Board Bulletin for 8/16/2024

 

The Fulton County Board of Education met on Thursday, August 15, 2024 for its regularly scheduled work session at the South Learning Center. The full agenda is available online via BoardDocs. Meetings are streamed live on the FCS homepage, with recordings available within 48 hours.

Superintendent's Report

Dr. Mike Looney began his report with accolades for Ms. Katha Stuart, who is retiring at the end of August after serving as a Board member for District 1 since 2015. Pointing to her exemplary service, Dr. Looney expressed his gratitude, admiring the positive impact she has had throughout the years on so many students.

Dr. Looney also acknowledged the hard work of staff and employees that went into preparing for the beginning of the school year. Since the first day, he has already visited 14 schools and will continue visiting more schools throughout the district as the year continues. He also noted that registration is still open for those students who have not yet registered to attend school.

Georgia Milestones Update: Our work on literacy is making a difference

According to Chief Academic Officer Brannon Gaskins, who delivered an update on the 2024 Georgia Milestones, “Fulton County Schools’ exceptional test results are in, and they demonstrate a true testament to the academic excellence of our students.”

The district observed notable increases in several key areas. Fifth-grade English/Language Arts (ELA) scores improved, as did scores across all assessments for grades six through eight. High school students also showed advancements in literature and history. Math scores were not part of this report due to the implementation of new standards and are expected to be released by the Georgia Department of Education in the fall.

Mr. Gaskins emphasized that the work we are doing across the district, particularly with literacy, is impacting students and helping them recover from the period of learning loss during COVID-19. Citing the class of 2028 (the students who just started ninth grade), 69.7% of the students were reading at or above grade level in 2019. In 2022, that percentage dropped to 64.8%. Over the last three years, the percentage of students in this class are reading at or above grade level has steadily increased to 80.3%.

The percentage of proficient and above scores for Fulton County Schools (FCS) exceeded the state and school districts in the metro regional service area (also known as metro RESA) in all reported assessments for both End-of-Grade Assessments (elementary and middle school) and End-of-Course Assessments (high school). Mr. Gaskins highlighted that FCS performed higher than the RESA and state by nine and 12 percentage points in ELA. In 5th grade Science, Fulton also scored ten points above the RESA and 13 percentage points above the state. For the American Literature and Composition End-of-Course Assessment, FCS students scored five percentage points higher than our RESA and 11 points higher than the state. In Biology, FCS students scored three points higher than the RESA and seven points higher than the state.

The Georgia Milestones assessments are a crucial measure of student achievement in local school districts, and these results highlight the continued academic excellence within Fulton County Schools.

Policy Updates

There is a new update to Operating Guideline GBRI: Professional/Classified-Leaves of Absence related to the Paid Parental Leave category. Recent legislative changes have extended the current staff allocation of this leave type from 120 hours to 240 hours. This leave type is for employees experiencing qualifying life events including the birth of a child, the placement of a minor child for adoption, and the placement of a minor child for foster care. Please refer to the operating guideline for additional details and contact leaveadministration@fultonschools.org for any questions.

Board Recognitions

Each month the Fulton County Board of Education recognizes outstanding students, staff, and schools that have been honored at the state, national, or international level. Honorees must have placed first at the regional or state level or be among the top finishers at the national or international level.

• Congratulations to teacher Karen Alexander of Paul D. West Middle School for her Outstanding Achievement in Computer Science award.
• Congratulations to the Communications division broadcast team and the Teaching Museum on their recent Southeastern Emmy and Telly awards.

2024-25 Community Meetings with Board Members

Each member of the Fulton County Board of Education sponsors a monthly meeting open to all members of the community. The sessions provide an opportunity for direct contact with community members and give Board members a chance to listen to local issues and concerns. Click here to see the meeting schedules of all Board members.