February 2023

The i-Ready program by Curriculum Associates has two components: i-Ready personalized instruction and the i-Ready diagnostic assessment. The personalized instruction component provides interactive lessons based on the skill levels of individual students. The diagnostic assessment is a nationally normed adaptive formative assessment that can determine initial skill levels for personalized instruction and provides a general assessment of student achievement levels and growth. I-Ready has universal screening assessments that collect information to determine a student’s overall academic performance level and identify students who may benefit from additional services or supports to meet their learning needs. The i-Ready diagnostic has been used as a universal screening assessment in FCS.

The Department of Program Evaluation (DPE) contracted with Georgia State University’s Metro Atlanta Policy Lab for Education (MAPLE) to conduct this impact evaluation. The findings in this brief are abbreviated from their evaluation report.

January 2023

Background: As part of the Fulton County School’s FOCUS Plan, the district designed more rigorous and larger-scale summer learning opportunities to accelerate learning and curb learning loss that occurred during the pandemic. The elementary and middle school Summer Learning was focused on math and reading skill recovery, while high school Summer Learning was dedicated to credit recovery.

This report summarizes and synthesizes program evaluation efforts of the review team at Gibson Consulting Group, Inc. (Gibson) related to the FOCUS Plan from 2021-22. Gibson’s program evaluation covered several elements within the FOCUS plan, including the following: Summer Learning 2021, Curriculum Mapping and Assessment related to Learning Acceleration, High-Dosage Tutoring/Small Group Instruction, and Extended Learning Time (ELT). This report aggregates each report's essential elements into a synthesis that offers a picture of each program. 

Completed August 2022

Background: Fulton County Schools opened two STEM magnet high schools in the fall of 2021: Global Impact Academy (GIA) and Innovation Academy (IA). The schools had a unique goal: to encourage students to explore their passions and talents by providing multiple high-demand Career Technology Pathways that incorporate design thinking with an integrated STEM curriculum.

Completed August 2022

Background: FAVE was designed for families of students in grades 3-11 that prefer remote learning as the permanent instructional model for their child(ren). Teachers and students work remotely, utilizing a mix of synchronous and asynchronous instruction to meet grade-level and graduation requirements. The COVID-19 Pandemic learning disruption demonstrated that many students learn successfully through remote learning due to its “anywhere/anytime” approach.

Completed July 2022

Background: In 2021, Fulton County Schools (FCS) implemented Every Child Reads (ECR) as a new campaign to "recover" literacy learning in response to educational challenges and disruption resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. ECR focuses on improving literacy instruction in FCS through evidence-based instructional practices and materials and concentrates on the National Reading Panel's "Five Pillars of Reading," which includes phonemic awareness, phonics, reading fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

January 2022

Background: As part of the Fulton County School’s FOCUS Plan, the district designed more rigorous and larger-scale summer learning opportunities to accelerate learning, support students in the adjustment back to in-person learning, and curb learning loss that occurred during the pandemic. The elementary and middle school Summer Learning was focused on math and reading skill recovery, while high school Summer Learning was dedicated to credit recovery.

June 2021

Background: Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is an evidence-based, data-driven framework proven to reduce disciplinary incidents, increase a school’s sense of safety, and support improved academic outcomes. The premise of PBIS is that continual character education instruction, combined with acknowledgment or feedback of positive student behavior, will reduce unnecessary discipline and promote a climate of greater productivity, safety, and learning.

June 2021

Background: The Student Success Skills Framework (SSS) was developed in the 2017-2018 school year. Staggered implementation began in September 2020 and January 2021 with the expectation that SSS instruction would take place for a total of 40 minutes per week over 2+ days. SSS outlines FCS established standards for the skills necessary to demonstrate mastery of academic and interpersonal skills needed for college, career, and life success. The Student Success Skills fall into these categories: Adulting Skills; Soft Skills; and Social Emotional Learning.

June 2021

Background: The Fulton County Schools gifted program considers the “unique learning characteristics, interests, personal needs, and capabilities of gifted children” to address their additional learning needs. This program provides specialized educational experiences that accelerate and enrich the traditional school curriculum.

June 2021

Background: Fulton County Schools takes a school-focused, decentralized approach to instruction. The curriculum is not standardized across the district, and schools and teachers have a fair amount of choice in delivering instruction. The development of the Standards Mastery Framework (SMF) began in 2015 to increase mastery for teachers, enhancing teacher learning which, in turn, impacts student learning.

Completed June 2021

Background: The Literacy Framework is a district-developed framework designed to provide a roadmap for instruction in the five pillars of reading and writing to ensure that all students read at or above grade level. There are two parts to the framework, one for elementary (K-5) and another for secondary (6-12). District literacy leaders created the Literacy Framework along with RMC Research in the spring of 2015. The initial implementation of the framework began in the fall of 2015, followed by more professional learning in 2016-17. The focus of the professional learning was to ensure systems, structures, and processes were in place for the LF, including a schedule breakdown of time dedicated to literacy and an emphasis on the five pillars of reading. A train-the-trainer model was utilized with principals, Curriculum Support Teachers (CSTs), and coaches to disseminate professional learning to teachers.