Middle School Curriculum Handbook

The global economy and the skills needed for the 21^st 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 17^th 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 6-8 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

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.

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 Interim Progress Report.

	Report Card	Non-Academic Skills
Grades 6-8	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

 

Credit for High School Courses Taken in Middle School

Middle school students enrolled in face-to-face or virtual high school courses at a Fulton County middle school may earn one (1) high school credit for a year-long course and half (.5) a high school credit for a semester-long course for successful completion of this coursework.  Successful completion (70% or better) of each semester of each course is required to earn this credit. Students taking high school courses while in middle school are required to take the corresponding state End Of Course (EOC) for designated courses.  The EOC counts for 20% of the final semester grade.

Students will have the option of accepting or declining the high school credit at the end of their eighth-grade year.  Students will receive information regarding their grades and the options that are available to them in the spring prior to entering high school. They must complete the appropriate course form(s) by the given deadline in order to have the correct placement for ninth grade.

The high school graduation requirements listed will help you begin to think about what will be required of you in high school and help you begin your plan while in middle school.

Eligibility for Graduation

A student shall become eligible for graduation upon meeting the following criteria:

• 23 units of appropriate credit have been completed
• State assessment requirements have been met
• Attendance requirements have been met

Georgia Milestones

Since 2015, the Georgia Milestones Assessment System has been administered to students in grades 6 through 8.  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.  Students enrolled in a high school, credit earning course will take the End of Course (EOC) exam for the course if applicable.

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).

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 6-8. Students in Grades 6-8 will be assessed in English Language Arts and Mathematics. Students in Grade 8 will also be assessed in Science and Social Studies.

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.

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 through 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 utilize I-Ready 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 7 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.

Middle School Testing Windows
Georgia Milestones End of Grade (EOG)	Grades 6-8	April 21 – May 16, 2025
Georgia Milestones End of Course (EOC)	Students enrolled in high school credit earning courses	April 28 – May 16, 2025
Georgia Alternate Assessment	Grades 6-8 students with significant cognitive disabilities	March 24 – April 25, 2025
ACCESS for ELLs	Grades 6-8 English learners	January 15 – February 28, 2025
i-Ready	Grades 6-8	August 12 – August 30, 2024 December 2 – December 13, 2024
MAP Growth	Grade 7	September 23 – October 4, 2024

For more information on assessments in Fulton County Schools, visit the Assessment website at https://www.fultonschools.org/assessment.

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 Grade Eight

Eighth grade students are required to pass a state test in order to be promoted to the next grade level.  According to the law:

• Eighth 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 ninth grade.
• Eighth grade students who do not take the state-adopted assessment in grades 8 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.

 

Middle School Grade Placement of Students

• A student entering or returning to a Fulton County middle school from a no-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.

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 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.

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:

• 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, use, and produce multiple forms of media, information, and knowledge in all content areas

Curriculum

The curriculum is comprised of the Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE) and focuses on the integration of vocabulary, literature, reading strategies, writing, oral language skills, research and grammar. Reading instruction teaches students to use cognitive strategies before, during and after reading to help them monitor their understanding and evaluate the author’s presentation of ideas. A thematic approach allows students and teachers to work collaboratively to explore literary and informational text.

As part of the writing curriculum, students respond to texts, answer questions about a text, analyze exemplars from different types/genres of writing, and emulate the elements, features, and characteristics they identified as most effective in their own writing.  Students receive writing instruction through a writing workshop framework that includes a mini-lesson, small groups, and individual conferences.  They are provided direct, explicit instruction in writing skills and processes need to create a text including the writing process, paragraph and sentence construction skills, text structures used for writing, and word processing and other technology-related skills. 

In the Middle School English and Language Arts curriculum, there are three levels for every grade:  On, Advanced, or Accelerated.  The advanced course consists of the on-grade level standards and is differentiated by the complexity of the text as well as the inclusion of some standards from the next grade level.  The accelerated course consists entirely of the standards one or more years above the assigned grade level. 

Reading

Students who are not taking world language during sixth, seventh and eighth grade are scheduled for a reading course. Students receive Tier 1 reading instruction on reading strategies, vocabulary, and comprehension.  Students also receive small group instruction on identified reading needs.  This course focuses on increasing student motivation, volume, and stamina in reading a variety of text as well as providing students with effective reading strategies and behaviors.  Keys to developing an effective reading process include:

• Using reading skills with varied content (literary and informational);
• Applying reading strategies consistently before, during and after reading for active comprehension and
• Selecting the most appropriate reading strategy to use while reading complex text.

