The Walker County Board of Education congratulates Chastity Steadman, the first teacher in Walker County Schools to complete the rigorous requirements for Georgia Master Teacher status through the Georgia Professional Standards Commission.

Steadman is in her 10th year of teaching 8th grade math at LaFayette Middle School.  She received a Master's in Middle Grades Education and an Ed.S. in Educational Leadership from Berry College and has completed endorsements for both Teacher of the Gifted and ESOL.

Governor Sonny Perdue initiated the Georgia Master Teacher Certification Program in 2005 to honor and recognize certified public school teachers who have at least three years of classroom teaching experience and consistently demonstrate excellence of instruction evidenced through student achievement.  "They are masters at inspiring students to learn," said Perdue. 

Steadman is one of only fifty-seven teachers statewide to achieve Master Teacher status in 2008 and the first in Walker County Schools.

Pictured:  Superintendent Melissa Mathis with Chastity Steadman, Board Chairman Mike Carruth and Board members Patty Hart, Phyllis Hunter, Susan Wells and James A. Smith.

 

    Yes, according to the latest report from the Georgia Department of Education (GDOE) for the 2007-2008 school year, Walker County Schools met or exceeded 95% of national benchmarks set by federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) guidelines.  Superintendent Melissa Mathis credited a concerted district-wide effort involving everyone from students and parents to teachers and administrators for this achievement.  "This validates that we are doing the right work for the right reasons – student achievement," said Mathis.

 

    With the addition of last year, eight elementary schools have consistently made AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) for the last six years and eight were recognized as Title I Schools of Distinction last year.  Rossville Middle School has achieved AYP for the last three years consecutively and both Chattanooga Valley and LaFayette Middle Schools made AYP for 2008 surpassing the state average.

 

    "We are very proud of this great achievement, but we are not slowing down," said Michael Tipton, Coordinator of School Improvement.  Three of Walker County's fourteen schools did not meet the mark for 2008.  However, Rossville Elementary, which dipped in only one of thirteen markers, is expected to meet with summer test scores.  Neither high school made AYP in this report, mainly due to graduation rates that did not meet the state level for one-year increase.

 

    "We know we still have room for improvement.  AYP is a snapshot of student progress gauged only by scores from one week of testing in elementary and middle grades.  We use these tests as only one indicator of our student achievement along with a battery of multiple level assessments throughout the year," said Mathis. 

 

    "The federal government (NCLB) and the GDOE use these measures as the total report card and for federal funding purposes.  Each of us should try to understand standardized testing and the AYP Report so we can make a truly comparative analysis of what our students are learning," she said.

 

    Headlines may tout not meeting some benchmarks as failures but in common sense wisdom, is the glass half empty or half full?  With three of fourteen schools meeting in 156 out of 164 individual indicators including small subgroups, the glass in Walker County Schools is almost full. 

 

    "And that is where we intend to go," said Nancy Lance, Coordinator of Curriculum.  "Our revised AYP standing this fall, which should be even higher, will give us a clearer picture of what our students need and how we can close these gaps so that every child meets and exceeds standards in every category."

 

    Serving nearly 10,000 students and a very diverse student body, the Walker County School District is large enough to be held accountable for all but three documented subgroups on the national level.  It is important to take variables into account when comparing district to district and system to system.  Due to smaller numbers or less diverse student populations, some are not required to meet as many standards as Walker County.

 

    "Increased accountability raises the bar for Walker County Schools," said Lance.  "Through extensive research, planning and training, we now have implemented in all schools, pre-k through twelve grade, multiple programs and resources to address the needs of all our children whether in closing a gap to grade-level proficiency or challenging gifted students in Advanced Placement (college level classes)."

 

    "Although our rate of students completing their high school education is nearly 80% and increasing, our graduation rate as calculated by the state is just over 57% and is just not good enough.  Focusing on our mission, we begin with pre-k supporting our students throughout every grade.  An education in Walker County Schools is more rigorous and more relevant as we strive to graduate all students ready for college, ready for work and ready for life," concluded Mrs. Mathis.