Pitner Elementary

Cobb Fifth Graders Make Gains on Writing Test

Cobb County fifth graders showed strong improvement on the 2008 Georgia writing assessment, increasing both the percentage of students meeting or exceeding standards, and their scale scores. Eighty-one percent of fifth graders in the Cobb County School District met or exceeded standards, a three-percent improvement from 2007. Scale scores in Cobb also improved, increasing by four points from 216 to 220. The percent passing topped the state average, and scale scores in Cobb were higher than both state and metro Atlanta averages.

The writing assessment includes information about student performance in different aspects of writing or domains. These domains include Ideas, Organization, Style, and Conventions. Domains are rated on a scale of 1 to 5. Performance of Cobb fifth graders as a whole was similar across all domains, ranging from 3.1 in Organization, Ideas, and Conventions to 3.2 in Style.
The performance of students in special populations (Special Education and English Language Learners) was a highlight of this year’s results. The percentage of English Language Learners meeting or exceeding standards improved from 39 percent to 48 percent, while the percentage of Special Education students rose from 45 percent to 52 percent. Average scale scores for English Language Learners improved two points, from 187 to 189, while Special Education students improved their average score five points, from 190 to 195. A gap continues to exist between the performance of regular education students and students in these special populations, but 2008 scores indicate a marked improvement.

“These results confirm what we have seen happening in schools as teachers work closely with students to teach the language arts standards,” said Superintendent Fred Sanderson. “We are seeing better performance for all students, and are especially pleased to see the gains in special populations. We are continuing to address the gap between our regular education students and certain subgroups. Addressing these issues is critical for meeting No Child Left Behind standards on other assessments, as well. Language Arts supervisors will work with the schools to evaluate the results from the new assessment and develop plans for improvement.”
Thirty-seven of Cobb elementary schools topped the state scale scores. Highest scores were posted by Tritt (251); Mount Bethel (249) and Timber Ridge (247). Eighteen Cobb schools reported more than 90 percent of students meet or exceed standards (Bullard, Chalker, Davis, Due West, Eastside, Ford, Frey, Kemp, Kennesaw Charter, Lewis, Mt. Bethel, Mountain View, Murdock, Rocky Mount, Shallowford Falls, Sope Creek, Timber Ridge, Tritt).

As a part of the statewide testing program, the Fifth Grade Writing Assessment was administered in March and requires students to write a composition on an assigned topic. The assessment provides fifth graders with a measurement of their writing performance. This information can help students, parents, and teachers understand areas where students may need to focus their efforts to improve writing skills before taking the Eighth Grade Writing Assessment.

Each student paper is scored by professionals who have been trained to evaluate writing. Evaluators score student compositions on four qualities of effective writing. These qualities, or domains, of effective writing should be present in a composition regardless of the topic. The domains include Ideas, Organization, Style, and Conventions.

The scale score range for the new Grade 5 Writing Assessment is 100 to 350. Writing scores are reported in the following performance levels: Does Not Meet (100-199), Meets (200-249), and Exceeds (250-350).

District Releases 2007 Annual Report

The 2007 Annual Report for the Cobb County School District is available online at the District’s web site at www.cobbk12.org/annualreport07. Produced by the District’s Office of Communications and released online for the fifth consecutive year, the Annual Report provides a comprehensive overview of District operations, financial results, testing data, and school-specific information from the past year.

The online report provides parents, community members and the news media instant access to key facts and figures regarding enrollment, school programs, operations, test results and more. Features for 2007 include expanded information about the District’s Policy, Planning and Student Support and Communications offices, as well as a detailed overview of the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) and financial data.

The report also includes a new section detailing how the District’s technology programs are enhancing the learning environment for Cobb students.

