Elementary Curriculum Handbook
Sections
- Planning Ahead – College and Career Ready
- Standards
- Grading
- State Assessments
- District Assessments
- Promotion, Retention, and Placement
- Continuous Achievement
- Multi-tiered System of Supports (MTSS)
- Reading/English Language Arts
- Mathematics
- Science
- Social Studies
- World Language
- Art
- Health and Physical Education
- Music
- Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID)
- Early Intervention Program (EIP)
- English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)
- Extended Learning
- International Baccalaureate (IB)
- Pre-Kindergarten
- Special Education
- Talented and Gifted (TAG)
- Title I
- Media Services
- Digital Resources for Learning
- Online Learning Options
Planning Ahead – College and Career Ready
The global economy and the skills needed for the 21st century require a rigorous and well-rounded K-12 education. The old method of separating students into “college bound” and “work bound” is no longer sufficient in the world of education. Students need to know more and be better equipped to apply that knowledge in order to tackle increasingly complex issues and problems. Fulton schools are addressing this need through the increase of rigor and critical thinking skills for all students.
The Elementary Professional School Counselors coordinate and/or deliver seventeen Career Counseling Lessons. Sixteen of the seventeen Career Guidance Lessons are aligned with the sixteen National Career Clusters: Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources; Architecture & Construction; Arts, A/V Technology & Communications; Business Management & Administration; Education & Training; Finance: Government & Public Administration; Health Science; Hospitality & tourism; Human Services; Information Technology; Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security; Manufacturing; Marketing; Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics; and Transportation, Distribution & Logistics. The 17th Career Guidance Lesson is Energy; for recently the state of Georgia recognized Energy as an additional Career Cluster for the state of Georgia. First, second, and third grade students each receive three of the Career Counseling Lessons; while fourth and fifth grade students each receive four of the lessons.
Curriculum in Fulton County Schools
Curriculum is defined as a plan for learning. It encompasses all the learning experiences a student encounters under the guidance of the school. The curriculum in Fulton County Schools focuses on the development and application of skills and knowledge as identified by the state of Georgia, national curriculum standards, and local system objectives. Interactive learning and hands-on-experience are central to the Board of Education’s vision for the effective delivery of instruction and increased emphasis on higher academic achievement for all children.
The overall goal of K-5 curriculum emphasizes the relationship between ideas and seeks to:
- provide students opportunities to experience a continuum of activities with appropriate emphasis in each instructional area
- help students acquire and apply critical thinking skills
- help teachers identify and teach to a variety of learning styles
- help teachers utilize information from formal and informal assessments to plan and adapt instruction
- integrate new technology into the curriculum
- guide teachers in emphasizing global and multicultural concepts
Standards
The Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE) and Georgia Performance Standards (GPS) provide schools and families clear guidelines for teaching and learning. The standards explain what students should know, understand, and be able to do at the conclusion of a grade level or course. The standards define the level of rigor expected in the work enabling the teacher to know “how good is good enough.” The standards provide the framework for Fulton County Schools to prepare students to be college and career ready.
Grading
Teachers use a variety of ongoing, developmentally appropriate methods to measure student progress such as tests, exams, rubrics, quizzes, projects, reports, homework, class participation and other assignments. Teachers should use their own judgment in determining how much weight to give each graded activity.
Grades are based on the individual student's mastery of state standards for the grade level and/or course in which the student is currently placed, subject to any Individual Education Plan (IEP). Grades should not be determined by a bell curve. Academic grades should not be lowered as a result of unsatisfactory conduct except in cases of cheating.
Student grades will be determined by using the following categories:
- Major: An assignment or assessment that is cumulative in nature, measuring multiple standards/skills, and/or when there is a significant amount of dedicated instructional time devoted to the content being assessed.
- Minor: An assignment or assessment that measures an individual standard or subset of standards/skills within a unit and/or when there is a small amount of dedicated instructional time devoted to the content being assessed.
- Practice: Daily assignments, observations, and/or engagement activities given in class or for homework given to students to build and/or remediate skills. Practice has a maximum weight of 15 percent in the grade book.
All schools will provide students and parents/guardians with a progress report that measures their academic progress on a 4.5-week basis throughout the school year. This can be done electronically or by sending a paper copy home. At the end of each semester, students will be issued a formal report card to represent the student’s final semester average. A printed copy of the report card should be sent home.
A student’s teacher or the school must notify the parent/guardian and provide the opportunity for an individual conference in person, virtually, or by telephone when a student is:
- In danger of not meeting expectations and/or their course average goes below a 70
- In danger of retention and/or will be recommended for retention
- In danger of receiving an incomplete for the quarter and/or the course
- In danger of not graduating or failing a class required for graduation
- Recommended to change a class or placement level
Listed in the chart below are the academic symbols used for the Report Card and the Non-Academic Skills in grades K-5.
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Report Card |
Non-Academic Skills |
Grades K -2 |
EM Exceeding Mastery (90-100) M Mastering (80-89) AM Approaching Mastery (70-79) NYM Not Yet Demonstrating Mastery (69 and Below) NG No Grade |
Self-Direction Collaboration Problem Solving Work Habits |
Grades 2 – 5 |
A 90 and Above B 80-89 C 70-79 F Below 70 W/(1-100) Withdrawn P/F Pass or Fail NG No grade I Incomplete CR Credit NC Non-Credit |
Self-Direction Collaboration Problem Solving Work Habits |
State Assessments
Georgia Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills 2.0 (GKIDS 2.0) and GKIDS Readiness Check
GKIDS 2.0 is a progression-based formative assessment, integrated into classroom work, that is aligned to the Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE). GKIDS 2.0 provides teachers with one source of real-time information to adjust instruction, by identifying what a student already knows, what the student needs next, and by allowing the teacher to monitor growth. Kindergarten students are assessed in English Language Arts, Mathematics, Approaches to Learning, and Personal/Social Development.
During the first six weeks of school, the GKIDS Readiness Check is administered. The GKIDS Readiness Check is aligned to the Georgia Early Learning and Development Standards (GELDS) and correlated to the state mandated content standards for kindergarten. The goal of the assessment is to provide information about the skills of students entering kindergarten. The primary purpose of the GKIDS Readiness Check is to highlight knowledge and skills critical for student success in learning – solely to guide instruction. The GKIDS Readiness Check is designed to be developmentally appropriate, reflecting research-based best practices for young learners, and will provide information that allows kindergarten teachers to individualize student instruction. The Readiness Check assessed students in Foundations of School Success, English Language Arts, and Mathematics
Georgia Alternate Assessment 2.0 (GAA)
The GAA 2.0 is designed to ensure that students with significant cognitive disabilities are provided access to the state academic content standards and given the opportunity to demonstrate achievement of the knowledge, concepts, and skills inherent in the standards. Unlike the GAA, the GAA 2.0 is not a portfolio-based assessment. Thus, it will measure students’ achievement and not progress. The GAA 2.0 will be administered to all eligible students in Grades 3-5. Students in Grades 3-5 will be assessed in English Language Arts and Mathematics. Students in Grade 5 will also be assessed in Science.
Georgia Milestones
Since 2015, the Georgia Milestones Assessment System has been administered to students in grades 3 through 5. The purpose of the assessments is to provide a valid measure of end of grade (EOG) student achievement of the rigorous state content standards and provide a clear indication of the student’s preparedness for the next educational level. The assessments require students to utilize multiple types of responses, or answers, to questions or prompts: selected responses (multiple choice items), constructed responses, extended responses, and technology enhanced items.
For students with disabilities, each student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) team determines how the student shall participate in Georgia’s student assessment program. If a student’s IEP team determines that a student cannot meaningfully access the Georgia Milestones Assessment System, even with maximum appropriate accommodations, then the student will participate in the Georgia Alternate Assessment (GAA 2.0).
ACCESS for ELLs
ACCESS for ELLs is administered, annually, to all English learners in Georgia. ACCESS for ELLs is a standards-based, criterion referenced English language proficiency test designed to measure English learners’ social and academic proficiency in English. It assesses social and instructional English as well as the language associated with language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies within the school context across the four language domains. ACCESS for ELLs meets the federal requirements that mandates require states to evaluate EL students in grades K through 12 on their progress in learning to speak English. ACCESS for ELLs is used to determine the English language proficiency levels and progress of ELs in the domains of speaking, listening, reading, and writing.
