Author Archives: Stan Jester

Earn College Credit in High School

Attention Parents!  Your student can earn college credit in high school.

Dual Enrollment/Dual Credit programs provide opportunities for Georgia high school students to take college-level courses and earn concurrent credit toward a high school diploma and a college degree while still in high school.
Dual Enrollment/Dual Credit courses are primarily available for any eligible 11th or 12th grade (in some limited cases 9th-10th) high school students. Students may enroll full-time or part-time in approved credit-bearing college-level courses by the State Board of Education.
Required Dates and Information to Parents and Students
April 1, 2015 is the deadline for dual enrollment general information to be provided to all 8th through 11th grade students and their parents each school year, as required by Georgia legislation.
If you want your child enrolled in a dual enrollment program, Georgia legislation requires a parent conference with the high school counselor where the following programs are explained and the appropriate dual enrollment/dual credit forms can be completed and signed to ensure enrollment.
Dual Enrollment/Dual Credit Facts
Eligible dual enrollment/dual credit courses are included in state-approved course lists, including the Accel list, Dual Enrollment Matrix Course Directory, and the Move on When Ready Supplemental List.
One to two college semester hours will earn ½ high school unit, while three to five college hours will earn a full high school unit.
If colleges and universities provide letter grades for their courses, the local system will create a numerical conversion chart for all dual enrollment credit courses.
Dual enrollment/dual credit courses may be taken before, during, or after regular school hours, and may be taught on the college
campus, on-line or at the high school during the regular school calendar year.

Dual Enrollment/Dual Credit Programs in Georgia


Accel

  • Accel is a non-need based program offered for students that wish to take college-level (academic-only, degree-level) coursework for credit toward both high school and college graduation requirements.
  • The Accel Program became state funded instead of lottery funded beginning fall 2011. Students may attend part-time or full-time.

www.gsfc.org/gsfcnew/SandG_regs_2013.cfm
Dual HOPE Grant

  • Dual HOPE Grant is a non-need based grant program for students seeking technical certificates or diplomas from one of the Technical College System of Georgia institutions.
  • Students may attend part-time or full-time. Beginning fall 2011, funding was returned to local systems for Dual HOPE Grant students.

www.gsfc.org/main/publishing/pdf/2014/2014-HOPE-Grant.pdf
Move On When Ready

  • Move on When Ready requires an eligible 11th or 12th grade student to be enrolled full-time and take ALL courses through an eligible postsecondary institution.
  • Students receive secondary and college credit for completing graduation and high school diploma requirements.
  • Tuition for Move on When Ready students is paid by the Georgia Department of Education to the designated technical college, college or university.
  • A full-time student can take between 12 and 15 credit hours each semester.

www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/CTAE/Pages/Transition-Career-Partnerships.aspx
Articulated Credit

  • Articulated Credit provides students the opportunity to receive both high school and post-secondary course credit after successfully completing identified academic and career-related courses leading to a diploma, certificate or degree.
  • Successfully passing selected statewide articulated course assessments provide opportunities for post secondary and high school credit for high school students.
  • There are no costs for participation in articulation as the high school courses are taught at the local high school, during their normal school day with the regular high school teachers.

Early College

  • Early College is a partnership between a designated local school system and a University System of Georgia institution.
  • Early College provides students with the opportunity to earn a high school diploma and coursework toward an associate’s or a bachelor’s degree.

www.gaearlycollege.org/
Gateway To College

  • Gateway to College programs are located exclusively on college campuses and include local agreements between local school systems and colleges.

www.gatewaytocollege.org/partner_programs.asp
Residential Programs
Residential Programs are offered for gifted, talented, and motivated students through the University System of Georgia at two institutions:

  • The Advanced Academy of Georgia on the campus of the University of West Georgia

www.advancedacademy.org/

  • The Georgia Academy of Mathematics, Engineering and Science at Middle Georgia College

www.mgc.edu/Academics/Natural-Science-Math/GAMES

Austin Elementary Construction Update

Cynthia Brictson and Michael Thurmond were on hand at the Austin Elementary School Council meeting Wednesday where John Jambro, Director of Design & Construction, delivered an Austin Replacement School Update.
Two things are perfectly clear;  1)  The school district does not know what to do with the students during the rebuild.  2)  The community would like a school with a capacity of 750 students and not a prototypical school with 900 students.
To that end, the district is currently performing a feasibility study to determine if renovation is a viable option.  The output of the feasibility study will include

  • Renovation and addition cost model
  • Conceptual building plan
  • Determination of a suitable location for a possible facility expansion

Austin ES Replacement/Renovation Timeline

Identify Swing Space Ongoing
Solicit Design Professional Mar- June 2015
(New) Feasibility Study Mar – April 2015
Planning / Design June 2015 – April 2016
Decommission and Vacate Austin ES May 2016
(Last day of classes)
Move to Swing Space Location May 2016 – June 2016
(Aug ’16 School Year Start)
Demolition and Rebuild of Austin Sept 2016 – June 2018
FFE & Equipment for Austin ES July 2018
Occupy New Austin ES August 2018

2014 Dist 1 ES Enrollment & Capacity
.pdf link icon Enrollment/Capacity Numbers in Oct 2014

School Enroll Capacity PctCap Portables
Ashford Park ES 574 563 102% 5
Austin ES 637 616 103% 4
Cary Reynolds ES 1163 749 155% 21
Chesnut ES 452 570 79% 3
Dresden ES 1183 850 139% 14
Dunwoody ES 979 973 101%
Hightower ES 832 635 131% 13
Huntley Hills ES 493 532 93% 3
Kingsley ES 568 500 114% 5
Kittredge ES 458 590 78%
Montclair ES 1128 792 142% 16
Montgomery ES 754 699 108% 5
Oakcliff ES 730 752 97%
Vanderlyn ES 714 576 124% 11
Woodward ES 1041 826 126% 12

Austin ES Projected Enrollment

Year Enrollment
2011 653
2012 647
2013 630
2014 637
2015 642
2016 655
2017 671
2018 678
2019 686
2020 691
2021 698

Related Documents

From Nancy Jester
The 10-Year Facility Master Plan “did not consider capacity and projected growth when SPLOST IV projects were identified,” according to Nancy Jester, former DeKalb Schools board member.  “The SPLOST process is political.  The data was made to fit the predetermined decisions in order to justify the building list.”
She goes on to say,

“The DeKalb Board of Education sent a referendum to the voters that funds building new elementary schools where we will only need 40% of the current capacity. Yet, in areas that are already at 100% and projected to need much more, DeKalb is adding very little capacity. Many communities are looking at having trailers in perpetuity. Even if some of the capacity needs were addressed in the next SPLOST, effectively a generation of children will have gone through school in trailers.
When SPLOST IV ends, DeKalb’s taxpayers will have given the school district approximately $2 billion to build and improve schools. It is unconscionable that we have so many children in trailers throughout the district. The weight of this fact was not lost on me during the SPLOST IV process while I was on the board. This is the primary reason I voted against taking this referendum to the public.”

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