1. 1. This from my dear friend, a fellow memo reader and Headmaster of SCA who wants to write a book entitled: "Demoralizing Education.
   2. The news will not be fake but conclusions those who oppose Charter Schools could be premature because this is actually old news.  (See 1 below.)
   3. 
      
      Meanwhile, when a church pulls down plaques in order to be inclusive this is similar to Affirmative Action, in that you deprive one group to enhance another.  Perhaps the better approach is to know history and not repeat the mistakes but then I am a raving conservative and not a raving liberal (See 1 below.)
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      Dick
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      1)1)Good morning SCA family,
      
      

      Last year's CCRPI scores will be released this week. I want to remind everyone that the scores that will be in the paper have been expected and are from last year, and do not consider all the changes we've made to teach the Georgia Standards of Excellence this year.  

      
      

      Despite the scores, it should be noted that:

      • Our ELA and math scores improved in 4 of the 6 grades tested.
      • Our ELA Developing & Above scores for Black and Economically Disadvantaged students outpaced the district's.
      • Last year's 7th grade outpaced the district in ELA and math.
      • And, with every 9th grade student taking the 9th grade Literature state EOCT, SCA scores were 4th among district high schools behind two specialty schools and Islands High (30% ED).

      What we definitely know now is that the the students' performance on the state assessments has not been an accurate assessment of the high quality of education at SCA, and that our scores must improve immediately.

      
      

      Many of you have already noticed the change in our curriculum and instruction this year to better prepare our students for the Milestones assessments this spring. Much of it is quite a departure from the classical and Core Knowledge material from the last 4 years. However, in order to best prepare students for proficiency on the Milestones assessments and to ensure the future of the school, most of our time and energy must go toward explicit instruction of GSE, frameworks, vocabulary, and instruction in all assessed courses.

      
      

      To improve our CCRPI scores, we have:

      1. Realigned curriculum and instruction to address the GSE and assessed content, with a focus on 3rd-8th grades ELA and math, 5th grade and 8th grade social studies and science.
      1. For example: Last year, our social studies for 8th grade covered 20th century US and world history, yet those 8th grade students were assessed on their knowledge regarding Georgia Studies on the Milestones assessment. This year, our 8th grade students are studying Georgia.lt;/
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   1. Our math and ELA curriculum were revamped to address explicit vocabulary and frameworks of the GSE and used on the Milestones assessment.
   2. We hired an experienced Guidance Counselor and Director of Curriculum & Instruction to assist in maximizing CCRPI performance. 
   3. We are developing more consistent planning and accountability practices focused on student outcomes on benchmark and GSE-based assessments.
   4. We are offering substantially more math and ELA remediation this year to support struggling students, specifically regarding targets based on GSE performance.

   Through these measures and many more, we are confident that our students will make significant improvements on this spring's Milestones assessments and the school's CCRPI score will rise accordingly. Our faculty is quite able and hard-working, and our students are engaged and motivated to succeed this spring.

   
   

   We are thankful for all your support through this transition and are excited for the months and years ahead. We look forward to this time next year, when we will be celebrating our outstanding CCRPI scores from 2017-18!
   
   Benjamin Couch Payne
   Director, Savannah Classical Academy

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2.