GHSGT Improvement Plan and Scores

The Social Studies department at Newnan High School takes the job of educating the youth of Coweta County very seriously.  Scores on the Georgia High School Exit Exam (which a student must pass to graduate) are considered extremely important to the student and their parents. We do not know what will be on the test from year to year and it would be pointless to try to guess, so our plan is to make sure the students practice the TYPE of questions that they will see on this test, as well as the material they may see. We hope that this will make them more comfortable taking the test and help them improve their scores.  Below, you will see the plan the teachers of this department came up with to improve our scores for first time test takers in the junior class.  If you have any suggestions, please let us know!

Improving Scores on the GHSGT

Newnan High School Social Studies Department 2007-2008

Please make sure these are reflected in your weekly/daily written plans.

WEEKLY ACTIVITIES

v     Every Tuesday everyone in the department will do a minimum of 1 chart/graph/paragraph reading in class and go over it. (MANDATORY)

v     Every Wednesday, each member of the department will do a geography exercise of some kind. (MANDATORY)

v     We should also be including graphs/charts/maps/readings on each test that we make up and give.

v     Everyone will keep documentation on the sheet provided.

Note:  TEACH THE STUDENTS HOW TO DO THESE ACTIVITIES.  Work these activities in with what you are teaching at the time if at all possible, but make sure you are working these practice items in regardless. Please include these types of activities during the other days as much as possible as well.

RESOURCES: Notebook of extra resources compiled by this department. Also, skill workbooks have been purchased for everyone in the department. McDougal and Prentice Hall resources (especially the test generator) are already available via CD and/or the teacher material kits.

Pretest Review

TO DO: The week before the test will be a time of intensive review for all JR classes. U.S. History teachers need to prepare for this.  U.S. History teachers will need to plan on doing multiple maps, graphs, charts and readings during that week as well. Everyone will go over and over the test taking tips. We will also have a teacher from RESA come in and go over test taking strategies with our 11^th grade students.

Option:  Teacher Swap for Review

RESOURCES: We will attempt to standardize the review for each subject area- every teacher doing a World History/Civics/U.S. History review will have the same resources and cover the same material. Everyone has a test-taking tips handout and overhead. If not, these are available at:

http://www.cowetaschools.org/nhs/testing/history/sstest.htm

Assign a Student- Tutor Groups

Each Social Studies teacher will be assigned a group of students from the results of the TSARS predicator test or a student that did not make the grade in the previous test administration.  They will be in contact with the students and parents about the test and the tutoring available to them.  All students will have SS tutoring available to them as the time comes around for them to take the test.

Special Education

VHS Tutors
Use collaborative teacher assistants for more work on exit exam materials.

EOCT

We have set 85% of all the students that take the test pass it, regardless of class.  This number should apply for a class overall as well as all teacher's individual classrooms.

OVERALL RESOURCES

Exit Exam Software

White/Green Exit Exam manuals. (Field's room)

Social Studies Skill manuals.

Geography Workbooks per subject area

Department Notebook of skills.

Myskillstutor.com

Graduation Review Test Site

 Test Scores

First time test takers (Juniors in high school) regular education and special education students.

1997-1998:  80%

1998-1999:  83%

1999-2000:  86%

2000-2001:  78%

2001-2002:  86%

2002-2003: 77%

2003-2004:  78%

2004-2005:  83% (87% Regular Ed Students)

2005-2006:  93%

2006-2007:  94% (97% Regular Ed students)

"Bringing our subjects to life..."