District Assessments
i-Ready Diagnostic
The i-Ready diagnostic assessment is a computer-adaptive test that measures skills in Reading and Math. i-Ready is used as a universal screener and a nationally normed assessment. The Diagnostic is designed to allow students to see questions at their individual level of development or mastery. All students in grades K-8 take i-Ready two to three times a year.
i-Ready results help determine a student's overall academic performance level and identify students who may benefit from additional services or supports to meet their learning needs. i-Ready is also an instructional technology platform. The online instructional component uses data from the diagnostic assessment to create a personalized instructional path to target a student's individual areas of need. Teachers also utilize data to make instructional decisions in the classroom. i-Ready Diagnostic scores should not be used as a part of a student’s grade.
MAP Growth
The NWEA MAP assessment is a computer-adaptive test that measures skills in Reading and Math. MAP is used as a nationally normed assessment. As students answer questions correctly or incorrectly, the test adjusts the level of difficulty based on individual performance. All students in grade 4 take MAP once a year.
Teachers can use the results to help inform instruction, personalize learning, and monitor the growth of individual students. Administrators can use the results to help see the performance and progress of a grade level, school, or the entire district. MAP Growth is not used as a part of a student's grade. MAP Growth can be used as a criterion for TAG eligibility.
**All 2024-25 testing windows are subject to change based on GaDOE policy and requirements.
Elementary Testing Windows |
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GKIDS Readiness Check |
Kindergarteners |
August 5 – September 13, 2024 |
GKIDS 2.0 |
Kindergarteners |
August 5, 2023 – May 22, 2025 |
Georgia Milestones End of Grade (EOG) |
Grades 3-5 |
April 28 – May 16, 2025 |
Georgia Alternate Assessment |
Grades 3-5 students with significant cognitive disabilities |
March 24 – April 25, 2025 |
ACCESS for ELLs |
Grades K-5 English learners |
January 15 – February 28, 2025 |
i-Ready |
Grades K-5 |
August 12 – August 30, 2024 (Grades K-5)
December 2 – December 13, 2024 (Grades K-5)
April 14 – May 2, 2025 (Grades K-2)
May 12 – May 16, 2025 (Grade 3 Reading)
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MAP Growth |
Grade 4 |
September 23 – October 4, 2024 |
For more information on assessments in Fulton County Schools, visit the Assessment website at https://www.fultonschools.org/assessment.
Promotion, Retention, and Placement
In order to help assure appropriate achievement as students progress through their school experience, the Fulton County Board of Education establishes the following basic promotion and retention procedures for elementary and middle school schools:
A student shall be promoted when, in the professional judgment of the school’s promotion/retention committee (see below) or the Student Support Team (SST) he/she has successfully met instructional standards for the grade level/course(s) in which he/she is currently enrolled. This shall be based on the following criteria:
- Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE) or Georgia Performance Standards (GPS), as applicable;
- The Fulton County School System Curriculum Handbooks; and
- State-mandated and other standardized test data, as appropriate and required.
The following should also be considered by the professional school staff in determining promotion, retention, or placement of a student:
- Student's cumulative work;
- Overall classroom performance and participation;
- Universal screening and progress monitoring data;
- Previous interventions, including retentions;
- Age and level of social and emotional maturity; and
- Regular school attendance.
A student shall not be retained more than once in grades K through 8, except with the approval of the school's Zone Superintendent. Students who will be 13 years old on or before July 1 should not be retained in the elementary grades and students who will be 16 years old on or before July 1 should not be retained in the middle grades. Such placements should be made upon enrollment or before the start of the school year.
State Promotion and Retention Requirements for Grades Three and Five
Third and fifth grade students are required to pass a state test in order to be promoted to the next grade level. According to the law:
- Third grade students must score on or above grade level on the reading component of the English/Language Arts Georgia Milestones in order to be promoted to fourth grade.
- Fifth grade students are required to perform on or above grade level on the reading component of the English/Language Arts test and at or above the Developing Learner level in mathematics on the Georgia Milestones in order to be promoted to sixth grade.
- Third and fifth grade students who do not take the state-adopted assessment in grades 3 and 5 in reading and/or mathematics on any of the designated testing date(s) will result in the student being retained. The option of the parent or guardian or teacher(s) to appeal the decision to retain the student shall follow the procedure set forth in the state rule.
You may also read the official rule at http://www.gadoe.org/External-Affairs-and-Policy/State-Board-of-Education/SBOE%20Rules/160-4-2-.11.pdf.
Elementary and Middle School Grade Placement of Students
- A student entering or returning to a Fulton County elementary or middle school from a non-accredited public/private school or home school will be evaluated by designated school personnel. Fulton County placement assessments will be used in the areas of mathematics, reading and language arts to inform the placement decision.
- A student’s instructional level (on-level, advanced, accelerated) will be determined by the results obtained from the aforementioned assessments.
- A student will not be placed more than one grade below age-appropriate placement.
Continuous Achievement
The Fulton County Board of Education supports our mission statement that each child should be given the opportunity to reach their full potential. To that end, our continuous achievement framework for advancement allows each child to progress in language arts and math at their optimum pace and depth, expanding and compacting the curriculum as appropriate. The framework is implemented in all elementary and middle schools and includes a process for advancement in the current grade level and an acceleration process which allows a student to advance above grade level.
While no child will be placed below their current grade level, there will be no artificial barrier to moving ahead. Students are accelerated when they demonstrate exceptional performance for their age-appropriate grade level and exhibit strong skills for advancing a grade level. Although the guidelines provide criteria for a high percentage of mastery on the acceleration assessments, overall aptitude demonstrated by the collective evidence of past performance and teacher feedback will be considered, with the best interest of the students in mind.
Each student will be identified as “on-level”, “advanced”, or “accelerated” to clearly communicate their continuous achievement level. The advanced curriculum is written at a different pace, depth and instructional level than the on-level curriculum, in order to provide appropriate rigor and challenge for students. Teachers will teach no more than two levels (on, advanced, accelerated) during the reading/language arts and mathematics instructional period.
Students are placed in the appropriate curriculum based on performance on system-level diagnostic assessments, standardized test data, student grades, and teacher recommendation. Recommendations concerning instructional placement and progress of students shall be the responsibility of the local school teacher and other professional staff directly involved with the student.
Specific criteria for placement are established to support the students’ most appropriate placement for instruction. Every 18 weeks, student performance within the level at which a student is placed is reviewed to determine if the placement level continues to be appropriate in meeting the student’s learning needs. Provisions are also made for students who need to be accelerated more than one grade level above the “on grade level” curriculum. These provisions include transportation to their zoned middle or high school as appropriate.
Provisions will be provided for parents of students not recommended for the advanced or accelerated levels to request a waiver for their student to be placed at these levels of instruction.
Multi-tiered System of Supports (MTSS)
Multi-tiered System of Supports is a framework that integrates data-driven problem-solving and evidence-based interventions to address academic, social, emotional, and behavioral concerns for all students.
What are the essential components of a Multi-tiered System of Supports?
- Universal (district-wide) screening of academics to determine which students need intervention
- A multi-level prevention system of increasingly intense evidence-based interventions that are matched to student needs
- Progress monitoring tools and processes to assess and analyze students’ responses to aligned interventions
- Data-based decision making occurring at all levels with screening and progress monitoring data are used as primary sources to determine movement within tiers
- Infrastructure that includes the mechanisms that operationalize the essential components of MTSS and supports leadership, professional learning, teaming, and family/community engagement
What are the Three Tiers of a Multi-level Prevention System in MTSS?
Tier 1 – All students receive standards-based instruction matched to their readiness level in the general education classroom. Behavioral expectations are also specifically taught and reinforced in this tier. Schools will assess all students to determine what students are at-risk for not meeting grade level appropriate skills.
Tier 2 –Some students will be identified with skill gaps in reading, math, or behavior. In Tier 2, identified students will receive targeted intervention in their specific area of weakness. Progress monitoring data collection occurs at a set pace to assess effectiveness of the selected intervention.
Tier 3 – Students who do not respond to targeted intervention in Tier 2 will participate in intensive intervention in Tier 3. Data collection occurs more frequently to ensure timely adjustments in intervention implementation. Students who receive tier 3 interventions will have a Student Support Team (SST), an interdisciplinary group of general educators who meet at consistent intervals to review progress monitoring data and make data-based decisions on continuing, changing, or ceasing the intervention.
How Can Parents Help? (Georgia Department of Education, 2009)
Parents are a critical partner in the continual success of the learning in school. Active participation is the key. Read the standards for your child's grade or course. Ask for ways you can help at home to improve your child's school performance. Participate in parent conferences and meetings related to overall progress in the standards and intervention participation. Parents are invited members of a child’s SST and should be included in the development of the intervention plan and attend SST meetings.