Six Cobb Schools Honored by State For Advanced Placement Success

Six Cobb County high schools were named 2008 Advanced Placement (AP) Honor Schools today by Georgia Superintendent of Schools Cathy Cox. The AP Honor Schools program recognizes schools that have committed to providing challenging Advanced Placement courses to as many students as possible. Advanced Placement courses provide rigorous, college-level learning options to high school students. Students who score a 3, 4 or 5 on AP exams can receive college course credit.

The state has designated three achievement designations for the AP Honor Schools Program. AP Challenge Schools are schools with 900 or fewer students that offer at least one AP course in each of the four traditional core areas – English, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies.

Campbell, North Cobb and Pebblebrook high schools earned recognition in the program’s second category, AP Access and Support Schools.  This designation is for schools with at least 30 percent of AP test takers identified as African-American or Hispanic and 30 percent of AP exams receiving scores of three (3) or higher.

At the highest level of honor, AP Merit Schools have at least 20 percent of students taking AP exams and at least half of AP exams receiving a score of three (3) or higher. Lassiter, Harrison and Walton high schools earned the AP Merit School designation for 2008.

These honors come just weeks after the Cobb County School District announced this year’s Advanced Placement Certified Schools, a District program that honors similar strides in providing Advanced Placement courses. Each of Cobb’s 15 high schools met the criteria for inclusion in the District’s APCS program, as well as 16 middle schools honored as APCS Middle School Affiliates. The APCS program began in Cobb in 2004 as a means of making honors and AP classes accessible to more students and to support high achievement.

For more information about the 2008 AP Honor Schools and the District’s own AP Certified Schools program, visit the District Web site at www.cobbk12.org.

Cobb ITBS Scores Top National Averages, Improve at Every Grade Level

Cobb County students surpassed national averages on the fall administration of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) and improved at every grade level tested, according to recently released results. The school district administered the ITBS to students in grades 3, 5, and 8 during September. Cobb third graders had a composite score average of 71st percentile, which means they scored equal to or better than 71 percent of all other third grade students who participated in the ITBS nationwide. Composite scores for fifth graders ranked in the 68th percentile nationally, while eighth graders scored in the 60th percentile. These scores reflect an increase over last year’s scores at all three grade levels.

The purpose of the ITBS is to obtain information about how the performance of Cobb students compares with that of other students across the nation. While the District concentrates most of its testing resources and attention on the high-stakes statewide Criterion Reference Competency Test (CRCT), the ITBS still provides valuable data about how Cobb students compare nationally, and in what specific areas students may need additional help. ITBS results are particularly helpful in identifying reading or math skills where students may need additional instruction. By administering the test in the fall, teachers then have time to work with students before spring CRCT testing begins.

Core subjects tested by the ITBS include reading, math, and language arts. In Cobb County, third graders performed best in math where they scored in the 69th percentile, an increase of five percentage points from last year. Although not a part of the core total, science scores for third grade students increased from the 65th percentile last year to the 68th percentile this year. Scores in the core subject areas for Cobb fifth graders were higher than last year, with math scores ranking in the 67th percentile, an increase of three percentage points. Scores for eighth grade students in Reading were up one percentage point from last year to the 57th percentile, while Language Arts scores remained unchanged at the 58th percentile. The only decline at any grade level or in any subject occurred in eighth grade math, which fell one percentage point to the 59th percentile.

A few schools showed notable improvement over 2006. Five elementary schools saw increases in percentile rank at the third grade of greater than 10 percentage points. Third graders at Powers Ferry Elementary School raised the school’s composite score from last year’s 33rd percentile, to the current 56th percentile, an increase of 23 percent. Fifth grade students at Bryant Elementary pushed the school’s composite score to the 54th percentile, from last year’s 40th – a gain of 14 percentage points. “I’m impressed with the performance of our students across the board,” said Superintendent Fred Sanderson. “The increase in scores is good to see, and it is also encouraging that our students continue to surpass the national averages in every subject and at every grade level. The ITBS provides great data for our teachers to use as they prepare students for the critical CRCT in the spring, and shows us which areas – such as 8th grade math – that may need more attention.”

