Elementary Schools:
Barksdale
- Highest Aspirations award for all students in Reading/English-Language Arts and Math
- Defying the Norm award, 90 percent meeting or exceeding Reading/ELA and Math for Economically Disadvantaged students
- Defying the Norm award, 10 point growth in Reading/ELA, Math for Students With Disabilities, Math for Economically Disadvantaged students
CJ Hicks
- Highest Aspirations award for all students in Reading/ELA
- Defying the Norm award, 90 percent meeting or exceeding Reading/ELA for Economically Disadvantaged students
Flat Shoals
- Highest Aspirations award for all students in Reading/ELA
- Defying the Norm award, 90 percent meeting or exceeding Reading/ELA for Economically Disadvantaged students
- Defying the Norm award, 10 point growth in Reading/ELA for English Language Learners, Math for Students with Disabilities
Hightower Trail
- Highest Aspirations award for all students in Reading/ELA
Honey Creek
- Highest Aspirations award for all students in Reading/ELA and Math
-Defying the Norm, 90 percent meeting or exceeding Reading/ELA for Economically Disadvantaged, Math for Economically disadvantaged
JH House
- Highest Aspirations award for all students in Reading/ELA
- Defying the Norm, 90 percent meeting or exceeding Reading/ELA for Economically Disadvantaged.
Lorraine
- Highest Aspirations award for all students in Reading/ELA, Math and Writing
- Defying the Norm, 90 percent meeting or exceeding Reading/ELA for Economically Disadvantaged, Math for Economically Disadvantaged
Peek's Chapel
- Highest Aspirations award for all students in Reading/ELA
- Defying the Norm, 90 percent meeting or exceeding Reading ELA for Economically Disadvantaged
Pine Street
- Highest Aspirations award for all students in Reading/ELA
- Defying the Norm, 90 percent meeting or exceeding Reading/ELA for Economically Disadvantaged
- Defying the Norm 10 point growth in Reading/ELA for Students with Disabilities, Math for Students with Disabilities, Math for English Language Learners
Shoal Creek
- Highest Aspirations award for all students in Reading/ELA
- Defying the Norm, 90 percent meeting or exceeding Reading/ELA for Economically Disadvantaged
- Defying the Norm 10 point growth in Math for Students with Disabilities, Math for Economically Disadvantaged.
Sims
- Highest Aspirations award for all students in Reading/ELA
- Defying the Norm, 90 percent meeting or exceeding Reading/ELA for Economically Disadvantaged
- Defying the Norm 10 point growth in Reading/ELA for Students with Disabilities, Math for English Language Learners
Middle Schools:
Conyers
- Highest Aspirations award for all students in Reading/ELA
- Defying the Norm, 90 percent meeting or exceeding Reading/ELA for Economically Disadvantaged
Davis
- Highest Aspirations award for all students in Reading/ELA and Math
- Defying the Norm, 90 percent meeting or exceeding Reading/ELA for Economically Disadvantaged
Edwards
- Highest Aspirations award for all students in Reading/ELA
- Defying the Norm, 90 percent meeting or exceeding Reading/ELA for Economically Disadvantaged
Memorial
- Highest Aspirations award for all students in Reading/ELA
- Defying the Norm, 90 percent meeting or exceeding Reading/ELA for Economically Disadvantaged
High Schools:
Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology
- Highest Aspirations award for Academic Rigor, for having 100 percent of juniors and seniors take one or more AP exams
- Defying the Norm award for Academic Rigor, for having 53 percent growth in the number of economically disadvantaged students who take one or more AP exams
Rockdale County High School
- Defying the Norm award for Academic Rigor, for having 767 percent growth in the number of economically disadvantaged students who take one or more AP exams
Heritage
- Highest Aspirations award for all students in Reading/ELA, Writing
- Defying the Norm, 90 percent meeting or exceeding Reading/ELA for Economically Disadvantaged
- Defying the Norm award for Academic Rigor, for having 35 percent growth in the number of economically disadvantaged students who take one or more AP exams
Salem
- Highest Aspirations award for all students in Reading/ELA
- Defying the Norm, 90 percent meeting or exceeding Reading/ELA for Economically Disadvantaged
- Highest Aspirations award for Academic Rigor with 10 percent growth among all students who take one or more AP exams
- Defying the Norm award for Academic Rigor, for having 36 percent growth in the number of economically disadvantaged students who take one or more AP exams
Rockdale County Public Schools kicked off the start of the staff year with the return of the Highest Aspirations awards assembly on Friday.
Last year, the assembly was canceled to give educators more time to prepare for the start of school after state-mandated furlough days were instituted during teacher planning days.
This year, the assembly returned to the Church in the Now sanctuary - one of the few buildings big enough to seat all the participants, said RCPS spokesperson Cindy Ball.
This year's guest speaker, Dr. Crystal Arlene Kuykendall, author of "From Rage to Hope: Reclaiming Black and Hispanic Students," a former educator and Executive Director of the National Alliance of Black School Educators, urged educators not to forget the students that haven't achieved yet.
"As merchants of hope, you'll find many stones," she said, striding the stage. "You need to become your brother's keeper," she said, warning that those students may drag other members in the community down otherwise.
She outlined three needs all children and students have - the need for affection, the need for appreciation, and the need for achievement. She reminded teachers that children will find a way to fill these needs, either through positive paths or negative paths.
Superintendent Dr. Samuel King highlighted the school system's acheivement of Adequate Yearly Progress for the fifth year in a row, and the fact that every school in the system made AYP, for the second year in a row. He pointed out RCPS may be the only school system with more than 10,000 kids to achieve such a distinction.
The awards given included:
- The Highest Aspirations Award, given to those schools that have achieved the bar of 90 percent or more of all students meeting or exceeding in the areas of Reading/English Language Arts, Mathematics and/or Writing in the "All Student" classification.
- The "Defying the Norm" award, given to those schools that have achieved 90 percent or more of its students with disabilities, English Language learners, or economically disadvantaged meeting or exceeding in the areas of Reading / English Language Arts and / or Mathematics.
- Another "Defying the Norm" award, given to those schools that have achieved at least a 10 point academic growth among its students with disabilites, economically disadvantaged, or English language learners in the areas of Reading / English Language Arts and / or Mathematics.
- The Highest Aspirations Award for Academic Rigor, given to those schools reaching a bar of 90 percent or more students who take an AP exam receiving a 3 or higher.
- The Highest Aspirations Award for Academic Rigor, which is given to those schools achieving a 10 percent or more growth in the number of students who take one or more AP exams in the All Student classification.
- Another Highest Aspirations Award for Academic Rigor, which is given to schools that have 90 percent or more of their juniors and seniors who took one or more AP courses in 2009-2010.
- Lastly, there is a Defying the Norm Award for Academic Rigor, given to those schools that have a 10 percent growth in the number of economically disadvantaged students who take one or more AP exams.
For the full list of the awards given to schools, see the sidebar.
