Friday, February 7, 2003

Payne reports steady progress in his State-of-the-System address

The Aesop fable, "The Tortoise and The Hare," teaches that perseverance, not speed, is what is most important when working toward a goal.

While the story is geared for young children, it also holds value for the Fulton County School System, which recently released a report that shows that student performance has steadily increased over the last three years.

"The school system has made steady, deliberate progress to improve student achievement and organizational performance. We have consistently moved upward with no sudden peaks or slumps," said Interim Superintendent Thomas M. Payne.

"We have turned our organization around using a combination of best practices from education and business. We operate like a big business whose business is education."

The state-of-the-system address is given annually by the superintendent and presents student performance data measured by the school system.

Dr. Payne referred to the school system's Balanced Scorecard in his presentation to the Fulton County Board of Education at its January 16 meeting. Fulton's Balanced Scorecard measures progress in five goal areas: student achievement, stakeholder involvement and satisfaction, efficient and effective processes, staff learning and growth, and sound fiscal responsibility.

An eight-year increase of SAT scores and the continued closing of the north and south county performance gaps highlighted the presentation. "Fulton's SAT gains are phenomenal," said Dr. Payne, "especially when coupled with the fact that 88% of our students took the test. Nationally, an average 45% of the 2001-02 high school graduates took the test.

"We also are closing the performance gap and erasing the lines between south and north Fulton County schools without lowering results of our highest performing schools," he said. "Our scorecard improvements touch all communities in the school district, with marked improvement in most south Fulton schools."

The school system's annual work plans represent the collaborative efforts of everyone from the Board of Education and administration to the classroom teachers and parents. Year after year schools plan for improvement and meet and/or exceed their strategic plan targets.

The school system reports that their strategies are working and significant progress has been made in the past three years, from 1999-00 to 2001-02, including:

Student mastery and nationally competitive

The percentage of students meeting and/or exceeding performance expectations on the state CRCT tests increased from 1999-00 to 2001-02

· Fourth grade reading increased from 79 to 86

· Fourth grade math increased from 71 to 76

· Sixth grade reading increased from 81 to 85

· Sixth grade math increased from 74 to 75

· Eighth grade reading declined slightly from 87 to 86

· Eighth grade math increased from 70 to 75

· High school students who earn college credit prior to graduation increased from 10% to 16% in 2001-02

· 76 percent of students taking Advanced Placement examinations earned a score of 3 or higher in 2001-02, which was a 39 percent increase over 1999-00. This also is 17 percent greater than the state and southern region averages and 13 percent greater than the global average.

· The system-wide SAT (Scholastic Achievement Test) average has increased for eight consecutive years, from 992 in 1993 to 1039 in 2001-02. At the same time, the number of students taking this optional test increased from 1,837 to 3,192.

Safe and nurturing schools

Schools maintain a safe and nurturing climate. Only 7 percent of Fulton parents expressed a safety concern, compared to 31 percent nationally

Employee satisfaction

· Fulton teachers are just as satisfied with their jobs as are teachers nationally

· 52 percent of teachers have more than 7 years of experience

· Fulton has 72 National Board Certified teachers, the most of any school system in the state

Stakeholder involvement

· Schools reported an increase of more than 87,000 volunteer hours between 2000-01 to 2001-02, which reflects the support of 97,738 volunteers

· All schools have a Local School Advisory Council led by the principal, and 53 percent of schools have established the new state-mandated 7-member council

· On an annual parent satisfaction survey, 82 percent of parents indicated satisfaction with their overall experience with their child's school, as compared to 68 percent nationally.

Fulton's parent satisfaction level is equal to that of parents with students in private or parochial schools nationally.

Efficient and effective business processes

·New schools continued to open on time and under budget with four opening in 2001-02: one high school, two middle schools, and one elementary. Construction began on three new schools.

· Breakfast and lunch was served each day to 81 percent of the students, and a seamless summer nutrition program for students was added at 25 schools

· Bus drivers maintain a safety record of less than five preventable accidents per million miles driven

· The first day of school began with textbooks, equipment, and supplies in place at all schools

· Only 0.8 percent teacher vacancies remained at the first day of school compared with 4% in 1999-00

Sound fiscal management

·Final budget was within one percent of projected revenue and expenses

The final line of "The Tortoise and The Hare" reminds readers not to 'brag about your lightning pace, for Slow and Steady won the race!'

With three years of steady, but deliberate, academic progress, the Fulton County School System has much to celebrate but continually strives for improvement and to uphold its reputation as one of the premier school systems in the state and nation.