Annual school district report online

MARIETTA - The 2008 Annual Report for the Cobb School District is available online at www.cobbk12.org/annualreport08.

The report provides a comprehensive overview of district operations, financial results, testing data & school-specific information from the past year.

Find this article on the MDJ section Cobb Briefly

SAT scores fall in Cobb, but ACT scores rise

By ALEXIS STEVENS

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

February 11, 2009

Despite a drop in Cobb students’ average SAT scores, marks on a different college entrance exam have risen 3 straight years.

“Many of the stronger, college-bound students are opting to take the ACT,” said Superintendent Fred Sanderson. Sanderson delivered his state of the system address Wednesday.

More Cobb students are now opting to take the ACT. Thirty-nine percent (39%) of students took the test in 2008, up from 27% in 2006.

Both the SAT & ACT are widely used as college entrance exams, but the tests are different.

The SAT is divided into 3 sections: Reading, Math & Writing. The scoring scale for each section ranges from 200-800, for a possible score of 2400. The ACT covers 4 areas: English, Math, Reading & Science, with 36 being the top score.

In 2008, Cobb students scored an average of 1523 on the SAT, down from 1538 in 2006. National & state averages have dipped, too. Georgians averaged 1453 in 2008, compared with a national average of 1495.

The average ACT score for Cobb students in 2008 was 22, up ½ point from 2006. The national average for the past year was 21.1, down from 21.2 in 2007.

Find this article at: AJC

 

Cobb County Board of Education e-Newsletter. The purpose of this e-mail newsletter is to help keep the District�s stakeholders informed of education-related issues. The Board of Education appreciates your support of excellence in education. Visit the link to the January 2009 newsletter. You can also sign up to receive CCSD e-mail updates

 

COBB COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

SCHOLASTIC ASSESSMENT TESTS (SAT) SCORES *

2006 - 2008

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Score range 200-800 for all tests

* All Scores are reported on the recentered SAT score scale.

** Estimated percentage of Georgia graduating seniors.

*** No Writing scores are available prior to 2006.  New Total include Reading, Math, & Writing.                                 

 

Data Source: 2008 College Board Highlights

2008 College Board Profile

http://www.cobbk12.org/Departments/CCSD/CCSDAccountability/

 

 

CCSB Meeting:  January 22, 2009                       

Commentary on FUZZY MATH prepared by Christy Stasko.

 

“In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”

George Orwell

 

Educational fads may come and go, but we always need to be concerned with the damage they can leave in their wake. (Note classrooms with no walls – more distractions.)  In contrast, the reform math educational fad is more than a distraction; it is very dangerous. 

 

The state would have parents and teachers believe that students are struggling with the new math curriculum due to “increased rigor”.  That’s a load of bunk.  The real problem with this curriculum is the new material and the teaching approaches being used.

 

Material

Lacks depth in fundamental concepts Covers too many topics rapidly Teachers not getting properly validated materials in order to teach effectively No more individual classes in geometry, algebra, trig, etc. (puts more pressure on teachers to have broader expertise and backgrounds)

The integration of math topics has resulted in a “math smoothie”, to quote a Cobb County student. Pace of disjointed math topics leaves teachers and students little to no time for review to confirm understanding before moving forward. Gone also is flexibility – retakes, doubling up…

 

Approach

Collaborative learning model avoids teaching by example Devalues practice and memorization drills Disregards use of standard algorithms De-emphasizes obtaining correct answers

This unguided instruction will result in students acquiring misconceptions or incomplete and disorganized knowledge of mathematics.

 

Don’t believe issue with curriculum due to materials or approach… simply blame the students or teachers. 

__ Highly-capable students struggling (even those that took tests to be accepted into the Wheeler Magnet program)

__ Singapore math placement tests

 

Bottom line, collaborative learning models demand a certain comfort level with the fundamentals.  Parents need to start supplementing their children’s math education now.

 

 

Cobb County School District

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