Reading/English Language Arts
Philosophy
Whether reading is used to enter the imaginative world of fiction; learn from academic texts; meet workplace demands; acquire insight and background knowledge about people, places, and things; or understand a graphic on a website; readers must adapt their skills and strategies to meet the comprehension demands of a particular task at hand. Fulton County Schools believe that students’ literacy skills and strategies can be cultivated and honed through all content areas employing instructional methods that are systematic and explicit. Literacy-rich classrooms integrate the teaching of disciplinary literacy skills and strategies into real-world contexts and give students multiple opportunities to read and respond critically to text; write creatively, expressively, and analytically; develop effective oral language skills; investigate and present topics of interest using research methods; and use media and technology to communicate for a variety of purposes.
Goals
Through our English/Language Arts program, the learner will:
- develop a rich vocabulary and deep background knowledge;
- communicate and interact effectively with others in the world;
- think, interpret, create, and respond critically in a variety of settings to a myriad of print and non-print text; and
- access, utilize, and produce multiple forms of media, information, and use knowledge in all content areas.
Curriculum
The Fulton County English/Language Arts curriculum is based on the Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE) which are implemented through the Continuous Achievement Model. The goal of Continuous Achievement is to have all students challenged at their highest levels. In this model, the K-1 Curriculum is written such that teachers can scaffold, compact, or expand the curriculum depending upon the students’ needs as they progress through the content.
Based upon performance criteria, students in first grade through fifth grade are placed in an on-level, advanced or accelerated (one year ahead) course. Depending upon the placement level, the pacing, depth and instructional level of the curriculum provided to the student is varied.
GSE K-5 ELA Strands/Standards Framework
Reading Foundational (RF)
- Print Concepts
- Phonological Awareness
- Phonics and Word Recognition
- Fluency
Reading Literary Text (RL)/ Reading Informational Text (RI)
- Key Ideas and Details
- Craft and Structure
- Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
- Reading Level and Text Complexity
Writing (W)
- Types and Purposes
- Production and Distribution of Writing
- Research to Build Present Knowledge
- Range in Writing
Speaking and Listening (SL)
- Comprehension and Collaboration
- Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
Language (L)
- Conventions of Standard English Language
- Knowledge of Language
- Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
Students advancing through grades K-5 are expected to meet each year’s grade-specific standards, to retain or further develop skills and understandings mastered in previous grades, and to work steadily toward meeting the more general expectations described by the standards.
Mathematics
Philosophy
Mathematics permeates all sectors of life and occupies a well-established position in curriculum and instruction. Schools must assume responsibility for empowering students with the mathematical skills necessary for functioning in and contributing to today's complex society. Instruction should emphasize the application of mathematics to real world problems, allow the use of calculators and computers as tools in problem-solving and allow students to develop their own mathematical understanding using concrete materials.
The Elementary Mathematics Program is developmentally appropriate and designed to meet students’ intellectual, social, and emotional needs. The program's curriculum and assessment components are conceptually oriented and contain a broad range of content. Curriculum and assessment activities allow students to experience success and help students build positive attitudes toward mathematics and toward themselves as mathematical problem-solvers. Development of students’ abilities to think, to reason, to solve problems, and to communicate their understanding of mathematical concepts is a major focus of the program.
Goals
The goals of the K-5 mathematics program are to:
- Meet the needs of individual students by providing on-level, enhanced, or accelerated placement options;
- Build students’ appreciation of mathematics and its relationship to other disciplines;
- Promote students’ confidence in their own mathematical abilities;
- Assist students in becoming mathematical problem-solvers;
- Provide opportunities for students to communicate their ideas about mathematics;
- Develop students’ mathematical reasoning skills;
- Enable students to utilize calculators and computers as problem-solving tools;
- Encourage participation in cooperative learning;
- Enable parents to understand and support the program.
Curriculum Content for Elementary School Mathematics
Fulton County Schools implements Georgia’s K-12 Mathematics Standards. The mathematics curriculum stresses rigorous concept development, presents realistic and relevant applications, and keeps a strong emphasis on computational skills. Teachers strive to create student-centered classrooms where students engage in rich mathematical tasks and experiences that create mathematical discussions among students. Teachers will ask purposeful questions that draw out evidence of student thinking and motivate students to persevere in their problem-solving process. Teachers build math fact fluency in students based on conceptual understanding, so procedures are meaningful and can be replicated over multiple years. The use of technology and manipulatives further support the conceptual development of mathematical concepts and skills.
Georgia’s K-12 Mathematics Standards are organized into content standards and mathematical practices. The content standards are grouped by big ideas that span the K-5 band: Data and Statistical Reasoning, Numerical Reasoning, Patterning and Algebraic Reasoning, Geometric and Spatial Reasoning, and Measurement and Data Reasoning. The Mathematical Practices are an essential part of learning for all students. Students will implement these practices to acquire and use content knowledge. The eight mathematical practices emphasize problem solving, reasoning, representations, modeling, mathematical connections and communication. These practices are consistent throughout the K-12 Mathematics Curriculum.
Science
Philosophy
The Georgia Standards of Excellence in Science focus on 3-Dimensional learning which incorporates science content, crosscutting concepts, and science & engineering practices as outlined in A Framework for K-12 Science Education (2011). Notable features of the standards include student engagement in science and engineering practices such as designing and carrying out investigations, developing and using models, analyzing data, and constructing arguments. Each standard begins with the science practice, “obtain, evaluate and communicate” which emphasizes the importance of students gathering, reasoning, and communicating about scientific concepts and data. Observable, natural phenomena such as floating magnets, weather balloons, or a sweating soda can for example, are used to anchor units of study; anchoring learning in explaining phenomena supports student agency for wanting to build science and engineering knowledge. Fulton County believes every aspect of science education encountered by students should enhance their understanding of science; enabling them to become environmentally, scientifically, and technologically literate citizens.
Goals
Fulton County Schools’ goals for science education are consistent with those that underlie A Framework for K-12 Science Education (2011) and the Georgia Standards of Excellence. They are designed to provide foundational knowledge and skills for all students to develop proficiency in science.
- Engage and explore scientific concepts through science and engineering practices;
- Experience the richness and excitement of knowing about and understanding the natural world;
- Use appropriate habits of mind and understandings of the nature of science and scientific principles in making personal decisions;
- Engage intelligently in public discourse and debate about matters of scientific and technological concern; and
- Increase their economic productivity through their knowledge, understanding, and skills as a scientifically literate person in their careers.
Elementary Overview
At each grade level, kindergarten through fifth grade, the content is divided into three domains or strands: (a) Physical Science, (b) Earth and Space Science, and (c) Life Science. Integrated into these content strands are science and engineering practices and crosscutting concepts. The science and engineering practices, content, and crosscutting concepts are used throughout K-12 science courses and build towards a progressively deeper understanding of the dimensions as students’ progress through the years. Hands-on, student-centered, and inquiry-based approaches should be the emphasis of instruction.
3-Dimensions of Science |
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Science & Engineering Practices
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Crosscutting Concepts
Crosscutting concepts are used to help scientists organize scientific information. |
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Science Content Core Ideas by Domain or Strand |
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Physical Science |
Earth Science |
Life Science |
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Kindergarten |
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First Grade |
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Second Grade |
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Third Grade |
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Fourth Grade |
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Fifth Grade |
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Social Studies
Philosophy
The purpose of the Fulton County School System’s social studies curriculum is to prepare students to become citizens who participate in a democratic society in an increasingly interdependent world. Through social studies education students should acquire a continuing interest in their society; develop a respect for the dignity and worth of all persons; and achieve the depth of understanding, the loyalty to democratic ideas, and the skills necessary to accept responsibilities and rights of citizenship.
As a part of the social studies program, students must be provided with learning opportunities that enable them to grow in their ability to think clearly and to integrate significant facts, concepts, and generalizations from history and the social sciences into their own experiences. Students should develop useful skills for obtaining knowledge, devising questions and engaging in problem-solving techniques through active involvement in the curriculum. Equally important, they should learn how to analyze issues from multiple perspectives and to test the validity of ideas apart from the sources of those ideas. They should also be encouraged to develop connections among ideas and events, both past and present that will promote cooperative and constructive solutions of problems and issues.
The social studies curriculum is designed to increase students’ knowledge of the world and promote greater awareness of its diverse ethnic and cultural elements. It also reinforces the understanding of how a highly-differentiated U.S. society maintains cohesion through adherence to the principles found in the Constitution and Bill of Rights. As members of that society, students are entitled to expect that their concerns and their social origins have a place in the social studies curriculum, and that they will acquire the skills, knowledge, and perspectives necessary to achieve success in this global age.
