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

February 15, 2005

Results Based Evaluation System

   I am pleased to be asked to report to the members of the United Peachtree Corners Civic Association at its March 2005 meeting about the status of public schools in District III, including all in the Norcross Cluster, all in the Duluth Cluster, and Dr. Miles H. Mason Elementary School and Richard Hull Middle School in the Peachtree Ridge Cluster.

   To make a comprehensive report to our community about the Gwinnett County Public Schools in District III, I refer residents to the home page of the school system's web site. Search in the "Publications" Section under "School Accountability Reports" on the home page.

   In that section, you will locate a specific report for each of the 106 public schools in Gwinnett County under the heading of "Results Based Evaluation System." RBES, as the evaluation report is known, fairly and systematically measures a school's progress, providing a process that communicates expectations, reviews, monitors, and supports a school performance, and evaluates that performance.

   As schools evaluate performance, it is important that the results are shared with community members. This helps members of the school community better understand how its schools are doing in meeting system-wide, local school, and customer expectations.

   The accountability reports posted on the school system's web site provide consolidated information on a school's effectiveness based on multiple measures and student characteristics. In addition to information on test results, you will find information from the school about its results and programs in place to help students achieve academically. Also included are key results from the local school plan for improvement, school highlights, and student and staff data.

   The Gwinnett County School System seeks community input on your school's Accountability Report. Just call 678-377-8901 and enter questionnaire number 2275. When asked, enter your school code (listed on the first page of each school's Accountability Report.

   Gwinnett County Public Schools focus on making decisions based on student and staff data. School leaders for each individual school collaborated on the highlights included in the Accountability Report, which also serves as the School's Annual Report. 

   Also included in each Elementary School Accountability Report are key results on Local School Plan for Improvement (LSPI). In addition, data are provided on 2003-04 results on the following student measures: Grade 4 Gateway; Grades 3 and 5 Iowa Tests of Basic Skills; Grade 5 Georgia Writing Test/Gateway Assessment; Criterion-References Competency Tests and Adequate Yearly Progress. In addition, highlights are presented on the 2003-04 academic year, as well as Teacher and Student Data, and School Safety Perceptions.

   For each Middle School Accountability Report, the following key results are provided on the Local School Plan for Improvement (LSPI). These include the 2002-03 Grade 7 Gateway Assessment Results, the Grade 8 Georgia Writing Assessment/Gateway Assessment; the Grade 6 and 8 Criterion-Referenced Competency Test Results; as well as Teacher and Student Data and Safe School Data.

   Each High School Accountability Report includes the following results related to the Local School Plan for Improvement (LSPI): 2002-03 College Scholarship Report on graduating students who plan to attend college or post-secondary school; 2002 -03 SAT I Scores; 2002-03 Advanced Placement (AP) Exam Results; the 2002-03 Georgia High School Graduation Tests in English/Language Arts and Math; the 2002-03 Gateway Assessment Results in Science, Social Studies, Science/Language Arts, and Social Studies/Language Arts. Also included are key results from each High School's 2002-03 Local School Plan for Improvement; Student and Teacher Data; and 2002-03 Safe School Data.

   The Gwinnett County Board of Education believes strongly in using data to drive decisions related to student achievement and school performance. Having the benefit of system-wide and local school data to evaluate performance provides for discrete analysis of student performance not possible without technology hardware and software.

   As District III School Board member, I invite all residents of the Norcross Cluster Schools, including Beaver Ridge Elementary School, Norcross Elementary School, Norcross High School, Peachtree Elementary School, Pinckneyville Middle School, Simpson Elementary School, Summerour Middle School, and Susan Stripling Elementary School to read and carefully analyze the RBES reports from each of these schools.

   Also, I invite residents of the Duluth Cluster to read and evaluate the RBES reports on Berkeley Lake Elementary School, B.B. Harris Elementary School, Chattahoochee Elementary School, Duluth High School, and Duluth Middle School. 

   Residents of Peachtree Ridge Cluster will benefit from reading and analyzing the RBES reports on the two District III Schools in that cluster-Dr. Miles H. Mason Elementary School and Richard Hull Middle School.

   It is a pleasure to share information of this depth and significance with community members in District III. If you have questions or need additional information about this important measurement tool of student achievement and school performance, please contact your local school principal or please contact me. I will be pleased to review the information with you.

021705

Archive