Georgia
Performance Standards
The Georgia
Performance Standards (GPS) drive the instructional program in Habersham
County Schools. Our curriculum is “what” we teach and expect students
to know and be able to do. Instruction is “how” we teach and assessment
measures “how well” students have performed based on the standards. The
alignment between curriculum, instruction and assessment ensures that
students are able to meet the standards.
Student
Achievement and Report Card
The Governor's Office of
Student Achievement (GOSA) provides accountability for all of Georgia's
education agencies, from pre-kindergarten through postsecondary levels.
Such accountability intends to improve student achievement and school
completion in Georgia.
For more information visit
Student Achievement for Habersham County
Schools
Adequate
Yearly Progress
AYP is one of the
cornerstones of the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. It is a
measure of year-to-year student achievement on statewide assessments.
For more information on
Habersham Schools visit
AYP for Habersham County Schools
Literacy
Collaborative
Literacy Collaborative
is a
comprehensive model designed to provide a school-wide approach for
improving the reading and writing achievement of children. The
curriculum is based on a comprehensive language and literacy framework
that includes a wide range of individual, small-group, and large-group
reading and writing activities guided by ongoing assessment.
The language
and literacy framework includes components which address the five
essential elements of reading instruction — phonemic awareness, phonics,
fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension — as identified by the National
Reading Panel.
Literacy
Collaborative schools have Reading Recovery as a safety net for first
grade children experiencing difficulty with reading and writing.
Each of our
elementary schools has a primary literacy coordinator and an
intermediate literacy coordinator. Our sixth grade academies share a
literacy coordinator. Literacy coordinators provide professional
development for teachers and teach children for part of the day.
For more
information visit www.literacycollaborative.org
Reading
Recovery
Reading Recovery is a
highly effective short-term intervention of one-to-one tutoring for
low-achieving first graders, and is available in all of our elementary
schools.
The goal of Reading
Recovery is to dramatically reduce the number of first-grade students
who have extreme difficulty learning to read and write and to reduce the
cost of these learners to educational systems.
Reading Recovery serves
the lowest-achieving first graders—the students who are not catching on
to the complex set of concepts that make reading and writing possible.
Individual students
receive a half-hour lesson each school day for 12 to 20 weeks with a
specially trained Reading Recovery teacher. As soon as students can meet
grade-level expectations and demonstrate that they can continue to work
independently in the classroom, their lessons are discontinued, and new
students begin individual instruction.
For more
information visit www.readingrecovery.org
Everyday
Mathematics
Everyday
Mathematics is a comprehensive mathematics curriculum developed
by the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project, and published
by Wright Group McGraw-Hill. Over 175,000 classrooms and 2.8 million
students are currently using Everyday Math, and it is being adopted by a
steadily increasing number of schools each year.
There are a
number of features that distinguish the Everyday Mathematics curriculum.
These include:
*
Real-life
Problem Solving
Everyday Mathematics emphasizes the application of mathematics to real
world situations. Numbers, skills and mathematical concepts are not
presented in isolation, but are linked to situations and contexts that
are relevant to everyday lives. The curriculum also provides numerous
suggestions for incorporating mathematics into daily classroom routines
and other subject areas.
*
Balanced
Instruction
Each
Everyday Mathematics lesson includes time for whole-group instruction as
well as small group, partner, or individual activities. These activities
balance teacher-directed instruction with opportunities for open-ended,
hands-on explorations, long-term projects and on-going practice.
*
Multiple Methods for Basic Skills Practice
Everyday
Mathematics provides numerous methods for basic skills practice and
review. These include written and choral fact drills, mental math
routines, practice with fact triangles (flash cards of fact families),
daily sets of review problems called math boxes, homework, timed tests
and a wide variety of math games.
*
Emphasis on Communication
Throughout
the Everyday Mathematics curriculum students are encouraged to explain
and discuss their mathematical thinking, in their own words.
Opportunities to verbalize their thoughts and strategies give children
the chance to clarify their thinking and gain insights from others.
*
Enhanced Home/School Partnerships
For grades
1-3, daily Home Links provide opportunities for family members to
participate in the students' mathematical learning. Study Links are
provided for most lessons in grades 4-6, and all grades include periodic
letters to help keep parents informed about their children's experience
with Everyday Mathematics
For more
information on Everyday Math visit
http://dev.wrightgroup.com/parent_connection/about.html
Secondary
Mathematics
For more
information click
Math Curriculum in
Middle School and High School
Renzulli
Learning
Renzulli Learning
is available
for all students in grades K-8. This is an on-line program that matches
students’ interests and learning profiles to high-quality instructional
activities and materials. Students may use the program in their
classrooms and at home. Teachers will provide students with a user name
and password.
For more
information visit
www.renzullilearning.com
Testing
For a schedule of
testing in Habersham County Schools click here
Testing
Calendar FY09
For more information visit
http://public.doe.k12.ga.us/ci_testing.aspx
Online
Assessment System
The Online
Assessment System (OAS) enables students in Georgia's public schools to
access tests that consist of the same kinds of questions as appear on
the state's assessments in Reading, English/Language Arts, Mathematics,
Science, and Social Studies in the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests
(CRCT), the End of Course Tests (EOCT), and the Georgia High School
Graduation Tests (GHSGT).
The OAS is
available throughout the school year so that teachers can integrate
testing on CRCT, EOCT, and GHSGT with their teaching of those subjects.
The system is also available to students outside the classroom for use
anywhere they have an Internet connection, such as after school and on
weekends.
For more
information visit
www.georgiaoas.org
Click here for parent instructions to use the
Online Assessment System
Character
Education
Several years ago a
law was passed which required that 27 specific character traits be included in
our instructional plans. Habersham
County was fortunate to be one of three Georgia school systems to receive a
federal grant which provided funds to allow our teachers to develop a plan for
teaching these traits. More than
100 teachers and staff members worked diligently to prepare materials and
approaches to use in providing daily instruction in a “Character Trait of the
Week.” We have also worked with a
team of community members who have advised us on the use of strategies that
model the traits in the classroom, home, and community.
