Friday, April 25, 2003

Board of Education names new schools, sets testing schedule

The Fulton County Board of Education met for its pre-board work session on April 15 and Board legislative meeting on April 17.

Highlights of information reports and board-approved recommendations or actions are as follows:

No Child Left Behind. The board received a report on No Child Left Behind implementation plans for 2003-2004.

In order to meet federal mandates, the Georgia Department of Education requires that 2003 CRCT scores be used to determine which schools will offer choice and/or supplemental services. This presents a challenge to the school system since the Georgia DOE also has stated that test scores will not be available to local school systems until at least July 18, 2003.

ITBS testing. Norm-referenced ITBS testing will be conducted in the fall, beginning with the 2003-2004 school year.

This change removes some of the testing burden for elementary and middle schools in the spring, allows for more efficient management from the testing office, prevents "test burnout," and allows norm-referenced test data to be available in November. The test will be given in grades 3, 5, and 8. Second graders also will be tested next year, for that year only.

Naming of new schools. The elementary school under construction in East Point was named Hamilton E. Holmes Elementary, while the middle school opening on Old Alabama Road in Alpharetta will be called Autrey Mill Middle. Both schools will open in August 2003.

New principals. Will Bradley, assistant principal at Paul D. West Middle School, was named the replacement principal at Woodland Middle School. He will replace retiring principal Moses Scott.

Woodbridge (Buck) Greene, assistant principal at Chattahoochee High School, was named principal at Sandy Springs Middle School. He replaces Ann Ferrell, who was named principal of the new Autrey Mill Middle School.

Milton plans. Milton High Principal Ron Tesch presented preliminary plans for restructuring the traditional high school program into a new model called the Milton Academy, which is structured around career-oriented themes.

The architectural firm of Perkins & Will showed how preliminary plans for the new Milton building complements the proposed organizational design. The new Milton High School is proposed to open in August 2005. Construction has not yet begun.

Laptops for teachers. Chief Information Officer Katie Lovett provided a report on the Technology Capital Projects update, including network upgrades, replacement cycles and laptops for teachers. By October 2003, all Fulton County teachers should have their own laptop computers.