Dr. Payne referred to the school

system's Balanced Scorecard in his presentation to the Fulton County Board

of Education at its January 16 meeting. Fulton's Balanced Scorecard measures

progress in five goal areas: student achievement, stakeholder involvement

and satisfaction, efficient and effective processes, staff learning and

growth, and sound fiscal responsibility.

An eight-year increase of SAT

scores and the continued closing of the north and south county performance

gaps highlighted the presentation. "Fulton's SAT gains are

phenomenal," said Dr. Payne, "especially when coupled with the

fact that 88% of our students took the test. Nationally, an average 45%

of the 2001-02 high school graduates took the test.

"We also are closing

the performance gap and erasing the lines between south and north Fulton

County schools without lowering results of our highest performing schools,"

he said. "Our scorecard improvements touch all communities in the

school district, with marked improvement in most south Fulton schools."

The school system's annual

work plans represent the collaborative efforts of everyone from the Board

of Education and administration to the classroom teachers and parents.

Year after year schools plan for improvement and meet and/or exceed their

strategic plan targets.

The school system reports that

their strategies are working and significant progress has been made in

the past three years, from 1999-00 to 2001-02, including:

Student mastery and nationally

competitive

The percentage of students

meeting and/or exceeding performance expectations on the state CRCT tests

increased from 1999-00 to 2001-02

· Fourth grade reading

increased from 79 to 86

· Fourth grade math increased

from 71 to 76

· Sixth grade reading

increased from 81 to 85

· Sixth grade math increased

from 74 to 75

· Eighth grade reading

declined slightly from 87 to 86

· Eighth grade math increased

from 70 to 75

· High school students

who earn college credit prior to graduation increased from 10% to 16%

in 2001-02

· 76 percent of students

taking Advanced Placement examinations earned a score of 3 or higher in

2001-02, which was a 39 percent increase over 1999-00. This also is 17

percent greater than the state and southern region averages and 13 percent

greater than the global average.

· The system-wide SAT

(Scholastic Achievement Test) average has increased for eight consecutive

years, from 992 in 1993 to 1039 in 2001-02. At the same time, the number

of students taking this optional test increased from 1,837 to 3,192.

Safe and nurturing schools

Schools maintain a safe and

nurturing climate. Only 7 percent of Fulton parents expressed a safety

concern, compared to 31 percent nationally

Employee satisfaction

· Fulton teachers are

just as satisfied with their jobs as are teachers nationally

· 52 percent of teachers

have more than 7 years of experience

· Fulton has 72 National

Board Certified teachers, the most of any school system in the state

Stakeholder involvement

· Schools reported an

increase of more than 87,000 volunteer hours between 2000-01 to 2001-02,

which reflects the support of 97,738 volunteers

· All schools have a Local

School Advisory Council led by the principal, and 53 percent of schools

have established the new state-mandated 7-member council

· On an annual parent

satisfaction survey, 82 percent of parents indicated satisfaction with

their overall experience with their child's school, as compared to 68

percent nationally.

Fulton's parent satisfaction

level is equal to that of parents with students in private or parochial

schools nationally.

Efficient and effective business

processes

·New schools continued

to open on time and under budget with four opening in 2001-02: one high

school, two middle schools, and one elementary. Construction began on

three new schools.

· Breakfast and lunch

was served each day to 81 percent of the students, and a seamless summer

nutrition program for students was added at 25 schools

· Bus drivers maintain

a safety record of less than five preventable accidents per million miles

driven

· The first day of school

began with textbooks, equipment, and supplies in place at all schools

· Only 0.8 percent teacher

vacancies remained at the first day of school compared with 4% in 1999-00

Sound fiscal management

·Final budget was within

one percent of projected revenue and expenses

The final line of "The

Tortoise and The Hare" reminds readers not to 'brag about your lightning

pace, for Slow and Steady won the race!'

With three years of steady,

but deliberate, academic progress, the Fulton County School System has

much to celebrate but continually strives for improvement and to uphold

its reputation as one of the premier school systems in the state and nation.