Description of School

Shallowford Falls Elementary is one of 61 elementary schools in the Cobb County Public School System, which serves a suburb of Atlanta. Shallowford serves approximately 660 students in grades K-5 in an affluent community.

Demographics

Student Racial/Ethnic Composition:

90% White (not of Hispanic origin)

3% Asian or Pacific Islander

3% African American (not of Hispanic origin)

3% Hispanic

LEP Students: .5%

Qualify for Free/Reduced Price Lunch: 3%

Receive Special Education Services: 15%

Background and Goals

Although Shallowford students had been high achievers since the opening of the school in 1990, the staff and administration committed itself to continuous improvements. To achieve this goal, they instituted site-based decision-making and total quality management processes. Over the course of the school's growth, the staff professional development has evolved from content-specific improvements to improvements of the entire instructional program. Literacy across all subjects has been the focus of the last three years' professional development.

Professional Development Design and Implementation

• Teacher Governance. Initially, the principal provided guidance and vision in determining the direction of school improvement efforts. However, because of the teacher teams and committees, the staff now assumes power over school direction. Teachers observe and provide feedback to their colleagues on a regular basis. Groups of teachers or staff who perform related roles in the school are divided into teams. Each team has a representative on one of five major committees, and driven by the school's vision and philosophy, these committees work continuously to achieve the school's academic performance goals each year. With a web of committees, each meeting once each month, Shallowford's teachers interact often and target a variety of school issues that all focus on improving student achievement.

• Performance Standards. Shallowford staff sets specific, observable, and measurable student objectives, and designs professional development activities to produce desired results. Using identified standards, the staff tracks each student's progress in reading, language, and mathematics.

Objective Evidence of Success

Shallowford's scores on the ITBS have been steadily improving, even though their scores were already consistently higher than the district and state averages. Students' scores from 1995-1997 have risen in reading, language, and mathematics, and student performance on the state-mandated writing assessment has also improved from 1996 to 1997.

Contact Information

Shallowford Falls Elementary School
Cheryl Hunt Clements, Ph.D.
Principal
3529 Lassiter Road
Marietta, GA 30062
(770) 640-4815
(770) 640-4820 (fax)

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