Goals
Through the Social Studies elementary program in Fulton County Schools, the learner will:
- be exposed to grade-appropriate historical context;
- develop an understanding of United States history;
- learn traits of good citizens;
- think critically about important contributions of historical figures; and
- increase knowledge of economic concepts.
Curriculum Organization
The Fulton County Social Studies Curriculum is based upon the Georgia Standards of Excellence for Social Studies (GSE). An important feature of the GSE for Social Studies is that each grade, K-8, includes four strands -- history, government, geography and economics. In these grade levels, the economics strand includes a unit on personal finance.
Social Studies K-3 |
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The focus of the kindergarten program is on the introduction to United States history through the study of important American holidays and symbols and includes a unit on “where we live” within the United States. First graders study US History through the study of selected historical figures. Second graders study important historical figures and the Creek and Cherokee cultures in Georgia. The geography of Georgia is emphasized as it relates to the historical study. Third graders conclude their introduction to US History by studying Early and Colonial America. |
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Grade K Foundations of America |
Grade 1 Our American Heritage |
Grade 2 Georgia, My State |
Grade 3 United States History: American Indian Cultures through Colonization |
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Social Studies 4-5 |
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In fourth grade, students begin formal study of early United States History through the Civil War. Students continue their formal study of US History through modern times. |
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Grade 4 United States History: Revolution to Reconstruction |
Grade 5 United States History: Industrialization to the Digital Age |
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World Language
Art
Philosophy
It is our mission to create the next generation of fine artsists, fine arts appreciators, fine art critics and fine art patrons.
Art Education in Fulton County Schools integrates the study of art history, art criticism, aesthetics, and art production. As a subject in our schools, art education is based on the belief that looking at, talking about, and making art are processes essential to the well-educated student. The well-educated person is conversant with a breadth of ideas about:
- functions and styles of art in a wide range of cultures and societies
- influences, impact, and relationships of art to events and the human condition throughout history
- purposes, functions, and theories of art and artists in society
- knowledge, application and use of a variety of art media, skills, techniques, and processes.
The study of art provides opportunities to nourish high-level thinking. When well taught, skills associated with artistic thinking include the ability to see clearly, analyze, reflect, make judgments, forge connections among ideas and information, and generate new ideas from diverse sources. Three additional issues are integrated fully into curriculum for art education:
Cultural diversity: Visual Art in Fulton County integrates cultural contexts and a wide range of cultures across space and time.
Interdisciplinary connections: Art specialists are encouraged to seek opportunities to work with classroom teachers to integrate a variety of curriculum content into art and art content into curriculum.
Elementary Art Education Organization
Elementary students, kindergarten through fifth grade, have one 45-minute art class per week, taught by a fully certified art specialist. Elementary Adaptive Art specialists serve self-contained special education classes, special needs kindergarten, special needs preschool (as time and scheduling allow) and serve as a resource to teachers as time allows.
Reading, Writing, and Art Education
With an emphasis on reading throughout the school system, reading in art educaiton has become an essential component of our program. We are formulating new ways to look at, study, contemplate, and “read” works of art and other art images as “visual text.”
Technology and Art Education
The world today depends upon being able to, with a discriminating eye, “read,” interpret, consume, and (often) produce technologically rendered visual imagery. Digital technologies are making it easier for students to make art that they can publish and share. The creative use of technology will become increasingly critical to success in the world beyond the classroom. Fulton County Schools personalized learning has been essential in successful integration of technology into the visual art classroom. Art objectives for technology are integrated throughout the curriculum.
Adaptive Art
Most students with exceptionalities and special needs attend regular art classes. Adaptive Art Specialists, however, serve certain self-contained special education classes, special needs kindergarten and special needs pre-school. Adaptive Art is designed to accommodate unique sensory, orthopedic, and developmental needs. The process is highly individualized in order to adapt concepts, subject matter, tools, and materials to myriad special needs.
Curriculum and Goals
The Fulton County Elementary Art Education Curriculum aligns to the Georgia Standards of Excellence in Visual Art. The curriculum is framed around four areas of instruction: Creating, Presenting, Responding and Connecting.
Assessment of Art Education
Assessment is integral and essential to the teaching and learning of art. At the elementary level, students receive both a subject grade and a non- academic skills assessment in art. It is important to note that the grading is not for children’s artwork, but for their art learning. Evaluating growth in artistic expression, art knowledge gained, skills mastered, and attitudes enriched, as well as conduct and social behavior in the art class, provides a profile of the child's total progress in art and helps guide further growth. A variety of measures are used to assess progress at the elementary level, which may include informal assessments, performance tasks, notebooks, sketchbooks, portfolios, as well as the art specialist’s own observations.
Fulton County Elementary Art Education – Pacing
Week 1-9 |
Week 10-18 |
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K |
UNIT 1: ART IS A LANGUAGE |
Elements of Art/Drawing & Painting |
UNIT 2: CREATIVE COMM. |
Depth + Clay Unit |
1 |
Elements of Art/Drawing & Painting |
Depth + Clay Unit |
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2 |
Elements of Art/Drawing & Painting |
Depth + Clay Unit |
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3 |
Elements of Art/Drawing & Painting |
Printmaking + Collage/Mixed-Media |
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4 |
Elements of Art/Drawing & Painting |
Printmaking + Collage/Mixed-Media |
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5 |
Elements of Art/Drawing & Painting |
Printmaking + Collage/Mixed-Media |
Week 19-27 |
Week 28-35 |
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K |
UNIT 3: PERSONAL EXPERIENCE |
Printmaking + Collage/Mixed-Media |
UNIT 4: ART IS UNIVERSAL |
World Cultures/Handcrafts + Non-Ceramic Sculpture |
1 |
Printmaking + Collage/Mixed-Media |
World Cultures/Handcrafts + Non-Ceramic Sculpture |
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2 |
Printmaking + Collage/Mixed-Media |
World Cultures/Handcrafts + Non-Ceramic Sculpture |
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3 |
Clay Unit + Depth |
World Cultures/Handcrafts + Non-Ceramic Sculpture |
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4 |
Clay Unit + Perspective |
World Cultures/Handcrafts and/or Non-Ceramic Sculpture |
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5 |
Clay Unit + Perspective |
World Cultures/Handcrafts and/or Non-Ceramic Sculpture |
Health and Physical Education
Philosophy
In Fulton County Schools, we believe a developmentally appropriate and comprehensive experience in health and physical education is essential for meeting the diverse needs of all students. Quality health and physical education programs foster growth and development through the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective learning domains. Physical education emphasizes skill-development, physical activity, health and skill-related fitness components, and lifetime enjoyment for being actively engaged in physical activity. In physical education, students will learn how to participate in a variety of activities and game-like situations which focus on various motor and manipulative skills, movement concepts, physical fitness, personal and social responsibility, self-expression, safety, and enjoyment. In health, students learn how to live healthy lifestyles and reduce their risks for unhealthy behaviors. Additionally, age-appropriate instruction regarding safety, personal health and wellness, mental and emotional health, healthy eating, alcohol and other drugs, tobacco, violence prevention and human growth and anatomy will be implemented. Participation in health and physical education is an integral and inseparable part of the K-12 educational experience.
Georgia Mandate
According to Georgia law, elementary schools shall provide all students with a minimum of 90 contact hours of instruction at each grade level in health and physical education. Local school districts should also conduct an annual fitness assessment program for all students in grades 1-5 within a physical education course a student is enrolled in that is taught by a certified physical education teacher. The Board policy states that students in elementary school shall receive 45 minutes of physical education twice per week and 55 minutes of health instruction once per week in order to meet state requirements.
Assessment
Fulton County Schools uses a variety of assessment methods throughout the school year to gauge student understanding of the state standards for health and physical education. Performance-based and cognitive assessments are thoughtfully designed to provide parents and students with comprehensive feedback of the students’ acquisition of state standards.
Health
Human Sexuality Education
Fulton County Schools will offer growth and development and human sexuality/HIV/AIDS education units to all students enrolled in a health course beginning in fifth grade. By state mandate, all public school systems in Georgia must include human sexuality as one facet of the comprehensive health education program. Our school system believes that all students should be equipped with factually accurate and appropriate information about these topics. Students who are armed with the facts are better informed to make healthy decisions. All content and instruction is implemented with sensitivity and are abstinence-based. However, the instruction that occurs in our schools should complement what is being taught at home and your values and expectations should be made very clear to your children.
