As the new semester gets underway a fresh start is a great way to start off a new year. Below are eight simple ways to help your child be more successful in the new year.

1)      Set Goals- Brainstorm one really important goal for this semester (i.e. learning to tie a shoe, passing the CRCT or achieving a high SAT score.) Once that goal has been identified create small short term goals to help them achieve the big goal.

2)      Get Organized- Clean out their desk, bookbag and/or locker. This will make finding things a breeze. It may also help to create a cleaning schedule. For example, writing a clean out bookbag note every two weeks in the agenda may help.

3)      Use the agenda or planner- Each student has an agenda/ day planner. Using the agenda aids in becoming more organized, submitting assignments on time and always being abreast of school rules, policies and procedures.

4)      Attendance- Being at school is vital to being successful. Being on time reduces anxiety and helps in establishing a routine.

5)      Routines-Get back to the routine from last semester. An established time for sports, homework, dinner and bedtime all aid in success. If the routine from last year did not work well reassess what is most important and create a new routine.

6)      Plan for down time- Use the weekend and school holidays as a time to relax. Plan a small vacation getaway, a movie day or a trip to a local park.    

7)      Exercise- Build in time for outside playtime or a sport. Just 30 minutes can be very beneficial.

8)      Eat healthier- Try to insert more veggies and fruits into your current meals. Even a snack can be replaced with an apple, orange or banana.

Data from the Georgia Parent Survey will be used to calculate the School Climate Star Rating within the College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) to determine a correlation between the student responses on the Georgia Student Health Survey II and school personnel responses on the Georgia School Personnel Survey.  

The Georgia Parent Survey is open through Friday, January 31. The Georgia Parent Survey has 20 questions and it should take no more than 5 to 10 minutes to complete it.  Survey responses are anonymous and will be submitted directly to the Georgia Department of Education for analysis.

Georgia Ranks 17th in the 
Nation in Achievement

Georgia's K-12 Achievement ranks 17th in the nation, according to an Education Week report released recently. The K-12 Achievement Index is one indicator in the Quality Counts report that measures key education outcomes and provides ranks and grades for each state based on their commitment to improve educational policies and practices. In previous years, the Quality Counts report gave states an overall ranking (Georgia ranked 7th in the nation for the past two years) but it does not compile overall state rankings this year. States are only ranked on the six individual indicators.

The K-12 Achievement Index examines 18 state achievement measures related to reading and math performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), high school graduation rates, and the results of Advanced Placement exams. It also looks at poverty-based achievement gaps and progress in closing those gaps.  K-12 Achievement Index Highlights are:

• Achievement Gains: 4th grade reading (scale score change on NAEP from 2003-2013 - Ranked 5th in the nation
• Poverty Gap: Math gap change (8th grade NAEP from 2003-2013) - Ranked 5th in the nation
• High School Graduation: Ten-year change in graduation rate - Ranked 10th in the nation
• Advanced Placement: Change in AP scores (change in high scores per 100 students - Ranked 5th in the nation; High AP test scores (scores of 3 or higher per 100 students) - Ranked 9th in the nation

For the second consecutive year, Georgia was also ranked first in the nation with a score of 100 in the Transitions and Alignment category on the annual "Quality Counts" report. Georgia's score comes from the state enacting the 14 policies examined by Education Week, including curriculum alignment from prekindergarten through college and programs to help students not meeting school-readiness benchmarks.

View the state report cards map here: http://www.edweek.org/ew/qc/2014/state_report_cards.html