Boynton Elementary School fifth-grade students raise their hands hoping teacher Blake O’Keefe will call on them. O’Keefe said students all want to answer questions so they can use the new Smart Board designed for interactive learning.Top North Georgia schools that gained the most in third- or eighth-grade grade reading:School // Increase from last yearCity Park School // 13 percentPark Creek Elementary // 10 percentCedar Ridge Elementary // 8.3 percentFairyland Elementary // 4.5 percentSchools that lost the most in third- or eighth-grade reading:Mountain Creek Academy // -9.4 percentWestwood Elementary // -8.36 percentPleasant Grove Elementary // -8.31 percentEton Elementary // -5 percentSchools that gained the most in third- or eighth-grade math:Cedar Ridge Elementary // 24.37 percentDavis Elementary // 14.7 percentRoan Elementary // 14.3 percentEastside Elementary //14 percentSchools that lost the most in third- or eighth-grade math:Valley Point Elementary // -17 percentTolbert Elementary // -16.3 percentDug Gap Elementary // -14.5 percentRock Springs Elementary // -12.5 percentSource: Georgia Department of Education
Third-graders at Boynton Elementary School posted a 100 percent passing rate on state reading tests for the second year in a row, an achievement Principal Gina Haynes credits to dedicated teachers and the use of more visual aids to help her Catoosa County students understand subjects.
Teachers devoted extra time for students struggling in reading and math by putting them into smaller groups during class periods, Haynes said. Teachers also set aside time for struggling students, and as those students mastered concepts, others were brought into the group.
“Our teachers are phenomenal,” she said.
State education officials released school-by-school results of this year’s Georgia Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests for third- through eight-graders. The annual tests measure student performance in five subjects: reading, math, science, social studies and language. Math and science scores showed the most variation in North Georgia schools.