GSE 6-8 Strands/Standard Framework

Strand: Reading for Literature (RL)

·        Key Ideas and Details: RL1, RL2, RL3 ·        Craft and Structure: RL4, RL5, RL6 ·        Integration of Knowledge and Ideas: RL7, RL9 ·        Range of Reading/Text Complexity: RL10

Strand: Reading for Information (RI)

·        Key Ideas and Details: RI1, RI2, RI3 ·        Craft and Structure: RI4, RI5, RI6 ·        Integration of Knowledge and Ideas: RI7, RI8, RI9 ·        Range of Reading/Text Complexity: RL10

Strand: Writing (W)

·        Text Types and Purposes: W1, W2, W3 ·        Production/Distribution: W4, W5, W6 ·        Research/Present Knowledge: W7, W8, W9 ·        Range of Writing: W10

Strand: Speaking and Listening (SL)

·        Comprehension and Collaboration: SL1, SL2, SL3 ·        Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas: SL4, SL5, SL6

Strand: Language (L)

·        Conventions of Standard English: L1, L2 ·        Knowledge of Language: L3 ·        Vocabulary Acquisition and Use: L4, L5, L6

Students advancing through grades 6-8 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.

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 middle school 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.  The development of students’ abilities to think, reason, solve problems and communicate their understanding of mathematical concepts is a major program focus.

Goals

The goals of the 6-8 mathematics program are to: 

•  Meet the needs of individual students
• 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 learning with others
• Enable parents to understand and support the program

Curriculum Content for Middle 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 6-12 band: Data and Statistical Reasoning, Numerical Reasoning, Patterning and Algebraic Reasoning, Functional and Graphical Reasoning, Geometric and Spatial Reasoning, and Probability/Probabilistic Reasoning. The Mathematical Practices are an essential part of learning for all students.  Students will implement these practices as a way to acquire and use content knowledge.  The eight mathematical practices emphasize problem solving, reasoning, representation, mathematical connections and communication.  These practices are consistent throughout the K-12 Mathematics Curriculum. 

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.

Middle School Overview

At each grade level, content core ideas are integrated with 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
Science & Engineering Practices ·        Asking questions and defining problems ·        Developing and using models ·        Planning and carrying out investigations ·        Analyzing and interpreting data ·        Using mathematics and information and computer technology ·        Developing explanations and designing solutions ·        Engaging in argument from evidence ·        Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information		Crosscutting Concepts ·        Patterns ·        Cause and effect ·        Scale, proportion and quantity ·        Systems and system model ·        Energy and matter ·        Structure and function ·        Stability and change Crosscutting concepts are used to help scientists organize scientific information.
Science Content Core Ideas
6th Grade Earth Science	Students explore earth science by engaging in science and engineering practices and crosscutting concepts to better understand earth’s materials, earth’s structures and formation, our solar system, evolution of the universe, hydrology, oceanography, meteorology, energy utilization, and conservation.
7th Grade Life Science	Students explore life science by engaging in science and engineering practices and crosscutting concepts to better understand the diversity of living organisms; structure and function of cells; tissues, organs, and organ systems; biological traits; interdependence of organisms and their environments; inherited traits and evolutionary survival of organisms.
8th Grade Physical Science	Students explore physical science by engaging in science and engineering practices and crosscutting concepts to better understand the nature of matter; forms and transformations of energy; force, mass, and motion of objects; sound and light; electromagnetic radiation; gravity, electricity, and magnetism as forces.

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 are 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 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.  Students are also encouraged to develop connections among ideas and events, both past and present that will promote cooperative and constructive solutions of problems and issues.

Goals

Through the Social Studies middle school program in Fulton County Schools, the learner will: 

• Increase students’ knowledge of the world and promote greater awareness of its diverse ethnic and cultural elements
• 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 
• Address concerns related to their social origins
• Acquire the skills, knowledge and perspectives necessary to achieve success in this global age

Middle School Overview

The curriculum is comprised of the Georgia Standards of Excellence for Social Studies (GSE), Map and Globe Skills, information Processing Skills, Reading Standards for Literacy/Social Studies (RHSS), and Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects. 

Grade 6 – Latin America, the Caribbean and Canada, Europe, and Australia

The emphasis in sixth grade is on the study of history, geography and culture of selected regions:   Latin America, the Caribbean, Canada, Europe, and Australia.  Each unit focuses on a geographic overview, historic development, people and culture, political systems and economic systems. 

Textbook:        Georgia Experience 6^th Grade Social Studies, Gallopade

Grade 7 – Africa, Southwest Asia (Middle East), Southern and Eastern Asia

The emphasis in seventh grade is on the study of history, geography and culture of selected regions:  Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Each unit focuses on a geographic overview, historic development, people and culture, political systems and economic systems. 

Textbook:        Georgia Experience 7^th Grade Social Studies, Gallopade

Grade 8 - Georgia Studies

Students trace the history of Georgia in the context of the development of the United States.  A chronological focus includes a geographic overview and early inhabitants, the foundation of Georgia in the 18th century through the state’s development in the 20th century.  Students also examine the characteristics of state government, public issues, citizen rights and responsibilities, and contemporary and historical comparisons of state and national political institutions.

