School Improvement

On July 1, 2003, the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) created the School Improvement Division in the Office of Teacher and Student Support. The goal is to design and implement a coherent and sustained statewide system of support and process for improvement, providing local education agencies, local school systems, and schools in Georgia with tools and resources for continuous support to achieve Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).  You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to view many of these documents.  If you are having trouble viewing these documents, you may download a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader at the following link. http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

:: SCHOOL KEYS :: Unlocking Excellence through the Georgia School Standards

 :: GAPSS ANALYSIS:: Georgia Assessment of Performance on School Standards : Closing the Gap

 :: IMPLEMENTATION RESOURCE:: Building Capacity through Best Practices

Visit the GaDOE Office of School Improvement.

Common Educator Acronyms in Georgia Edu-Language (compliments of North GA RESA)

Georgia Performance Standards

In 2002, a new, more rigorous and relevant curriculum for Georgia’s students was introduced statewide called the Georgia Performance Standards. Developed by teachers and curriculum experts from across Georgia and the nation, the new standards provide teachers, students, and parents with a clearer set of expectations for what students must learn and retain.

The goal of these new standards, with their increased depth and rigor, is to not only increase the students’ knowledge of content, but to provide classroom environments where students practice what they learn. Students apply their knowledge in problem solving exercises and real life situations and communicate their learning to a variety of audiences. This approach allows students to gain ownership of the information they absorb.

Jasper Middle School is determined to nurture an atmosphere of constant and ongoing school improvement through the latest practices and utilization of the new standards.  Data driven school improvement is essential to student achievement and increased standardized test scores.  Please visit the Georgiastandards.org website using the link below.

  Jasper Middle School School Improvement Plan (coming soon)

   Georgia Performance Standards Phase-In Schedule (GPS Phase-in)

School Improvement Explained - GA School Standards and GAPSS Analysis

The Georgia School Standards (GSS) are a set of standards that describe what Georgia’s schools need to know, understand and be able to do, in the same manner that the Georgia Performance Standards (GPS) describe what Georgia’s students need to know, understand and be able to do. Correlated to several well-known and respected research frameworks, the standards are measured through a process known as the Georgia Assessment of Performance on School Standards (GAPSS Analysis). 

Through the GAPSS Analysis, data is collected from multiple sources to assess the status of a school on each of eight standards: Curriculum; Instruction; Assessment; Planning and Organization; Student, Family, and Community Support; Professional Learning; Leadership; and School Culture. Results of the GAPSS Analysis provide the basis for development and implementation of school improvement initiatives.

Read the condensed version of the Georgia School Standards used in the GAPSS Analysis

Technological Improvement and Enhancements

This enhanced website is the latest technological communication innovation set forth from Jasper Middle School.  The importance of student, parent, and community communication is key to the success of any school, and we will continue to provide the best possible communication medium for our stakeholders.

The school technology team keeps abreast of developments in educational technology that may benefit teachers and students, enhancing the learning process. Training is designed and delivered to maximize the instructional use of new technologies.

Jasper Middle School is studying the use of interactive response systems within the classroom. This technology consists of classroom sets of remote control devices resembling television remotes. Teachers quiz students on concepts being taught. Their answers are beamed to the teacher’s computer and can be displayed on a screen or whiteboard when an LCD projector is attached . The teacher can see instantly whether all students have responded, and how many correct answers are displayed. Easy to understand graphs of the data are instantly available. Students don’t know the identity of responders, but the teacher does, allowing her to move on to the next topic or re-teach all or only a portion of the class.

Currently, we are in the process of revising our 5-year technology plan in order to provide technologically advanced instructional systems in our classrooms.  Current and future technological advancements include:

• LCD Projectors for every classroom

• Interactive classroom response systems

• Smart Board technologies

• Computer laboratories

• Advanced web presence

• Individual teacher web presence

• Computer mini-laboratories in classrooms

• Multi-media instruction 

• Webcasting - Web to classroom instruction - interactive 

• Podcasting capability

• Video production

• Online academic supplemental instruction (Study Island, MyAccess, Successmaker)

• Upgrade / add / replace network laser printers 

• Advancement of fine arts labs

• Wireless networking

• Laptop mobile laboratories 

  International Society for Technology in Education

 National Educational Technology Standards

  Jasper Middle School Technology Plan (coming soon)

Georgia's Leadership Institute for School Improvement (GLISI)