The enhancement of health knowledge, attitudes and problem-solving skills is the focus of instruction in 5th grade health education. Human sexuality education is built on a comprehensive approach that focuses on growth and development, including puberty and anatomy of the male and female reproductive systems. Parents may review materials used in the course, talk with the teacher, and make an informed decision about their child’s participation. Parents have the option of removing their child from the human sexuality unit at each grade level. Parents must notify the school in writing if they choose to remove their child from the unit.
Think First and Stay Safe
We all share a common and critical goal for our children to be safe and protected from all things harmful. In support of this goal, elementary school teachers and counselors will soon present annual lessons designed to increase student personal safety and protection. The Think First & Stay Safe™ program is a research-based program that teaches specific personal safety education by way of interactive classroom lessons, classroom posters, role-plays, and corresponding activities. Think First & Stay Safe™ enables students to take an active and necessary role in protecting themselves from harassment, abduction, bullying, exploitation, and various forms of physical, sexual, or emotional abuse. The Health Advisory Committee reviewed and approved this program and teachers and school counselors will implement selected components through the elementary health curriculum.
You may also learn more about the detailed lesson plans and research behind this program at www.childluresprevention.com. Please be aware that more information is provided on the website than is actually used in Fulton County Schools. The plan for Fulton includes: the key concepts taught at all grade levels; each grade reviews what was learned in the previous grade(s), and then learns additional lures or tricks. Specifics are provided below:
Key Concepts |
You can use your built-in computer and make safe choices. |
People are like the weather. Most are safe, but they can change. |
Lures are tricks used to get children away from safe adults and safe place. |
Laws help protect children and there are adults who can help you. |
Your instincts help keep you safe. |
A stranger is someone you don’t know. |
Someone may even use threats to trick you. |
No one can take away your dignity. |
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K |
Review key concepts |
Pet Lure |
Name Lure |
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1st |
Review key concepts |
Assistance Lure |
Fun & Games Lure |
Affection Lure |
2nd |
Review key concepts |
Bribery Lure |
Friendship Lure |
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3rd |
Review key concepts |
Emergency Lure |
Authority Lure |
Hero Lure |
4th |
Review key concepts |
Job Lure |
Ego/Fame Lure |
Online Lure |
5th |
Review key concepts |
Review All Lures |
Video – Luring: What would you do? |
If you prefer that your child not participate in the Think First & Stay Safe™ program, please notify the school in writing. As always, our administration and school counselors are available to discuss any questions you may have about the Think First & Stay Safe™ curriculum. Unless written opt out documentation is received each year from a parent or guardian, your child will participate in the Think First & Stay Safe™ program.
ELEMENTARY HEALTH CURRICULUM |
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STANDARDS |
STANDARD 1: Students will comprehend concepts related to health promotion and disease prevention to enhance health. STANDARD 2: Students will analyze the influence of family, peers, culture, media, technology, and other factors on health behaviors. STANDARD 3: Students will demonstrate the ability to access valid information, products and services to enhance health. STANDARD 4: Students will demonstrate the ability to use interpersonal communication skills to enhance health and avoid or reduce health risks. STANDARD 5: Students will demonstrate the ability to use decision-making skills to enhance health. STANDARD 6: Students will demonstrate the ability to use goal-setting skills to enhance health. STANDARD 7: Students will demonstrate the ability to practice health-enhancing behaviors and avoid or reduce health risks. STANDARD 8: Students will demonstrate the ability to advocate for personal, family and community health. |
Physical Education
Fit Georgia
As part of your child’s physical education program and their comprehensive health and physical education plan, individual levels of fitness will be tested using Fit Georgia, the state mandated fitness assessment program. Fit Georgia is a five part comprehensive fitness assessment designed to measure cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, and body composition. This fitness assessment will be administered to all students in grades 1-12 that are enrolled in a physical education course regardless of age, gender, or ability. Students are encouraged to be self-aware of their health-related fitness and to take responsibility by setting personal fitness goals. When students focus on continually improving their levels of fitness, a positive and lifelong impact can be achieved. As part of this process, your child’s height and weight will be confidentially measured and recorded to determine the students Body Mass Index. Parent and/or guardians will receive a copy of their child’s Fit Georgia score report indicating their body composition, aerobic capacity, abdominal strength, upper body strength, and flexibility at the end of the school year. As the parent of a minor, Georgia law gives you the option of not having your child’s height and weight measured at school. If you choose to exempt your child from this portion of the Fit Georgia Test, you will need to notify the school and physical education teacher in writing, but you will still receive a copy of the report with this section left blank.
Adapted Physical Education
Adaptive services are provided to students with a variety of exceptionalities when it has been determined that the general physical education setting is not the least restrictive environment for the student. Once parent consent had been obtained, the CTAPE/LaMAP assessment will be conducted by an adaptive physical education teacher to identify potential students. Qualifying students must have adaptive physical education included in their IEP. Based on the strengths and weaknesses shown by the learning assessment, the adaptive physical education teacher will act as a member of the IEP team to write IEP present levels of performance for physical education along with possible goals which would be addressed during adapted physical education.
Special Olympics
Special Olympics Georgia invests in people with intellectual disabilities, helping them to develop athletic skills, while also promoting the abilities of the athletes off the field. Fulton County Schools has over 800 registered athletes who train for and compete in competitions throughout the school year. Students who participate in the Special Olympics program must meet the following criteria:
- 8 years of age or older
- completed physical form with doctor signature
- participate in an eight-week training program with a certified coach before all competitions
- has an intellectual disability
Students in Fulton County Schools participate in a variety of sports such as bowling; bocce; softball; basketball; volleyball; track and field and tennis. Fulton County Schools Special Olympics coaches encourage all students to be the best they can be by differentiating instruction so that everyone is successful.
ELEMENTARY PHYSICAL EDUCATION CURRICULUM FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE & VALUES |
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STANDARD 1: MOTOR SKILLS AND MOVEMENT PATTERNS |
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Locomotor:
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Non-Locomotor:
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Manipulative:
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STANDARD 2: CONCEPTS AND STRATEGIES |
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MOVEMENT CONCEPTS
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STANDARD 3: HEALTH-ENHANCING LEVEL OF FITNESS AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY |
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PHYSICAL ACTIVITY & FITNESS
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STANDARD 4: RESPONSIBLE AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR |
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PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY & SAFETY
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STANDARD 5: RECOGNIZES THE VALUE OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY |
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SELF-EXPRESSION & ENJOYMENT
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Music
Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID)
AVID is a College Readiness System that transforms leadership, systems, instruction, and culture to focus on the academic and social skills needed in higher education and beyond. Schools implementing Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) operate with a guiding principle: hold students to the highest standards, provide academic and social support, and they will rise to the challenge. The AVID system extends from elementary to post-secondary and is based on research-based curriculum and strategies to develop critical thinking, literacy, and math skills across all content areas.
At the elementary level, AVID schools have a philosophy grounded in a growth mindset that AVID students succeed in following their dreams and fulfilling their aspirations. AVID elementary schools take a systemic approach of using writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization, and reading as well as an explicit focus on high expectations, rigor, and developing a college and career readiness culture. AVID elementary is designed to be embedded into daily instruction in all classrooms.
AVID describes the components of AVID elementary as the following:
- Student Success Skills – communication skills, self-advocacy skills, note-taking strategies, critical thinking, and study skills.
- Organizational Skills - a focus on both mental and physical; organizational tools, and time management practices
- WICOR lessons – emphasize the instruction on writing to learn, inquiry, collaboration, organization, and reading to learn in all content areas.
- Partnerships – among students, classrooms, grade levels, schools, feeder patterns, families, and communities.
Elementary schools participating in the AVID program are Esther Jackson, Liberty Point, Northwood, Renaissance, and River Eves.
Early Intervention Program (EIP)
Purpose
The Early Intervention Program is for K – 5 students with specific academic skills deficits. Through evidence-based interventions, students receive instruction above and beyond core instruction to meet a specific goal in the shortest possible time. EIP is intended to supplement (not replace) the general education instruction until students can return fully to the regular classroom.
Program Structure
The program design is developed in coordination with regular instruction and other educational programs. Development and evaluation of the program involves teachers, administrators, and parents at the school level. The Early Intervention Program includes four components: Staff, Delivery Models, Class Size, and Instructional Segments of Service.
Staff
Early Intervention Program is staffed by certified teachers with experience and expertise in teaching students with diverse needs and abilities. Early intervention funds provide additional staff beyond that provided through regular funds.
Delivery Models
Each participating school selects the delivery model(s) to be used. The two models utilized in Fulton County Schools are the augmented (or push-in) and pull-out models.
Class Size
An EIP class or segment has a maximum size of 14 students.