Textbook:        Georgia Experience 8^th Grade Social Studies, Gallopade

 

Social Studies - Scope and Sequence

 

GRADE 6 World Studies	GRADE 7 World Studies	GRADE 8 Georgia Studies
Europe	Africa	Geography of Georgia
·     Geographic overview ·     Historic development ·     People and Culture ·     Political systems ·     Economic systems	·     Geographic overview ·     Historic development ·     People and Culture ·     Political systems ·     Economic systems	·     Geographic overview ·     Early inhabitants ·     European exploration
Canada & Latin America	Middle East	Colonial - Modern Georgia
·     Geographic overview ·     Historic development ·     People and Culture ·     Political systems ·     Economic systems	·     Geographic overview ·     Historic development ·     People and Culture ·     Political systems ·     Economic systems	·     Colonial Georgia ·     Georgia and the Revolution ·     Early statehood ·     Georgia’s westward movement ·     Civil War and Reconstruction ·     Rise of modern Georgia ·     Modern Georgia
Australia	Asia	Foundations of Georgia Government
·     Geographic overview ·     Historic development ·     People and Culture ·     Political systems ·     Economic systems	·     Geographic overview ·     Historic development ·     People and culture ·     Political systems ·     Economic systems	·     The Georgia General Assembly ·     The Governor and Executive Branch ·     The Judicial Branch ·     Local government in Georgia
Map and Globe Skills	Map and Globe Skills	Map and Globe Skills
Information Processing Skills	Information Processing Skills	Information Processing Skills

Philosophy, Mission and Vision

Language and communication are at the heart of human experience. The Mission of Fulton County Schools World Languages is to educate students to be linguistically and culturally equipped to communicate successfully in personal, academic, and professional settings across a multilingual American society and abroad.

Our Vision is a future in which ALL students will develop and maintain proficiency in English and at least one other language, modern or classical. Children who come to school from non-English backgrounds should also have opportunities to develop further proficiencies in their first language.

Early exposure to language instruction offers students the opportunity to attain higher levels of proficiency.  Fulton County Schools provides an articulated World Languages program beginning in the 6th grade in order to provide a long sequence of language study. We offer Spanish and French in every middle and high School. In select schools we offer American Sign Language, Chinese, German, Greek, Japanese, Latin, Spanish, and Spanish for Native Speakers.

 Instructional Goals

The goal of Fulton County Schools World Languages is to guide students in their development of language proficiency through mastery of the Georgia Performance Standards for Modern and Classical Languages [adopted from the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) national performance standards] by providing proficiency-based instruction that is personalized to student needs. Specific proficiency targets for middle school fall within the Novice to Intermediate-Low levels of the ACTFL Proficiency Scale.

For Modern Languages, these standards consist of “The 5 Cs”:

• Communication – students will engage in conversations, understand and interpret spoken and written language, and present information on a variety of topics.
• Culture – Students will learn about target culture products, practices and perspectives.
• Connections – Students will connect aspects of their target language learning with information acquired in other subject areas such as math, science, social studies, English and the arts.
• Comparisons – Students will demonstrate an understanding of the nature of language and culture, making comparisons between those of the target language and their own.
• Communities – Students will find and engage in the target language outside of the school environment and show evidence of building a life-long skill for their own personal enjoyment and enrichment.

For Latin and Greek, these standards consist of “The 4 Cs”:

• Communication – students will read passages, comprehend spoken Latin phrases, quotations, and expressions, and provide accurate, written English translations.
• Culture – students will demonstrate an understanding of perspectives, practices, and products of the Greco-Roman culture.
• Connections – students will reinforce & further their knowledge of other disciplines through the study of Latin.
• Comparisons – students will acquire information and recognize distinctive viewpoints via the study of Latin and the Greco-Roman civilization, as well as identify similarities and differences in ancient Roman and contemporary culture.

 

Program Description

6^th Grade

Students in 6^th grade, based on their performance on standardized reading assessments in elementary school, may have an opportunity to enroll in year-long or nine-week world language courses.  These are designed to introduce them to the sound system, cultural information, and using and understanding basic expressions.  Students are engaged in a variety of hands-on and role-play activities to immerse themselves in the target language.  These experiences will help students determine whether to continue in that same language or to change to another language which they will pursue in the seventh and eighth grades and beyond.

 7^th and 8^th Grades

Students may begin world languages study for high school credit in seventh grade by selecting a language offered at their school and continuing through 8^th grade. At the conclusion of both the grade seven and grade eight world language program, students will have completed the equivalent of the level one high school course and may be eligible for level two language study in grade nine. Students who successfully complete the grade eight course may receive one unit of credit toward high school graduation. Successful completion can be defined as four (4) semesters of the same World Language in which the student has received a grade of 70 or above. A passing grade is necessary in the first and second semester of grade seven and the first and second semester of grade eight to receive a high school credit. Passing scores are based on individual semesters and are not averaged.

