Friday, August 31, 2001

South Fulton students making the grade

There is much to cheer about in South Fulton.

Results from both the Georgia Middle Grades Writing Assessment for eighth graders and the Georgia High School Graduation Test for high school students show South Fulton schools making the grade.

"Our goal is to reach an achievement level that makes it impossible to determine a school's location by looking at its test scores," said Fulton County School Superintendent Stephen Dolinger. "This year's scores show we're taking significant steps toward meeting that goal."

In 2000, for the first time, every South Fulton school had a first time pass rate of 90 percent or higher on the writing portion of the GHSGT. This year, every school had a 90 percent or higher pass rate on the language arts area of the graduation test.

South Fulton middle schools also are sharing in the testing accolades. Recently released scores on Georgia Middle Grades Writing Assessment show significant student achievement gains for South Fulton eighth graders.

On writing tests administered earlier this year, all South Fulton middle schools increased either in the "on target" or "exceeding target" categories, with four out of five schools registering 20-point gains in the "on target" category.

Overall, 91 percent of Fulton County eighth graders scored "on target" or "exceeding target," compared with 89 and 88 percent for the state and metro area school systems, respectively.

"The improvements being made in our schools prove that our focus on student achievement and our model for excellence works," said Dolinger.

"Of course, we are far from satisfied. With a commitment to continuous improvement, we expect even greater gains next year and look forward to the day when south Fulton schools rival any school in Georgia in terms of test scores," he added.

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