School System Seeking Input on Priority Initiatives

In area school board meetings, Gwinnett County Public Schools officials are highlighting three school initiatives that they want the public's input on this month.

Click this link to be taken to the survey. It is estimated to take about 10 minutes.

The initiatives, presented by Supt./CEO J. Alvin Wilbanks, include:

Academic Knowledge and Skills (AKS) Curriculum:

These are standards for academic excellence. This year, the AKS is aligned with the state-adopted Common Core Georgia Performance Standards in mathematics (K-9), language arts (K-12), and literacy standards in science, social studies, and technical education for middle and high school students.

Officials say benefits of aligning the two methods include: helping provide consistent expectations across states, assisting educators to work together with students and parents toward a common goal and providing long-term savings on textbooks (because materials are consistent across states).

However, school officials say that the Common Core Georgia Performance Standards are not replacing Gwinnett Countys' AKS. In fact, about 85 percent of the material is already very similar, officials say.

For more information AKS and Common Core Georgia Performance Standards, click here.

eClass:

This is the school district's effort to expand learning by using digital communication, devices and techniques. Officials say it is a way to take advantage of the natural curiosity of students by using technology they are interested in. This will be used to boost academic excellence.

The program will be implemented over a five-year period. Currently, the district is in the second year. Schools in the Archer, Berkmar, Duluth, North Gwinnett and Shiloh clusters were the first pilot group in 2012. Technology is being used in a number of ways in these clusters. The BYOD program, or Bring Your Own Device, is one such way. In that program, students use personal devices to access the Internet and enhance learning.

For more information on eClass, click here.

New Teacher Evaluation System:

The state Department of Education received a $400 million grant to implement the new system, as part of the Race to the Top initiative. Gwinnett County, along with 25 other school districts, are participating in the pilot program. The state expects to implement the program across the state by 2014-2015. In the new system, teachers are rated as exemplary, proficient, needs development or ineffective.

There are 10 total evaluation standards, including professional knowledge, instructional planning and instructional strategies. Currently, more than 5,000 teachers at 56 Gwinnett County schools -- 13 high schools, two alternative schools, 14 middle schools, 25 elementary schools and two "special entities" -- are taking part in the pilot. In the 2013-2014, all Gwinnett County schools are expected to implement the new evaluation process.

Gwinnett County's superintendent sees the new system as positve because, among other things, it identifes areas of weakness and strength for teachers and can help increase student achievement. It also uses one-on-one observations that teachers find helpful, officials say.

"I think this is something that is really going to help us as we move forward," Wilbanks said at a recent area school board meeting. "I would not swap our teaching core for any teaching core in the world, but I also think we can do overall a better job."

However, a recent state report on the pilot indicates that it may not be yielding realistic outcomes. Less than 1 percent of teachers, for example, are being classified as ineffective, according to a AJC report in January. With those kinds of results, some wonder if the new evaluation system can be an accurate marker of teacher success.

To learn more about Gwinnett County's part in the Race to the Top program, click here.

To learn more about the state's Race to the Top program, click here.

~ Lilburn Patch