Textbooks:

American Sign Language        StartASL, StartASL Level 1, 2024

Chinese                                            Carnegie Learning, Zhēn Báng! Level 1, 2017

French                                              Lingco, Lingco for French Level 1, 2025

German                                           Wayside Publishing, InterKulturell Level 1, 2025

Greek                                               Fordham University Press, Greek: An Intensive Course, 1992

Japanese                                        Cheng & Tsui, Adventures in Japanese Level 1, 2015

Latin                                                  Cambridge UP, Cambridge Latin Course Units 1&2, 2015

Spanish                                            Lingco, Lingco for Spanish Level 1, 2025

Spanish for Native Speakers    One Way Education, Anécdotas Inicial levels 1-3, 2023

 Assessment

Assessment will consist of Major, Minor and Practice measures. Assessment results keep both parents and students informed about their progress in the course. Major assessments encompass multiple standards; Minor assessments encompass one standard; Practice assessments may be limited to one or more elements of a standard.

Samples may include, among others:

Major – Unit tests, speaking or writing performance assessments, integrated performance assessments, projects.

Minor – quizzes, partner dialogs, short written assignments

Practice – classwork, homework, participation

 Optional district-wide Final Common Assessments are available at the end of the school year to assess overall student performance.

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. Art education is embedded within contexts and culture across and time and geography. We not only incorporate issues and concerns of cultural diversity, but we also celebrate, and support them with hundreds of contemporary and historical resources;

Middle School Art Education Organization

As scheduling configurations of middle schools vary, so do art offerings: some middle schools have one fully certified art teacher, some two; some include certified art teachers in interdisciplinary teams and some schools maintain a schedule of nine-week connections courses developing specialized courses such as Photography, Media Arts and Art and Technology.

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 visusal 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 esential 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 middle school and special needs high school. Adaptive Art is designed to accommodate unique sensory, orthopedic, and developmental needs. The process is highly individualized to adapt concepts, subject matter, tools, and materials to myriad special needs.

Visual Art 6

Emphasis is on art to communicate personal meaning and developing skills in two dimensional and three-dimensional techniques such as: drawing, design, painting, and three-dimensional art. Students work to create art and study artworks, with information and activities integrated from art production, art criticism, art history and aesthetics. 

Visual Art 7

Emphasis is on communication through visual art. Students work in a variety of materials and approaches to create art and study artworks. Information and activities are integrated within this emphasis from art production, art criticism, art history and aesthetics.

Visual Art 8

Emphasis is on art production and developing skills in drawing, painting and sculpture or ceramics. Information and activities are integrated from art history and aesthetics, as well. Students in 8^th grade art are encouraged to continue to follow the Visual Art Pathway in high school where students have the opportunity to earn pathway credit and the Fine Arts Diploma Seal.

Credit for Visual Art Courses Taken in Middle School

Some middle schools offer Visual Art Comprehensive I and II for high school credit. Middle school students enrolled in these visual art course/s may earn one (1) high school credit for taking both courses (two semesters) and half (.5) a high school credit for The Visual Art I semester-long course. Visual Art Comprehensive I and II are the pre-requisites for all other visual art courses and serve as the first courses in all Visual Art Pathways. Interested students are required to complete an application and a portfolio for review to be considered for enrolment in these courses. Students completing the 8^th grade visual art course/s are encouraged to continue to follow the Visual Art Pathways in high school where students can earn pathway credit and the Fine Arts Diploma Seal.

Curriculum and Goals    

The Fulton County Middle School Art Education Curriculum aligns to the Georgia Standards of Excellence in Visual Art. The curriculum is framed around the 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 middle school 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 middle school level, which may include performance assessments, quizzes, notebooks, sketchbooks, portfolios, as well as the art specialist’s own observations.

Visual Arts Pathway, Fine Arts Diploma Seal (FADS) & Careers in the Creative Industries

Students who continue in visual art in high school may elect to earn the Georgia Department of Education Fine Are Diploma Seal.  The FADS is a signal to employers and higher education institutions that a student is prepared to participate in Georgia’s robust Creative Industries sector. Follow the Visual Art Pathway link to view pathway progressions: Visual Art Pathways

The creative industries are a 62-billion-dollar sector in Georgia’s economy employing more than 200,000 artists, actors, dancers, musicians and arts administrators. The goal of students following a fine arts pathway is to prepare students for college and careers in the creative industries and beyond.  “Many STEM companies are looking for employees with liberal arts backgrounds as those employees are considered keys to the growth of the company.”  (Pimentel, EdSurge, 2/25/2019).

Philosophy
The mission of Fulton County Schools Career, Technical and Agricultural Education is to provide rigorous and relevant learning so that each student enrolled is college and career ready.