Instructional Segments of Service
A segment for grades K-3 is at least 45 minutes daily. A segment for grades 4-5 is defined as a minimum of 50 minutes of daily instruction.
Eligibility
Eligibility for the Early Intervention Program (EIP) is determined by at least two normed qualifiers. When identifying students who are at-risk, scores below the 25th percentile on the universal screener are a strong indicator of potential risk. An additional screener will confirm or deny an existing need for academic interventions, and a diagnostic assessment as a secondary screener will specify the area of need. An achievement level of Beginning Learner on the Georgia Milestones can be used as one of the two qualifiers. An achievement level of Developing Learner on the Georgia Milestones can be used as one of two qualifiers for EIP reading if and only if the score also indicates the student is reading below grade level.
Assessment and Accountability
Every student in EIP must have a recorded intervention plan and progress monitoring assessments regularly administered at set intervals. The data collected through progress monitoring are used to determine the efficacy of the selected intervention and to monitor progress towards a set goal. Once the specific deficit is addressed, and additional normed data support the student has met grade level expectations at the set time of the year, the student is able to exit EIP and continue receiving supports through Tier I differentiation in the general education classroom.
Within 10-calendar days, schools will provide a notice for a conference with the student and his/her parents or guardians to discuss their performance and the role of the Early Intervention Program.
English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)
What is ESOL?
ESOL is a standards-based instructional program designed to address the unique challenges faced by students whose first language is not English. The ESOL Program integrates the WIDA English language proficiency standards with the Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE). Students in ESOL develop proficiency in the English language skills of listening, speaking, writing, reading and comprehension while acquiring the academic content of GSE. All instruction in the ESOL program is provided in English, thereby maximizing students’ opportunity to master social and academic English.
Georgia/Federal law mandates that students be screened for the ESOL program based on a series of questions regarding the how languages other than English are used at home. Students who are identified by set criteria are tested in accordance with state procedures to determine whether they qualify for ESOL services. All students who qualify for ESOL are tested annually with an English language proficiency measure in accordance with Federal laws. This measure is used to determine language progress and is one of the criteria used for exit from the ESOL program.
Goals
The WIDA English Language Proficiency Standards are:
- English language learners communicate for social and instructional purposes within the school setting.
- English language learners communicate information, ideas, and concepts necessary for academic success in the content area of Language Arts.
- English language learners communicate information, ideas, and concepts necessary for academic success in the content area of Mathematics.
- English language learners communicate information, ideas, and concepts necessary for academic success in the content area of Science.
- English language learners communicate information, ideas, and concepts necessary for academic success in the content area of Social Studies.
Students in the ESOL program are multilingual learners with language skills in one or more languages other than English and are working to develop proficiency in English. Students exit the ESOL program when they attain proficiency in social and academic English appropriate to their age and grade level and no longer need the intensive language support. After exiting the program, students are monitored for four years to ensure a smooth transition to mainstream classes.
Levels of Language Proficiency
Level 1 – Entering
English learners at the Entering level will process, understand, produce or use:
- pictorial or graphic representation of the language of the content areas
- words, phrases or chunks of language when presented with one-step commands, directions, WH-, choice or yes/no questions, or statements with sensory, graphic or interactive support
- oral language with phonological, syntactic, or semantic errors that often impede meaning when presented with basic oral commands, direct questions, or simple statements with sensory, graphic or interactive support
Level 2 - Emerging
English learners at the Beginning level will process, understand, produce or use:
- general language related to the content areas
- phrases or short sentences
- oral or written language with phonological, syntactic, or semantic errors that often impede the meaning of the communication when presented with one- to multiple-step commands, directions, questions, or a series of statements with sensory, graphic or interactive support
Level 3 – Developing
English learners at the Developing level will process, understand, produce or use:
- general and some specific language of the content areas
- expanded sentences in oral interaction or written paragraphs
- oral or written language with phonological, syntactic or semantic errors that may impede the communication, but retain much of its meaning, when presented with oral or written, narrative or expository descriptions with sensory, graphic or interactive support
Level 4 – Expanding
English learners at the Expanding level will process, understand, produce or use:
- specific and some technical language of the content areas
- a variety of sentence lengths of varying linguistic complexity in oral discourse or multiple, related sentences or paragraphs
- oral or written language with minimal phonological, syntactic or semantic errors that do not impede the overall meaning of the communication when presented with oral or written connected discourse with sensory, graphic or interactive support
Level 5 – Bridging
English learners at the Bridging level will process, understand, produce or use:
- specialized or technical language of the content areas
- a variety of sentence lengths of varying linguistic complexity in extended oral or written discourse, including stories, essays or reports oral or written language approaching comparability to that of English-proficient peers when presented with grade level material
Extended Learning
What is extended learning?
The purpose of offering Extended Learning options at elementary and middle schools is to provide students with additional time/opportunities to be successful in the grade level.
Why extended learning?
We know that there may be students with learning gaps that need to be filled for a vairety of reasons. We also have students who may need additional instruction in numeracy and/or literacy in order to stay on track with this year’s coursework. The extended learning program can be leveraged to support any of these scenarios.
International Baccalaureate (IB)
International Baccalaureate (IB) schools aim to go beyond traditional curriculum by developing inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring young people motivated to succeed. IB offers a continuum of programs from elementary through high school. The programs encourage both personal and academic achievement, challenging students in their studies and personal development.
At the elementary level, IB offers the Primary Years Program (PYP). PYP prepares students to become active, caring, lifelong learners who demonstrate respect for themselves and others and have the capacity to participate in the world around them. It focuses on the development of the whole child with emphasis on how students learn, how educators teach, and the principles and practices of effective assessment of learning.
Three elementary schools in the Riverwood High School feeder pattern, Heards Ferry, High Point, and Lake Forest, are authorized PYP schools. Two elementary schools in the Westlake High School feeder pattern, A. Philip Randolph and Stonewall Tell, are authorized PYP schools.
Pre-Kindergarten
Program Goals and Philosophy
Funded through DECAL’s Bright from the Start and supported by the FCS Early Childhood Department, Fulton County Schools operates Georgia’s Pre-Kindergarten Program in many of our elementary schools. This lottery funded program provides high quality educational/instructional services to eligible four-year-old children through developmentally appropriate activities and learning experiences that help prepare young children to be ‘school ready’. For a child to be ‘school ready’, they are socially, emotionally, physically, and cognitively prepared for success in kindergarten.
Operating on the FCS school calendar for the length of the school day, Pre-Kindergarten helps children become independent, self-confident, enthusiastic learners while encouraging children to develop good habits and daily routines. Teachers provide instruction through both teacher-directed and child-centered learning experiences. Child-centered instruction allows teachers to facilitate learning in a rich environment that fosters children’s initiative, exploration, and collaborative interaction with other children and adults. To ensure a smooth transition to kindergarten, families are provided information and assistance in preparing for and gathering the documentation necessary for their child’s enrollment in kindergarten.
The Pre-Kindergarten program is supported by the FCS Early Childhood Department which equips educators, families, and caregivers with high-quality early learning experiences to develop the emotional, social, and cognitive skills of all young children. This is accomplished by:
- Equipping educators to provide high-quality early learning instruction that is rooted in evidence-based best practices and aligned with the Georgia Early Learning Development Standards [GELDS].
- Employing professional learning rooted in high-quality early learning pedagogy and processes that meet the varied needs of the adult learners.
- Providing parents/guardians with information, strategies, and resources that support the foundation of a home environment fostering the emotional, social, and cognitive skills of children preparing them for school.
- Creating collaborative partnerships within and outside Early Childhood to leverage expertise areas that best serve the children and their families.
Standards
The Pre-Kindergarten curriculum is based on the Georgia Early Learning and Development Standards (GELDS). The GELDS promote quality learning experiences for children and address the question, “What should children from birth to age five know and be able to do?” They are a set of appropriate, attainable standards that are flexible enough to support children’s individual rates of development, approaches to learning, and cultural context. The GELDS are a continuum of skills, behaviors, and concepts that children develop throughout this time of life. They are divided into age groups and serve as a framework for learning. The GELDS are aligned with the Head Start Child Outcomes Framework, the Georgia Standards of Excellence for K-12, and the Work Sampling System Assessment. The GELDS can be reviewed on the state website.
Through Fulton’s Prekindergarten Program, the child will:
- Develop listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills.
- Develop mathematics skills by recognizing and using numerical concepts, understanding patterns and relationships, and problem solving.
- Develop science skills by exploring, manipulating, and experimenting with objects in the physical environment.
- Develop the ability to move in ways that demonstrate control, balance and coordination.
