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Shallowford Falls Elementary SchoolMarietta, GA
ResultsShallowford's scores on the ITBS have been steadily improving, even though their scores were already consistently higher than the district and state averages. Students' scores from 1995-1997 have risen in reading, language, and mathematics, and student performance on the state-mandated writing assessment also improved between 1996 and 1997.During the 1993-94 Pay-for-Performance year, Shallowford targeted mathematics and science. That year the school set extraordinarily high performance goals on achievement and school improvement efforts as we emphasized accelerated student learning and professional development activities. Out of 55 elementary schools in the system, Shallowford scored the top in both mathematics and science that year in 3rd and 5th grades (only those grades were tested) on both the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) and on the state criterion reference tests. Prior to this year, Shallowford students had scored among the top ten, but not in first place. The entire community collaborated to help reach these goals. Shallowford qualified as one of the first ten state Pay-for-Performance schools.
The results from the 1995-1997 spring testing of third and fifth graders on the ITBS are below. (In 1997, the fourth grade also took the ITBS at the end of the school year instead of in the fall, as they usually do.)
Shallowford's academic program seems to strengthen each year. As stated by teachers, children come to each subsequent grade better prepared. (See chart below indicating school's goal achievement in improving writing scores.) The state-mandated fifth grade writing assessment was administered in January 1997. The fifth grade students were required to write a paper on an assigned topic. Student papers were sent to the state department and read by trained raters and scored holistically according to the six Developmental Stages/Score Guidelines developed by Georgia educators. The writing development stages are listed in descending order from a fully elaborated topic development (stage 6) to little or no topic development (stage 1). Compared to other students in the Cobb County System, Shallowford Falls fifth graders ranked second, having the second highest percentage of students scoring in the most advanced stage. In comparing the 1997 Shallowford Falls fifth graders to the 1996 class, a higher percentage of fifth graders this past school year scored in Stage 6.
The third grade writing assessment is completed by third grade teachers. The assessment involves a review of student writing samples and a determination of the dominant stage of the student's writing. Third grade teachers complete a report for each student and summarize data for their classes. The class summary sheets are forwarded to the state department, with individual student reports filed in students' permanent records and copies given to parents. Comparing Shallowford Falls students to other third graders in the system and state as well as to previous classes at Shallowford Falls indicates the strengthening of our current students' writing compositional abilities.
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