michael Bull – Superintendent, Glynn County Schools
· Representative Brooks Coleman – Chair, Georgia House Education Committee
· Tim Connell – President, Georgia Student Finance Commission
· Kathy Cox – State Superintendent of Schools
· Stephanie Laverne Haynes - Master Teacher/Academic Coach, Clifton Ridge Middle School, Jones County
· Kelly Henson – Executive Secretary, Georgia Professional Standards Commission
· Dr. Susan Herbst – Executive Vice-Chancellor, University System of Georgia
· Molly Howard - Principal, Jefferson County High School, 2007 National School Principal of the Year
· Ron Jackson – Commissioner, Technical College System of Georgia
· Representative Jan Jones – Chair, Georgia House Education Appropriations Sub-Committee
· Senator Dan Moody – Chair, Georgia Senate Education Appropriations Sub-Committee
· Jose Perez – State Board of Education member
· Jennifer Rippner Buck – Executive Director, Governor’s Office of Student Achievement
· Dr. Holly Robinson - Commissioner, Bright From the Start – Department of Early Care and Learning
· Dr. Ben Scafidi – Associate Professor of Economics, Georgia College and State University
· Ed Smith – Superintendent, Troup County Schools
· Carl Swearingen – Chair of the Technical College System of Georgia Board, businessman
· Senator Dan Weber – Chair, Georgia Senate Education Committee
· Alvin Wilbanks – Superintendent, Gwinnett County Schools

Governor Perdue Announces 57 New Master Teachers in Georgia

Governor Sonny Perdue today announced the names of 57 new teachers who have earned the “Master Teacher” certification designation based on appreciable gains they’ve facilitated in their students’ achievement.

“These 54 teachers join the nearly 300 Master Teachers before them who have clearly demonstrated their expertise in helping our children achieve at higher levels,” said Governor Perdue. “They are masters at inspiring students to learn, and I’m proud to recognize them for their outstanding work in one of our most honorable professions.”

Georgia’s Master Teacher Certification Program was championed by Governor Perdue during the 2005 legislation session and is coordinated by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (PSC). It provides statewide recognition to certified public school teachers in Georgia who have at least three years of teaching experience and who consistently demonstrate instructional excellence through their students’ achievement.

Master Teacher certification qualifies teachers to earn a stipend for mentoring new teachers or serving as Academic Coaches who use instructional release time to promote effective professional development practices among colleagues and make recommendations to improve schools and student learning. In addition, Master Teachers are eligible to automatically renew their teaching certificates as long as they continue to qualify for Master Teacher status.

“The Georgia Professional Standards Commission is proud to administer this important certification program,” said Kelly Henson, Executive Secretary of the PSC. “We extend our heartiest congratulations to these teachers for this well-earned recognition.”

For more information on the Master Teacher program, please visit http://www.gamasterteachers.org or send an email to MasterTeachers@gapsc.com.
Below are the names of those teachers who have earned the “Master Teacher” Certification in 2008:

Atlanta Public Schools Pamela Renee Andrews
Atlanta Public Schools Adella Lenore Dixon
Atlanta Public Schools LaTrenda Shanane Willis
Baldwin County Donna B. Kirby
Berrien County Staci Rentz Jernigan
Bibb County Kristy French Graham
Candler County Monicca M. Bohannon
Cherokee County Deborah Lynn Kelly
Clarke County Summer Elizabeth Tuggle
Clayton County Linda F. Kight
Cobb County Susan Elaine Blackwell
Cobb County Dora Phillips Brown
Coffee County Angela Rigdon Anderson
Columbia County Sandra Kay Thompson
Cook County Marian Sabrina Lindsey
DeKalb County Leisa Taylor Berry
DeKalb County Jisu Song
Dodge County Angela Lynn Peacock
Effingham County Margaret Nicole Davis
Effingham County Teshewanda B. Shuman
Fulton County Danielle Ruth Arnold
Glynn County Yondla Kanae Clark
Glynn County Oatanisha Renee Dawson
Glynn County Brentsie Bobo Walker
Gwinnett County Sonjyia Faye Bryant
Gwinnett County Denise Trosky Buckelew
Gwinnett County Tamara Nicole Candis
Gwinnett County Melinda Nicholson Lewis
Gwinnett County William B. Lewis
Gwinnett County Kim Michelle White
Hall County Lela H. Whelchel
Henry County Anthony D. DiSario
Henry County Michelle Leigh Platson
Jefferson County Jeffrey C. Dent
Jones County Angela Carnes Bailey
Lamar County Tami Tyre Barnes
Lumpkin County Sabrina Grizzle
Lumpkin County Patricia Richmond
Lumpkin County Rita S. Truelove
McDuffie County Felicia R. Cullars
McDuffie County Sharon N. Turman
Muscogee County Staci Nicole Allen
Muscogee County Nakia Hunter Farley
Muscogee County Tanya Lawrence Kearse
Newton County Lynn House
Newton County Leamon Carroll Jourdan
Newton County Shundreia N. Neely
Newton County Jeanne Roxanne Rachels
Newton County Stephanie Demitra Tyler
Pierce County Martha Joi McCarthy
Pierce County John Ratliff
Polk County Cristi M. Gober
Polk County Dale Loyd Tuck
Putnam County Holly M. Parker
Thomaston-Upson County Jodie S. Day
Thomasville City Catherine M. Briggs
Walker County Chastity Leann Steadman