- Develop the ability to participate and function in a social environment.
Pre-Kindergarten Child/Family Eligibility
Only students who are four (4) years old on September 1st at 11:59 p.m. of the enrolling year and live within the Fulton County Schools attendance zone are eligible to enroll in the program. As Pre-Kindergarten is a voluntary program, there may not be seats for all students who would like to attend. To register, all families participate in a lottery held in the spring.
Families must provide proof of birth (age) and proof of residency to register for the program. Children are eligible to attend Georgia’s Pre-Kindergarten for one year only.
Instructional Services
Lead teachers with a background in early childhood education and paraprofessionals work together in the classroom to provide developmentally appropriate instruction. Each Pre-Kindergarten classroom serves twenty (20) children. Inclusion classes serve (18) children. Pre-Kindergarten teachers and paraprofessionals receive intensive training in accelerating student achievement to prepare children for kindergarten.
Health Requirements
All children must have a Certificates of Immunization (Georgia Department of Public Health Form 3231) on file, except for those in exempted categories, within the first 30 days of entering the program. DHR Form 3231 must be used for this purpose. Form 3231 must have either the “date of expiration” or “school attendance” block checked.
In addition, each child must have a Certificate of Vision, Hearing, Dental, and Nutrition Screening (Georgia Department of Public Health Form 3300) on file within 90 days of entering the program. If the Form 3300 is marked ‘Needs Further Professional Examination’, families are asked to bring updated and completed certificates after each appointment and follow-up visit. The vision, hearing, dental, and nutrition screenings reported on Form 3300 must have been conducted within 12 months prior to the start of the Pre-Kindergarten program.
Child Development
An orientation is provided for Pre-Kindergarten families within 20 working days of the beginning of the school year. A variety of informational seminars, volunteer opportunities, and parent/teacher conferences are provided to enhance the parents’ knowledge of child development and the importance of involvement with their child’s educational experience.
Kindergarten Transition Activities
Throughout the Pre-Kindergarten year, parents are invited to participate in programs focused on helping their child develop the skills to be ‘school ready’. Prior to the end of the Pre-Kindergarten year, many schools provide opportunities for children and parents to tour kindergarten classrooms and meet teachers through a Kindergarten Round Up. Parents are provided with requirements for kindergarten registration before the end of the Pre-Kindergarten school year. At the beginning of the kindergarten year, a Curriculum Open House provides an orientation to parents regarding the kindergarten goals, opportunities, and learning experiences.
Parent Resources and Engagement Program (P.R.E.P.)
Sponsored by the Early Childhood Department and held throughout the year, parents and guardians have opportunities to participate in activities focused on gaining a deeper understanding of developmentally appropriate activities related to school readiness and aspects of young children’s growth and learning.
Special Education
Philosophy:
The Services for Exceptional Children Department ensures the instruction of students with disabilities is grounded in grade-level standards, specially designed to meet the individual needs of each student and tailored to promote growth and learning.
Our philosophy is grounded in the following Value Statements:
- The belief that all students with disabilities are capable of accessing grade level content. The desire to utilize grade level materials, instructional best practices, and student data in the planning of and facilitation of daily instruction will foster multi-faceted approaches and strategies for learning that indistinguishably engage and support students with disabilities in growth and independence.
- The belief that all students with disabilities have strengths that enable them to learn and grow academically, socially and independently. The desire to seek out student strengths to leverage in the planning and instruction of students with disabilities will assist students with disabilities in developing skills to independently use their strengths and learned strategies across all academic and non-academic activities.
- The belief that all students with disabilities deserve access to the general education environment to the greatest extent possible. The desire to approach students with disabilities with the intention of transitioning them back to general education will increase access to the general education environment to the greatest extent possible.
- The belief that all students with disabilities deserve access to non-academic school-based activities. The desire to embody the mindset that students with disabilities are valuable members of our community and thus include all students when planning non-academic school-based activities will strengthen the abilities of students with disabilities.
- The belief that all school leaders, teachers, and support staff are fundamentally responsible for the success of students with disabilities. The desire to seek out opportunities to build lasting relationships with students with disabilities in order to ensure student growth through equitable and inclusive practices will reinforce for students with disabilities that multiple adults in their school community are invested in their success within and beyond the classroom.
Goals
In accordance with our philosophy, the Services for Exceptional Children Department strives to ensure that through specially designed instruction in the least restrictive environment, students with disabilities will have access to a rigorous curriculum that is meaningful, challenging, and is aligned to grade level standards.
Eligibility and Services
Eligibility for special education services is based on the state eligibility requirements which can be found on the Georgia Department of Education website. Students found eligible for special education services will receive services as outlined in their Individualized Education Plan (IEP). IEP teams will make data-based decisions to determine the type and level of support that is necessary in order to meet student needs.
- Fulton County Schools provides a full continuum of services which includes but is not limited to Interrelated Resource (e.g. small group, co-taught), specialized program classes, speech/language therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. Classes for specialized programs including preschool special education, kindergarten special education, autism and intellectual disabilities are provided in every learning zone.
- Fulton County Schools has partnered with area business to establish LIFE corporate classroom locations to teach vocational and life skills to students with intellectual disabilities and developmental disabilities. After completing the LIFE program, students are placed in careers at an average rate of 90%.
- All Fulton County School high schools offer programs for students with intellectual disabilities including community-based instruction opportunities.
Talented and Gifted (TAG)
Philosophy
Intellectually gifted students require specialized educational experiences that promote the development and expression of their potential. If gifted individuals—as children, youths, and adults—are to experience fulfilling lives and if society is to derive optimal benefits from gifted individuals’ uncommon potentials, an educational program must be structured to more fully develop their exceptional and varied abilities, interests, and talents.
The Fulton County gifted program is a response to the need to address the unique learning characteristics, interests, personal needs, and capabilities of gifted children. The program emphasizes the gifted students’ need for interaction with intellectual peers. Emphasis on the individual highlights the fact that there are differences among gifted students and a need for specialized educational experiences to meet these differences.
Basic to the philosophy of this program is the idea that no one teacher, resource, or instructional method can meet the needs of gifted students. Education for the gifted is viewed as a cooperative endeavor characterized, facilitated, and realized by the efforts of numerous individuals in the schools and community.
These goals are accomplished in Fulton County elementary schools by providing interdisciplinary extensions and enrichment of the Fulton County curriculum for identified gifted students. Adjusting the rate and depth of their learning and using a variety of appropriate teaching methods to provide differentiation of the basic curriculum. Challenging instructional activities are designed to intensify and extend their particular interests and aptitudes.
Eligibility
The Talented and Gifted Program identifies gifted students based upon State Board of Education Rule 160-4-2-38. All students in Fulton County Schools are screened twice a year for the gifted program. If a student is referred for the gifted program, the school must gather information in the areas of multiple criteria: mental ability, achievement, creativity, and motivation. According to State Board of Education Rule 160-4-2-38, students may qualify for gifted services through option A or option B. In Option A, students must have a qualifying score in the mental ability and achievement categories. In Option B, students must have a qualifying score in three of the four categories of mental ability, achievement, creativity, and motivation. One source of information may not be used to qualify a student in more than one area.
Students identified for the gifted program are served at their home school by a gifted endorsed teacher.
Program Goals
In accordance with this philosophy, the following program goals have been adopted in order to identify and serve the gifted students of Fulton County:
- To help teachers, administrators, and parents identify gifted students and understand their unique abilities, needs, and preferences.
- To design and implement differentiated instructional experiences in the school and the community.
- To develop in gifted students an accurate and increasing awareness of themselves, their abilities, and their value to society.
Learner Goals
We believe that by meeting the program goals and objectives, we will be able to promote and achieve the following learner goals:
- Advanced research methods and independent study skills,
- Creative thinking and creative problem-solving skills in order to be generators of ideas and products which are original to the learners,
- Higher order and critical thinking skills,
- Advanced communication skills that incorporate new techniques, materials, and formats in the development of products and ideas that will be shared with real audiences.
Title I
Program Description and Services
Title I is a federally funded program designed to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach, at a minimum, proficiency on challenging state academic achievement standards and state academic assessments.
