Memorandum from Mary Kay Murphy
Mary Kay Murphy, Ph.D. District 3  School Board Member marykaymurphy@aol.com

August 9, 2006

Closing the Achievement Gap

   “Closing the Achievement Gap” is a goal in and of itself in the Gwinnett County School System, as well as throughout our nation. 

   This phrase has meaning for one student—and for groups of students. 

   For one student, teachers and parents work with the student to make sure that he or she performs at full learning potential throughout the span of the student’s educational career.

   For groups of students, “Closing the Achievement Gap” reflects the goal of the school system to bring all students, in whichever groups they are designated, to their full learning potential--regardless of the racial, economic, geographic, or learning groups of which they are members.

   For more than ten years, the Gwinnett County Board of Education and the Superintendent have worked as a team to develop strategies so that all students—and all schools—in the system are committed to “Closing the Achievement Gap.”

   As a school system, we have made great advances toward this goal. Recently, our School Board and Superintendent participated in the first session of a two-year program where the focus is on “Closing the Achievement Gap.” 

   Because of our decade-long work toward this goal, including the Academic Knowledge and Skills Curriculum, the Gateway Assessments, and the Results Based Evaluation System for each school in the system, Gwinnett County has made strong progress in closing the achievement gap among groups of students.

   Using the 2005 Georgia Criterion-Referenced Competency Test and High School Graduation Test to generate scores for comparison, the percent of student by racial identity proficient in reading in Gwinnett County Public Schools was as follows: 1) Fourth Grade – white student, 96%; black students, 89%, Hispanic students, 79%; 2) Eighth Grade – white students, 94%, black students 85%, Hispanic students, 71%; and 3) Eleventh Grade – white students, 98%, black students, 94%, and Hispanic students, 84%. 

   Again, using the 2005 tests for comparison, the percent of students by income levels proficient in reading was as follows: 1) Fourth Grade – low income, 86%, not low income, 92%; 2) Eighth Grade – low income, 79%, not low income, 91%; and 3) Eleventh Grade – low income, 91%, and not low-income, 97%.

   As these results attest, we have come a long way toward “Closing the Achievement Gap” for all students in Gwinnett County Public Schools. However, our work is not complete. With the 2006-07 school year, the faculty, staff, students, administrators, and parents of the more than 150,000 students in our school system are already hard at work with a commitment to continue until each student and each group of students has met full potential in learning and achievement.

   District III produced some outstanding achievements in “Closing the Achievement Gap” during the 2005-06 school year. 

   Congratulations to Principal Pat Blenke and the faculty and staff of Duluth High School for moving the school off the “Needs Improvement” list for the “No Child Left Behind” Adequate Yearly Progress program. This two year effort represents an outstanding achievement for all involved at Duluth High School. This is a significant team victory.

   Congratulations also to Principal Esther Adamas-Jiminez of Beaver Ridge Elementary School and her outstanding faculty and staff. Their achievements resulted in the school’s being removed from the “Needs Improvement” list and for all students and groups achieving required scores to meet Adequate Yearly Progress.

   Congratulations also to Principal Nancy Martin and her faculty and staff at Pinckneyville Middle School for moving the school off the “Needs Improvement” list and for all students and groups making “Adequate Yearly Progress.”

   Other schools in District III made outstanding progress, even though not all sub-groups of students achieved the required scores. We salute the work of the principals, faculty, staff, and parents of the schools in our area who continue their quest to meet “Adequate Yearly Progress.” 

   We appreciate the steps that you are taking each year to learn from the previous year’s experiences. We know the journey is not made of a one-year effort but of a commitment to reach the goal of “Closing the Achievement Gap’ and sustaining gains in student achievement.

   As the 2006-07 school year progresses, we look forward to tracking the progress of all schools in District III toward the goal of “Closing the Achievement Gap.” 

   As the District III School Board member, I pledge my support of the efforts of our outstanding educational leaders and committed parents and community members to making sure that all children learn to their full potential during their career in the Gwinnett County Public School System. 

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