Forsyth County Schools Awarded for High Performance

Gov. Nathan Deal announced Tuesday, Jan. 17, that 370 Georgia public schools are being recognized for improvement and achievement during the 2010-2011 school year. These include 23 schools in Forsyth County, the highest number of recipients in the history of Forsyth County Schools.

"I continue to be humbled by the outstanding work of the educators in our district," said Superintendent L.C. (Buster) Evans, in a statement.

The schools are being recognized under Georgia's Single Statewide Accountability System (SSAS), developed by the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement (GOSA), to award schools based on their performance on state curriculum exams and Adequate Yearly Progress status.

"This year, with 23 recipients, we celebrate with the largest number of schools that we’ve ever had to receive recognition under this program," said Evans.

"The fact that each of these 23 awards are for the area of 'Highest Achievement' highlight the fact that for a number of years educators in the Forsyth County Schools have been continuously meeting higher levels of academic achievement," he said.

The awards are being announced as part of the release of the 2010-2011 K-12 Public Schools Report Card. The Report Card, which features the SSAS awards, was developed by GOSA and provides bottom-line data for Georgia’s preschools, K-12 schools, colleges and universities, technical colleges, and educator licensing and accreditation.

"Our teachers and leaders are truly winners, but in the end, it is our students and community who reap the benefits of high academic achievement," Evans continued. "I know that I speak for both our Board and our district leadership when I express that these recognitions are well deserved and make us proud of the work taking place throughout the district."

The schools are awarded on four levels -- Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze -- in two categories:

* Greatest gains: 111 schools are being recognized for demonstrating significant improvement on the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) or the Georgia High School Graduation Tests (GHSGT).

* Highest performance: 259 schools are being recognized for high achievement on the CRCT or GHSGT.

Highest Performance for Students Meeting and Exceeding Standards