2024-2025 TITLE I ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
Asa G. Hilliard |
Bethune |
Brookview |
Campbell |
Cliftondale |
College Park |
Conley Hills |
Dunwoody Springs |
Feldwood |
Gullatt |
Hamilton E. Holmes |
Hapeville |
Hembree Springs |
Heritage |
High Point |
Ison Springs |
Esther Jackson |
Lake Forest |
Seaborn Lee |
Liberty Point |
Mimosa |
Love T. Nolan |
Oakley |
Palmetto |
Parklane |
Stonewall Tell |
Vickery Mill |
Evoline C. West |
Evoline C. West |
Woodland ES |
FAVE |
|
2024-2025 Title I Charter/Other Elementary Schools
Amana Academy (K-8) |
Chattahoochee Hills |
Georgia Baptist (3rd-5th) |
Kipp South Fulton (5th) |
Main Street Academy |
Goals
- Ensure that high-quality academic assessments, accountability systems, teacher preparation and training, curriculum, and instructional materials are aligned with challenging State academic standards so that students, teachers, parents, and administrators can measure progress, against common expectations for student academic achievement;
- Meet the educational needs of low-achieving children in our Nation’s highest-poverty schools, limited English proficient children, migratory children, children with disabilities, Indian children, neglected or delinquent children, and young children in need of reading assistance;
- Close the achievement gap between high and low-performing children, especially the achievement gaps between minority and non-minority students, and between disadvantaged children and their more advantaged peers;
- Improve and strengthen accountability, teaching, and learning by using State assessment systems designed to ensure that students are meeting challenging State academic achievement and content standards and increasing achievement overall, but especially for the disadvantaged;
- Provide greater decision-making authority and flexibility to schools and teachers in exchange for greater responsibility for student performance;
- Provide children an enriched and accelerated educational program, including the use of school-wide programs or additional services that increase the amount and quality of instructional time;
- Provide school-wide reform and ensure the access of children to effective, research-based instructional strategies and challenging academic content;
- Significantly elevate the quality of instruction by providing staff with substantial opportunities for professional development;
- Coordinate services under all parts of this title with each other, with other educational services, and, to the extent feasible, with other agencies providing services to youth, children and families; and
- Afford parents substantial and meaningful opportunities to participate in the education of their children.
Media Services
The Fulton County Schools’ Media and Educational Technology Instructors (METIs), formerly known as media specialists, promote academic excellence by empowering students and staff to be effective, discriminating users of ideas and information. METIs offer balanced and relevant collections of digital and print resources that are accessible anytime, anywhere, and on any web-enabled computer, laptop or mobile device. Additionally, media and educational technology instructors promote literacy, cultivate a life-long love of reading, facilitate professional development, and acquiring print and digital resources. METIs promote personalized and engaging learning experiences tailored to students.
Fulton County Schools provides the following digital resources for schools:
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
- GALE IN CONTEXT: BIOGRAPHY: This database contains authoritative information on the world's most influential and prominent figures. It provides access to periodicals and multimedia content.
- TUMBLEBOOKS: TumbleBooks provides over 1100 titles, including 360 Picture Books, 200 Chapter Books, 80 non-fiction books, 89 Graphic Novels from children's book publishers such as Simon & Schuster, Chronicle Books, Candlewick Press, Charlesbridge Press, Walker & Company, Annick Press, Orca Books, Lerner Books, and HarperCollins Publishers, amongst others. All materials are set up for multi-user access and can be used for individual, group, and/or classroom reads.
- SORA (OVERDRIVE) 3RD – 5th: Access to hundreds of fiction and nonfiction titles
ALL SCHOOLS (K – 12)
- DESTINY: Online School Media Center Catalog
- MACKINVIA: Access all electronic books and digital resources from this link
- WORLD BOOK ONLINE: Thousands of articles, primary sources, and online books designed to support personalized learning and enhance digital citizenship
- GALILEO: Georgia Library Learning Online – access to over 100 databases http://www.galileo.usg.edu See METI (Media Specialist) for passcode
- SAFARI Montage: http://safari.fultonschools.org Extensive collection of digital media content
- BEANSTACK: works hand in hand with educators to provide reading challenges that engage students of all ages and interests
Digital Resources for Learning
Fulton County Schools provides students with access to a variety of digital resources to support learning. All district provided resources can be accessed via Classlink at https://launchpad.classlink.com/fcs.
Students will need to enter their FCS username and passcode to login to ClassLink. The username is the student’s ID number, and the passcode is selected by the student. Once in the system the student should click the desired resource.
Here is a list of the most notable apps for K-5:
Math/ELA
|
i-Ready |
Diagnostic assessment and personalized instruction |
ELA |
Learning.com |
EasyTech Keyboarding instruction; must be assigned by the teacher first |
Math/Science/ELA/ Health |
|
Online textbook and curriculum resources |
Social Studies |
Gallopade |
Online textbook; students will only see what a teacher has assigned |
All subjects |
SAFARI Montage |
Video streaming library; search by topic |
All subjects |
|
Productivity and collaboration |
All subjects |
Adobe Express |
Create graphics, videos, and websites |
All Subjects |
MackinVia |
Provides students with access to electronic books, read-alongs, audiobooks, databases, and other digital resources |
All Subjects |
Seesaw |
Provides students with a digital learning journal to demonstrate learning and receive feedback from their teacher |
All Subjects |
Illuminate |
District Assessment tool |
All Subjects |
Nearpod |
Interactive lessons, videos, and activities |
Online Learning Options
Fulton County Schools students have access to a variety of online options during their academic careers. FCS students taking middle or high school courses can supplement their face-to-face options by taking some of their courses online through Fulton Virtual (FV) or Georgia Virtual (GAVS) while still enrolled at their home school. Students may take up to three (3) of their courses online as part of their regular school-day schedule. In some limited situations, due to extenuating circumstances, students can take all their courses online though FV or GAVS for a semester or more with their counselor’s and principal’s approval. Families interested in enrolling in an online course through Fulton or Georgia Virtual should reach out to their school counselors. Families interested in a permanent full-time online curriculum would need to enroll in the Fulton Academy of Virtual Excellence (FAVE), or a state approved external option which would require a student to withdraw from Fulton County Schools.
Fulton Virtual Program (FV)
Fulton Virtual (FV) offers over 100 core content, electives, world languages, and advanced placement courses. FV provides competency-based instruction that is flexibly paced to meet a student’s academic needs. While students need to complete the course content by the end of the term, the rate a student works through a topic is flexible. However, it is the expectation that students log-in and make progress throughout every week. Fulton Virtual’s instructional model is like a flipped classroom where our teachers leverage the content in our LMS to deliver direct instruction. FV teachers reteach and reassess until the learner demonstrates mastery and they use formative assessments to determine what remediation and/or enrichment each student needs to progress. Fulton Virtual courses are student-led; instructors work with students, parents/guardians and other stakeholders (e.g., counselors) to deliver course learning objectives and support the academic needs of each student. For information about courses and links to Fulton Virtual registration visit the Fulton Virtual page on the district website: www.fultonschools.org/fultonvirtual
Georgia Virtual (GAVS)
Georgia Virtual offers more than 100 courses in the core content areas, world languages, and career and technical education (CTAE), electives, and Advanced Placement. GAVS courses are structured like a traditional class with a fixed schedule and regular due dates. For more information on Georgia Virtual Schools, visit the following website: http://www.gavirtualschool.org/
Additional Information
Families in Georgia have a legal right to information related to online learning options and the following is provided to help guide your educational decisions regarding online learning:
- Students may take Fulton and Georgia Virtual courses while still enrolled in their home school. All other external options would require a student to withdraw from Fulton County Schools.
- A student may take an online course even if the course is offered in the local school. If the online course is taken in lieu of any of the regular school day, there will be no charge to the student or parent. If an online course is chosen outside the school day, the student is responsible for the cost of the course.
- Availability of online courses taken at the school, during the school day, is subject to personnel availability to supervise online students and the school's capacity to accommodate online learners on computers. Check with your school counselor for details regarding availability.
- Middle and High School students may choose to take their virtual courses at home during the school day and need to work with their local schools to schedule those courses. In a part time enrollment situation, students may take their virtual courses either in the morning or afternoon class periods. Then they can, with parent-provided transportation, come in late to school or leave early to complete their virtual coursework.
- For elementary school students, we currently only offer accelerated reading/ELA and Math middle school courses on a part-time enrollment basis. FCS only offers full-time virtual enrollment opportunities for 3rd-5th grade elementary students through Fulton Academy of Virtual Excellence (FAVE).
Fulton County Schools currently offers part-time online learning options to students in grades 3-12 and full-time option for students in grades 6-12. Below are the options for full time and part time online learning:
|
Grades 3-5 |
Grades 6-8 |
Grades 9-12 |
Full-Time Option |
External Providers:
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External Providers:
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External Providers:
|
Part-Time Option |
Fulton Virtual (For students taking accelerated Middle School Reading/ELA and Math Courses) |
External Provider:
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External Provider:
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