Goals

CTAE provides real world experiences to students by focusing on employability skills, technology trends, and industry needs. These are incorporated into several aspects of the CTAE experience by:

• Engaging students in cutting-edge, grade-appropriate career exploration and preparation opportunities. This includes guest speakers, job shadowing, and internships that provide authentic experiences for the student's learning and growth.
• Teaching work-ethics that are focused on integrity, sense of responsibility, pride of work, discipline, sense of teamwork, and collaboration that will help prepare students for the workforce.
• Providing problem-based learning and classroom instruction that encourages critical thinking, innovation, and collaboration.
• Participating in Career & Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs) like DECA, FBLA, FCCLA, FFA, HOSA, SkillsUSA, and TSA. These co-curricular organizations offer leadership programs and competitive events which reflect current curriculum standards and competencies for the instructional programs they serve.

CTAE courses assist students in examining personal interests, abilities, and values in relation to educational and career opportunities.  The courses help to develop knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for systematic career exploration and tentative decision-making.

Each Middle School CTAE course includes essential and relevant performance standards for math, science, language arts, and social studies. Middle school CTAE courses also reinforce reading across the content, technical writing standards, entrepreneurship standards, and CTAE foundation skills. CTAE middle school courses feature rigorous performance standards that students master to help prepare them for choosing a high school career pathway that interests them.

Currently Fulton County has middle school CTAE programs* in the following areas that help to connect and articulate with the student's future high school CTAE programs:  

• Agriculture
• Architecture and Construction
• Business Education
• Communications (Graphic Design and Audio-Video)
• Computer Science
• Engineering and Technology
• Family and Consumer Science
• Government and Public Safety
• Healthcare Science
• Marketing

*Please note that these programs vary by school and align with the pathways offered at the feeder high school.

For more information about Career, Technical and Agricultural Education and the specific programs that are offered at each school, please go to https://www.fultonschools.org/ctae.

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, middle schools must offer health and physical education at every grade level.  Local school districts should also conduct an annual fitness assessment program for all students in grades 6-8 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 middle school shall take 1 nine-weeks of health and 3 nine-weeks of physical education unless they are enrolled in a year-long performing music course.  Students in year-long performing music classes take 1 nine-week health education class and one nine-week physical education class each year. 

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.

