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

September 9, 2007

Community Focus: Our Schools – Our Future

   At its annual Back to School Program held at the Simpsonwood Retreat Center, the United Peachtree Corners Civic Association spotlighted five schools in the Norcross and Duluth Clusters. The focus of the program was “Our Schools – Our Future.”

   For residents of Peachtree Corners, Norcross, Duluth, and Berkeley Lake, the program held particular importance. The evening provided an opportunity for the principals of Norcross High School, Pinckneyville Middle School, Peachtree Elementary School, Simpson Elementary School, and Berkeley Lake Elementary School to highlight achievements of their students, faculty, staff, and parents.

   The annual program reminded our community of public education’s role in a democracy. The theme, “Our Schools – Our Future.” served as a lynchpin in the evening’s discussion of the essential goal of educating all students to their full potential.

   Representatives of neighborhood organizations that hold membership in the United Peachtree Corners Civic Association heard one principal after another report that the Gwinnett County School System has never been larger, never more diverse, and that student scores have never been higher.

   In advance of the UPCCA program, the Gwinnett County School system released SAT scores and ACT scores for the Class of 2007, only the second class to take the new version of the SAT, which features a writing section.

   Gwinnet test-takers topped Georgia averages on all sections of the SAT (critical reading, math, and writing) and topped the nation in critical reading and math scores.

   In 2007, Gwinnett’s average composite score on the SAT is 1524, a combination of the average critical reading score of 504, the average mathematics score of 527, and the average writing score of 493. Possible SAT scores range from 200 to 800 on each section. The highest possible composite score is 2400.

  --Gwinnett’s total SAT average for 2007 is 13 points above the national average of 1511.

  --Gwinnett’s average is 52 points above the Georgia average of 1472.

  --In mathematics, the county average of 527 is 32 points above the state’s average score and 12 points above the national average.

  --Gwinnett’s average critical reading score of 504 is 10 points above the state’s average and two points above the national average.

  --On the writing portion of the test, Gwinnett’s average of 493 is 10 points above the state and one point below the national average.

  --A higher percentage of students take the SAT in Gwinnett than in the state or nation. Preliminary figures indicate that approximately 86 percent of GCPS seniors took the new text, compared to 48 percent nationally.

   Two District III high schools—Duluth and Norcross—had some of the highest SAT scores in Georgia. Governor Sonny Perdue’s office released the year’s top SAT scores for high schools across the state and cited Duluth and Norcross for special recognition: 

   • Duluth High School ranked #25 overall and 12th highest in performance on the math section of the SAT, with a score of 555. Duluth High School’s average 
SAT score in 2007 was 1580, second only to Brookwood High School with a 
1629 average SAT score. Duluth High School’s 1580 compared to 1524 for 
Gwinnett County average; 1472 for the Georgia average, and 1511 for the US
Average.

• Norcross High School has some of the highest scores on the mathematics portion of the college-readiness exam, with a 21st place ranking in the state based on top mathematics scores on that portion of the exam. Norcross High School’s average SAT score in 2007 was 1562, fourth among Gwinnett County’s 16 high schools. Norcross High School’s 1562 compared to the Gwinnett County average of 1524; the Georgia average of 1472; and the nation’s average of 1511. 

   Gwinnett students also continued to show steady improvement on the ACT Assessment, based on scores for the Class of 2007. In Gwinnett, ACT test takers posted an average composite score of 21.8 out of a possible 36, compared to 20.3 for Georgia and 21.2 for the nation, setting a new record for the system’s highest-ever composite score and improving on the previous year’s scores in all areas. 

   The ACT is a test used by colleges and universities to predict how well students will perform at the post-secondary level. Students are encouraged to take the ACT as well as the SAT college admission exam to provide a broad range of information for college admissions counselors.

   Other topics discussed during the evening included enrollment in Advanced Placement courses at Norcross High School and the International Baccalaureate program at Norcross High School and the International Baccalaureate program for the Middle Years at Pinckneyville Middle School and Summerour Middle School.

   Discussion also centered on plans for a pilot program at the elementary school level in the Norcross Cluster to offer the International Bacalaureate program for the Early Years.

   Related to the “School Board View” column that appeared in the September 2007 edition of The Weekly.com , I would like to clarify my statement about Adequate Yearly Progress and the Give Center West that did not meet AYP for 2006-07; however, it is not considered a Needs Improvement school since this is only the first year that the school has been an official separate entity.

   I would also like to clarify that the Buchanan School is not given a separate AYP determination because the scores of its students are considered in their home school’s AYP determination; however, Buchanan does have students. In fact, in FY 2007, the school had over 2000 students taking on-line classes.

   As the District III School Board member, I am proud of the progress and achievements of the schools in the Norcross Cluster, the Duluth Cluster, and two schools in the Peachtree Ridge Cluster—Mason Elementary and Hull Middle School. 

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