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As the Barrow County News publishes "On the Horizon" special section focusing on education, innovation and focused learning are in the spotlight.
The possibility that Internet2 could be the connectivity to further the education of Barrow County students by connecting them with learning experiences around the globe is being promoted.
With the potential for a partnership with the Georgia Army and Air National Guard to provide training for Guardsmen while the endeavor also betters the community, the connectivity which has been envisioned could be closer to reality.
A follow-up meeting with the National Guard points of contact for the Innovation Readiness Training (IRT) is planned for March 17, and could yield a lengthy list of possible projects – multi-year and long-range which could enhance education and the community as a whole.
The meeting is Wednesday, March 17, at 9:30 a.m. at the Teacher Recruitment Center.
Barrow County Schools is proudly announcing success in the Eighth Grade Writing Assessment, the scores having just been released.
Dr. Claire Miller, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, said she is pleased an emphasis placed on boosting scores on writing tests has been successful and students are improving their writing skills.
Eighth grade students in Barrow County made tremendous strides from previous years on the 2010 8th Grade Writing Assessment, administered statewide during January of this year, said Miller.
Overall, 87 percent of Barrow eighth graders met or exceeded standards on the assessment, an increase of 13 percent from 2009, when only 74 percent of students met standards on the same test.
Statewide, 79 percent of eighth traders met or exceeded on the test, a score Barrow students surpassed.
Local eighth graders also exceeded the average performance of the Northeast Georgia Regional Support Agency (RESA) counties, who combined had an 82 percent pass rate. Barrow, Clarke, Elbert, Greene, Jackson, Morgan, Oconee, Oglethorpe, and Walton Counties along with Jefferson City, Social Circle and Commerce city school districts, are in the district.
After the 2009 performance, improving performance in eighth grade writing became a major initiative. Barrow schools implemented frequent mock writing assessments, brought in outside writing consultants and reexamined the process of teaching writing within the GPS Curriculum.
Miller said the results of the Eighth Grade Writing Test validate the hard work of this process. The strongest improvement came at Russell Middle School, which saw the percentage of students meeting/exceeding increase 27 percent from 2009 to 2010. Winder-Barrow Middle School increased its pass percentage by 16 percent.
"I am thrilled with the eighth grade writing scores. It is a direct result of the teachers, administrators, staff and students hard work in preparation and execution of the writing test," School Superintendent Dr. Ron Saunders said. "Congratulations to all."
"I am very proud of our teachers and students. They have worked very hard on their writing skills this year and it is encouraging to see this much improvement.," said Dr. Russ Claxton, principal of Russell Middle School.
Winder-Barrow Middle School Principal Mary Beth Deaton said, "Our results demonstrate the tremendous effort by teachers, parents and students. A job well done!"
"It is hard work on the part of the teachers and the students that has brought about these wonderful results," said Dr. Sheila Kahrs, principal of Haymon-Morris Middle School. "Congratulations to all of our eighth grade teachers and students and to the teachers of the previous grades for their efforts."