Fulton County Schools Middle School Health Curriculum
	6th Grade Objectives	7th Grade Objectives	8th Grade Objectives
Personal Health and Wellness	·   Identify parts of the health triangle (Mental/Emotional, Social, Physical) HE6.1 ·   Identify how to keep a balanced health triangle HE6.1 ·   Identify appropriate decision making skills HE6.1 ·   Identify steps in goal setting HE6.1	·   Identify the risk factors that affect your health and advocate positive lifestyle habits    HE7.5 ·   Exhibit personal behaviors that promote emotional health and wellness    HE7.6 & HE7.8	·  Identify the top ten causes of death in the US and the factors that cause them (Environment, Heredity, & Behavior) HE8.1
Mental and Emotional Health	·   Identify appropriate conflict resolution methods HE6.1 ·   Identify different roles associated with bullying (Bystander, Target, Aggressor) HE6.1 ·   Describe how bullying and social media can affect one’s health triangle HE6.1 & HE6.2 ·   Describe the effects of violence in the media HE6.1 & HE6.2	·   Define stress and anxiety HE7.1 ·  Identify the cause of stress and anxiety HE7.1 ·  Identify the symptoms of stress and anxiety HE7.1 ·  Identify how to cope with stress and anxiety HE7.2 ·   Discuss how to use communication skills to deal with stress and anxiety HE7.4 ·   Define self-image and discuss the importance HE7.1 ·   Identify appropriate emotions (Attitude & Anger) HE7.4 ·   Identify and discuss digital citizenship (Social media safety) HE7.2	·   Identify mental disorders and their effect on health (Anxiety, Depression, Binge Eating, Bulimia, Anorexia, & Obesity) HE8.1 ·   Identify and classify appropriate social media behavior HE8.2 ·   Identify the role of the media in mental and emotional health HE8.2
Safety and First Aid	·   Analyze the accident chain (Steps to take in an emergency) HE6.5 ·   Discuss how to stay safe during extreme weather HE6.5 ·  Recognize proper water safety HE6.7 ·   Recognize proper safety at home and away HE6.7	·    Identify and demonstrate proper first aid procedures for shock and severe bleeding HE7.7 ·    Identify risk behaviors and how to avoid them HE7.7	·   Demonstrate proper first aid procedures for life threatening situations: Hands Only CPR, AED, and the Heimlich Maneuver HE8.7
Nutrition	·      Identify six essential nutrients HE6.3 ·      Apply ChooseMyPlate guide to identify balanced meals HE6.3	·    Identify healthy choices by using nutrition labels HE7.3 ·    Assess nutritional value of local restaurants HE7.3 ·    Explain and connect eating in moderation with proper nutrition and exercise HE7.5	·      Analyze realities about nutrition (Artificial sweeteners, preservatives, low fat/no fat, FAD diets, FDA, gluten free) HE8.1 ·      Assess personal diet (Resource: Super Tracker - Emphasis on nutrient-dense foods) HE8.5 & HE8.6
Tobacco, Alcohol, Marijuana, and Other Drugs	·      Introduce marijuana, alcohol, and tobacco HE6.1 ·      Describe why people start using gateway drugs HE6.7 ·      Recognize the ingredients in cigarettes and marijuana, along with their harmful effects HE6.7 ·      Practice and demonstrate refusal skills for opposing pressures to use marijuana, alcohol, and tobacco HE6.4	·      Discuss harmful consequences of alcohol, tobacco, & marijuana HE7.7 ·      Identify the short term and long term effects of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use on body systems (Circulatory system, respiratory system, digestive system, & nervous system) HE7.1 ·      Identify the purpose of advertisements related to alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana HE7.2 ·      Identify tactics used by advertisers to target specific age groups for alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana HE7.2 ·  Define addiction phases and withdrawal for alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana HE7.1	·      Recognize signs and symptoms of chemical dependency of heroin, meth, hallucinogens, cocaine, prescription drugs, designer drugs (Molly and ecstasy) and steroids HE8.1 ·      Assess the consequences of drug use on the fetus HE8.1 & HE8.5 ·      Introduce and investigate the use of e-cigarettes and hookah HE8.2 & HE8.3 ·      Incorporate current statistics (CDC) related to underage drinking, including binge drinking HE8.3 ·      Discuss the effects of drugs on the reproductive and nervous systems HE8.1
Disease Prevention	·      Identify strategies for preventing, detecting, and controlling non-infectious diseases HE6.5 ·      Discuss the effects on non-infectious diseases on the immune system HE6.1 ·      Discuss the importance of personal hygiene HE6.1	·      Identify strategies for preventing, detecting, and controlling infectious diseases HE7.1	·      Analyze causes, prevention, and treatment options for communicable and non-communicable diseases HE8.7 & HE8.8
Human Sexuality Education       Human Sexuality Education (continued)	·   Describe and demonstrate appropriate ways to express and deal with emotions and feelings HE6.4 ·   Summarize the benefits of talking with trusted adults about feelings HE6.8 ·   Demonstrate effective communication skills to express feelings appropriately and maintain healthy relationships HE6.4 ·   Demonstrate the ability to use self-control HE6.5 ·   Explain how HIV and common STI’s are transmitted HE6.1 ·   Summarize and label male and female reproductive body parts and functions HE6.1	·   Describe healthy ways to express affection, love, friendship and concern HE7.4 ·   Describe effective strategies for dealing with difficult relationships with family members, peers, boyfriends or girlfriends HE7.4 ·   Analyze the risks of impulsive behavior HE7.5 ·   Describe conception and its relationship to the menstrual cycle HE7.1 ·   Describe the signs and symptoms of common STI’s HE7.1 ·   Describe how personal and family values influence decisions about sexual behaviors and relationships HE7.2 ·   Describe a variety of external influences, such as parents, the media, culture, peers and society that affect sexual decision-making and sexual behavior HE7.2 ·   Demonstrate how to communicate clear expectations, boundaries, and personal safety strategies HE7.4, HE7.7 & HE 7.8 ·   Summarize the benefits of sexual abstinence HE7.5 & HE7.7	·   Compare and contrast healthy and unhealthy relationships HE8.7 ·   Explain the qualities of a healthy dating relationship HE8.7 ·   Describe situations that could lead to pressure for sex and strategies to avoid them HE8.7 ·   Explain why individuals have the right to refuse sexual contact HE8.8 ·   Recognize techniques that are used to coerce or pressure someone to have sex HE8.4 ·   Describe the relationship between using alcohol and other drugs and sexual risk behaviors HE8.7 ·   Explain the short and long-term consequences of HIV and STI’s, and summarize which can be cured and which can be treated HE8.1 & HE8.7 ·   Describe why sexual abstinence is the safest, most effective risk avoidance method of protection from HIV and other STI’s and pregnancy HE8.7 ·   Demonstrate the ability to access appropriate community resources about puberty, sexual health, and family relationships HE8.8 ·   Identify verbal and nonverbal communication that constitutes sexual harassment HE8.4 ·   Explain the possible consequences of early sexual behavior and the emotional, social and physical benefits for delaying behavior HE8.5 & HE8.7 ·   Plan strategies for maintaining sexual abstinence and explain how early sexual behavior can affect achieving long-term goals HE8.7 & HE8.8 ·   Demonstrate ways to encourage friends to remain sexually abstinent or return to abstinence if sexually active HE8.7 & HE8.8 ·   Demonstrate ways to communicate the benefits of protecting oneself from pregnancy and infections from HIV and other STI’s HE8.4

 

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:

1) 8 years of age or older

2) completed physical form with doctor signature

3) participate in an eight-week training program with a certified coach before all competitions

4) 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.

