Arbor Springs Elementary School has been named a 2007 Georgia School of Excellence for Greatest Continuous Gains for the 8th Congressional District.

It is the third Coweta County School in three years to be honored as one of a small number of top-achieving Georgia schools.

State School Superintendent Cathy Cox announced 25 Georgia Schools of Excellence on February 8. The schools are honored in one of two categories from each Congressional District - either as a “Top 10%” school (which includes schools that are in the top 10 percent of schools in Georgia as measured by assessments in reading and mathematics) or a “Greatest Gains” school (which recognizes schools that demonstrated the greatest continuous gains in student achievement for the past three years as measured by assessments in reading and mathematics).

Arbor Springs principal Patti Falk announced the honor to teachers and staff Thursday morning.

“Everyone was thrilled,” said Dr. Falk. “It’s a real honor for us because the recognition is for sustained gains in our test scores. Our test scores are high to start with, and its hard to improve, but the teachers at Arbor Springs have been able to produce high continuous improvements among our students. I am so proud of the teachers here.”

“I was in shock,” said 3rd grade Arbor Springs teacher Sonya Gilliam. “I feel so very honored and privileged to be part of a school like this.”

"We have many schools that are doing a great job in Georgia, but these 25 schools stand out," Superintendent Cox said. "The teachers, principals and students in these schools are leading the way in achievement and improvement in all areas.”
Superintendent Blake Bass congratulated Falk and Arbor Springs teachers Thursday morning. “Arbor Springs is an excellent school – we knew that,” he said. “But this recognition places them among the best schools in Georgia, and that is a reflection on the great teachers and parents there.”

Bass also noted that the school’s recognition is a unique honor for Coweta County because Coweta elementary schools have now been recognized as state Schools of Excellence for three years in a row. Jefferson Parkway Elementary School was named a 2005 Georgia School of Excellence and Arnco-Sargent Elementary School was named a 2006 Georgia School of Excellence.

That places the three schools in the top 20 to 25 schools in Georgia among more than 1,800 public schools state-wide.

“They are three different schools, in different parts of the county, each with their own strengths and challenges, and all three have been recognized as uniquely successful in their congressional district,” said Bass. “So it is a real honor for them and an honor for our whole county.”

In addition to being top-achieving schools, a School of Excellence must meet several other criteria in order to be considered for the recognition. A school must:

• Meet AYP for a minimum of three consecutive years
• Meet or exceed state mean scores in Science and Social Studies (with the exception of K-2 schools, which do not test in this area)
• Not be considered a Persistently Dangerous School under the Unsafe School Choice Option of No Child Left Behind
• Offer a minimum of two AP courses (grades 9-12 only)
• Be in existence for five years

Schools that have been recognized as a Georgia School of Excellence in the past five years are not eligible to win again unless the only school or schools eligible to receive the honor in a certain district have won within the last five years. If no schools qualify in a specific Congressional District, an award is not given.

Georgia Schools of Excellence will be honored at an annual banquet on May 11 at the Georgia World Congress Center.


Arbor Springs Elementary School, in northern Coweta County, has been honored as one of two 2007 Georgia Schools of Excellence for the 8th Congressional district, and one of only 25 state-wide. Above are students in Sonya Gilliam’s 3rd grade class, with teacher Gilliam, back left, beside Arbor Springs principal Dr. Patti Falk, right.