Memorandum from Mary Kay Murphy
Mary Kay Murphy, Ph.D. District 3  School Board Member and 2004 Chairman of the Board

May 17, 2004

   For two years, the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce has convened interested business and community leaders to identify School Board members and Superintendents that have worked together to improve student academic achievement. The Metro Atlanta Chamber identified Gwinnett County as an example of effective School Board-Superintendent cooperation. 

   As 2004 Chairman of the Gwinnett County Board of Education, I recently participated in a program with key business and education leaders convened by the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce to discuss why effective school board governance is important and why it has impact on student achievement.

   In addressing the group of approximately 150 Chamber members, I reported on the steps that the Superintendent and our five-member Board have taken together over the last eight years to build a system of world class schools focused on teaching and learning. 

   I told the Chamber members how important it is to have a community that values public education. I told them about you-the citizens who know fact from fiction regarding student achievement, safe and secure schools, and student discipline. 

   I told them how strong your vision and leadership have been in supporting taxes to build schools such as the $25 million Norcross High School and the most recent $13 million addition to Duluth High School, the $12 million Duluth Middle School, and the $6 million Chesney Elementary School.

   I told them of your vital role as members of School Councils. I told them how you participate in satisfaction surveys related to the Results Based Evaluation System at each school, and how many of you serve on the Superintendent's Council of Community Advisors and the GEMS Oversight Committee.

   I told them how you participate in our outstanding Parent Teacher Association programs in each of the schools in District III, including the Norcross Cluster, the Duluth Cluster, and two schools in the Peachtree Ridge Cluster-as well as in all of the 97 public schools in Gwinnett County.

   I shared with them the specific steps that we have taken since 1997 to improve student achievement, including the following: 

   Vision. I shared the vision of our community dating back to 1996 when the Superintendent and the Board proposed the focus on teaching and learning in a system of world class schools. 

   Standards. Then I reported our move in 1997 to develop a standards-based curriculum known as the Academic Knowledge and Skills curriculum. This commitment spelled the end to the practice of social promotion of students from one grade to the next.

   Assessment. I spoke of our next step-involving our community in developing the AKS curriculum and the methods to measure student achievement. I also spoke of our commitment to staff development for our teachers to implement the curriculum.

   Accountability. Then I recounted our 1999 pilot testing of our Gateway assessments at grade 4, grade 7, and grade 10 that included an appeal process so that a single test would not determine promotion to the next grade level. 

   Climate. I reported on our Superintendent's and our Board's commitment to a climate of community involvement and continuous improvement as we continued to focus on a viable and challenging curriculum. 

   Collaborative Partnerships. In addition, I spoke of the importance of key leaders in this initiative to impact student achievement and a wide range of community groups with whom we partner.

   Continuous Improvement. I spoke of the vital role of communications with our many constituencies in Gwinnett County ranging from five Area Board Meetings to listen to our communities to the School System's new electronic newsletter broadcast monthly. This online publication, as well as the Results Based Evaluation System report for individual schools in the system, can be accessed at www.gwinnett.k12.us.ga. 

   For over eight years, the Superintendent and the School Board have worked together to develop a unified vision of teaching and learning in a system of world class schools. We believe that effective governance has a direct impact on student achievement.

   Since 1997 when we began our program to impact student achievement, enrollment has climbed from 87,000 to 130,000 students. Test results in 2003 support our view that students continue to meet high academic expectations. 

  · Gwinnett's SAT average of 1036 was the system's highest, with 88% of
seniors taking the exam.

  · Compared to their peers in Georgia, a higher percentage of grade 4, 6, and
8 students met or exceeded state performance standards on all sections of the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT).

  · Elementary and middle school passing rates on the 2003 Gateway remained high, even with higher minimum passing scores.

  · On the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS), Gwinnett students performed 
much better than the national average. Additionally, students tested above expected grade equivalents in all grades and on all subtests.

  · GCPS students took more than 6,500 Advanced Placement Exams in 2003, with 64 percent of test-takers scoring a 3 or higher. Many colleges offer course credit for a score of 3 or higher.

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