The ITBS is a norm-referenced test that ranks student performance according to percentiles. For example, a student in the 75th percentile scored equal to or better than 75 percent of all students across the nation who participated in the ITBS at the same grade level. Also reported are grade equivalents, or GE scores. The numbers in the GE score that come before the decimal represent the grade level of the student’s performance, while the digits that follow the decimal represent the month within the grade. A GE score of 5.2 means the student’s performance was similar to that expected of a fifth grader taking the same test during the second month of school.

Information for parents and students regarding MRSA Staph infection

Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). MRSA has emerged as a serious threat in the community. Until recently, MRSA was seen almost exclusively in hospitalized patients. Because we are now seeing it in the community, especially in pockets such as groups of athletes, children in childcare settings and crowding situations such as prisons and jails, the Georgia Division of Public Health is working to educate the public to prevent this threatening infection.

MRSA is caused by a bacterium, often called Staph. Staph is one of the most common causes of skin infections in the U.S. and is usually found on the skin or in the noses of healthy people. MRSA is a type of Staph germ that is hard to treat with some commonly used antibiotic medicines. It has gradually developed a resistance to certain antibiotics that previously were effective in killing the germ.

An infection can look like sores that look and feel like spider bites or pimples. It can be characterized as large, red, painful bumps under the skin (boils); and symptoms may include redness, warmth, swelling, pus, skin tenderness or blisters. It can advance into abscesses or serious skin infections and, if untreated, MRSA can infect blood and bones.

Please call your health care provider or take your child to the hospital if your child develops any of the aforementioned symptoms. A sample of the infected wound must be confirmed by a lab test called a culture. The culture grows the bacteria and the lab can test to see which antibiotics will be effective for treating the infection.

Preventing The Spread of MRSA:

1. Hand washing is #1 prevention.

2. Keep cuts, lesions, and wounds covered with clean bandages such as a band-aid.

3. Do not share personal items such as towels, wash cloths, razors, antiperspirants, clothing, uniforms, or other items that may not be clean.

4. Wash soiled clothing, linens, and towels (especially for students with athletic or gym teams) in hot water and laundry detergent. Dry clothes in hot dryer.

5. Avoid participating in contact sports or other skin-to-skin contact if any open or uncovered cuts or wounds.

In Cobb County Schools we encourage extra hand washing for all students and staff and will disinfect any hard surfaces in the school with the county approved disinfectant as needed in confirmed cases.

School Board Meetings To Go Live on COBB edTV

Beginning Thursday Sept. 27, 2007 at 7 p.m., Cobb County Board of Education meetings will broadcast live for the first time on the school district’s cable access channel, COBB edTV. For the first time, the public will be able to view school board meetings on television as they occur. Previously, board meetings had aired in a live-to-tape format.

“Broadcasting our meetings live is an important move for the Cobb County community as the Board of Education continues to enhance its communication efforts with the public,” said Post 6 Board Member Dr. John Crooks. “We continue to strive to make school board business as open, transparent and visible to the public as possible.”
The live broadcast also will include the public comment session that takes place prior to the start of regular business meetings.

Earlier this year, the Board of Education voted to approve technical and aesthetic improvements to the Board’s meeting room at the District central office in Marietta. The improvements include LCD monitors, four high-quality video cameras, camera controllers and switchers, overhead lighting, recording equipment, communication equipment, improvements to the Board dais including a curtain backdrop and audio controllers, and installation. The cost of the project, which is near completion, is $181,000. The upgrades will improve the quality and appearance of the television broadcast as it transitions to a live format.

Following the initial live broadcast, board meetings will continue to be aired throughout the month in a live-to-tape format. A complete schedule of COBB edTV programming is available on the school district web site at www.cobbk12.org/cobbedtv. COBB edTV cable access channel is available throughout Cobb County on Comcast Cable Channel 24 and Charter Cable Channel 97. The channel is not currently available on satellite programming.