 

Fulton County Schools Middle School Physical Education Curriculum
	6th Grade (Emerging: Students engage in controlled and varied tasks that lead to knowledge of milestone, targeted skill)	7th Grade (Maturing: Students are able to demonstrate milestone, targeted skill with accuracy and continue to improve the skill)	8th Grade (Applying: Students are able to demonstrate milestone, targeted skill with accuracy within physical activity setting)
Instructional Focus	Throwing and Catching (*milestone, targeted skill) Health Related Fitness Fit Georgia	Striking with a Body Part (*milestone, targeted skill) Health Related Fitness Fit Georgia	Striking with an Implement (*milestone, targeted skill) Health Related Fitness Fit Georgia
Skill Themes	Varied Approaches for Throwing and Catching	Varied Approaches for Striking with Body Part	Varied Approaches for Striking with Implement
	Underhand Backhand Hammer Throw Overhand Forehand	Volleying Kicking Dribbling Serve Pass Set Dominant Non-dominant Movement - finding open space/ being hard to guard Communication	Transition Fakes Creating space (offensive) Reducing space (defensive)
Modified Activities   1.  No more than 5 people on a team 2.  No more than 2 classes in the gym at a time 3.  Activities can vary due to: space, weather, equipment	Stations	Stations	Stations
	Targets Partners Use wall Moving/stationary	Targets Partners Use wall Moving/stationary	Targets Partners Use wall Moving/stationary
	Small Sided Activities That Involve Throwing & Catching	Small Sided Activities That Involve Striking With A Body Part (volleying, kicking, dribbling)	Small Sided Activities That Involve Striking With An Implement
	Ultimate Handball Flag Football Basketball Lacrosse Speedball Horseshoes Cooperative Games Student-designed Games	Volleyball Soccer Basketball Cooperative Games Student-designed Games	Tennis Ping Pong Badminton Pickle Ball Whiffle Ball Floor Hockey Field Hockey Cooperative Games Students-designed Games
Extension Activities	Netball, Rugby	Pateca	Rounders, Cricket
Equipment   *Stations use less equipment (no more than 4 students per station)	Balls (tennis, footballs, gator balls, Omnikin, etc…) Frisbee Beanbags Cones Hula hoops Hoops Nets Lacrosse sticks	Balls (balloons, beach balls, soccer balls, volleyballs, Basketballs, tennis balls, etc…) Cones Hula Hoops Nets	Balls (ping pong ball, balloons, wiffle, hockey, tennis, birdie, etc...) Cones Hula Hoops Nets Paddles Racquets Bats
Rhythmic Activities	Varied Approaches for Rhythm, Dance, & Coordination	Varied Approaches for Rhythm, Dance, & Coordination	Varied Approaches for Rhythm, Dance, & Coordination
Equipment *Apparatus or non-apparatus *Individual, partner, and group	Dance Gymnastics Exergaming – Just Dance Geomotion Geomats	Dance Gymnastics Exergaming – Just Dance Geomotion Geomats	Dance Gymnastics Exergaming – Just Dance Geomotion Geomats
Health-Related Fitness   *Variety of fitness activities *Aerobic and Anaerobic *Reinforce speed, agility, muscular strength and endurance, & cardiovascular endurance	Stations Target HR Fitness Plans Muscles/Bones Digital Scavenger Hunt Jump Rope/Yoga/Step Aerobics/Tae Bo Exergaming - Nintendo Wii, X-Box Kinect Geomotion Geomats F.I.T.T. Principle	Stations Target HR Fitness Plans Muscles/Bones Digital Scavenger Hunt Jump Rope/Yoga/Step Aerobics/Tae Bo/Dance Exergaming - Nintendo Wii, X-Box Kinect Geomotion Geomats F.I.T.T. Principle	Stations Target HR Fitness Plans Muscles/Bones Digital scavenger hunt Jump Rope/Yoga/Step Aerobics/Tae Bo/Dance Exergaming - Nintendo Wii, X-Box Kinect Geomotion Geomats F.I.T.T. Principle
FitnessGram   *Opt out form *Required testing for each student 1 time per year *Do not let students see Weight	Muscular Strength and Endurance Body Composition Cardiovascular Strength and Endurance Flexibility Height    Weight	Muscular Strength and Endurance Body Composition Cardiovascular Strength and Endurance Flexibility Height    Weight	Muscular Strength and Endurance Body Composition Cardiovascular Strength and Endurance Flexibility Height    Weight

*Physical skills are introduced and practiced at different stages

Philosophy

The study of music is important to one’s aesthetic, emotional, academic, physical, and social growth, and is a significant part of the cultural heritage of all peoples.  Through music, individuals develop keener insights into the dignity and worth of people, enjoy a more humanized educational environment, and grow intellectually and artistically. Each student is unique and learns to make independent judgments and informed choices about personal needs. A developmental, sequential, and productive music education program encourages self-directed learning and creativity.  Past musical experiences enable students to build a value system that is applied to new musical experiences.

Goals

• To support students in building a lifelong relationship with music as consumers, producers and performers
• To stimulate and expand aural, physical and visual senses
• To provide opportunities for all students to have some knowledge of music as well as providing certain students the opportunity for specialized and advanced study
• To help students perceive the value in the study of music
• To broaden pre-existing foundations of music experiences
• To aid students in discovering the common areas which exist in music with other arts and academics
• To provide students with a means for understanding and appreciating shared cultural heritages, and to broaden the understanding of music in other cultures
• To provide opportunities through music for students to find satisfaction in their accomplishments both individually and collectively
• To foster within the student a respect for the opinion of others

General Music

General music is offered to students except those enrolled in band, orchestra, or chorus. Certified music specialists teach all music classes. Elective courses may incorporate music technology, piano, and guitar. These classes are curricular subjects for which students receive grades.

Choral Music

Chorus is a standard course offering in FCS middle schools. Students may elect chorus in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. These classes are taught by music specialists as a regular part of the student’s schedule. The individual schools set membership criteria. These are curricular courses for which grades are given.  

Middle school choral students are offered numerous performance opportunities both inside and outside the school day, including assemblies, PTSA meetings, GMEA Large Group Performance Evaluation, and others. They may perform as members of select vocal ensembles, honor choirs, or in school musicals.  To meet the Prioritized Standard, "performs with others": students are expected to attend rehearsals and performances during and after school. These Performance-Based Assessments are counted as Major grades.

Individual enrichment opportunities include GMEA District Honor Chorus, GMEA Statewide Sixth Grade Honor Chorus, and GMEA All-State 7-8 Choirs. These opportunities are available only to students enrolled in chorus class.

Instrumental Music

Band and orchestra are standard course offerings in FCS middle schools. Instruction is given on instruments historically found in these ensembles. Students are placed in classes according to their grade and/or skill levels, as determined by the teacher.

Beginning instruction is offered for sixth grade students in all middle schools. Seventh and eighth grade students who have received beginning instruction may take band or orchestra as an elective. Students are taught band or orchestra classes during Connections time. Schedule changes regarding Connection courses only occur at term changes (as allowed by the school).

Students are given opportunities to perform in school bands and orchestras, jazz ensembles, and a variety of chamber groups, as determined by each school. These groups often rehearse after regular school hours. To meet the Prioritized Standard, "performs with others", students are expected to attend rehearsals and performances during and after school.  These Performance-Based Assessments are counted as Major grades.

Performance opportunities in middle schools include PTSA meetings, school assemblies, field trips, and GMEA district Large Group Performance Evaluation and Solo & Ensemble festivals.

Individual enrichment opportunities include GMEA District Honor Band and GMEA All-State Band & Orchestra. These opportunities are available only to students enrolled in the respective band or orchestra class.

Available Resources

In band, chorus, and orchestra, Music Literature serves as the textbook and includes method books and sheet music provided by the school.

AVID is a College and Career Readiness System that transforms leadership, 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 secondary level, AVID builds a college-going and career culture by bringing best practices and methodologies to middle and high school students. The goal is to close the achievement gap by preparing students for, and supporting them in, the toughest courses schools offer. That goal starts with the AVID elective class and grows schoolwide. The AVID elective class provides explicit instruction in writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization, and reading (WICOR) strategies so that students have the skills necessary to meet the expectations of rigorous academic courses.  AVID supports students in rigorous courses by building a community of peer support, providing academic help from peers and tutors, and participating in motivational activities to help students achieve their dreams. Students not in the AVID elective are supported by AVID-trained educators who integrate strategies and best practices into content area classes.

Middle schools offering the AVID program are Bear Creek, Camp Creek, Crabapple, Elkins Point, Haynes Bridge, Holcomb Bridge, Paul D. West, Renaissance, Ridgeview Charter, Sandy Springs Charter, and Woodland.

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:

1. English language learners communicate for social and instructional purposes within the school setting.
2. English language learners communicate information, ideas, and concepts necessary for academic success in the content area of Language Arts.
3. English language learners communicate information, ideas, and concepts necessary for academic success in the content area of Mathematics.
4. English language learners communicate information, ideas, and concepts necessary for academic success in the content area of Science. 
5. 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

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) 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.

The Middle Years Program (MYP), for students in grades 6-10, is a challenging, inclusive framework of eight subject areas where students make connections between their coursework and the real world. The MYP curriculum focuses on teaching and learning in context. MYP uses concepts, or big ideas, as springboards to inquiry into issues and ideas of personal, local, and global significance. The MYP approach to learning develops independent learning and encourages application of knowledge in unfamiliar contexts. Service and action are key values in the IB community. MYP students complete projects through school or personal explorations of inquiry, action, and reflection.

Ridgeview Charter Middle School, in the Riverwood High School feeder pattern, is an authorized IB World School offering the MYP program. Riverwood High School is an authorized IB World School with the MYP Program for grades 9 and 10, and the Diploma Program for grades 11 and 12. Sandtown Middle School, in the Westlake High School feeder pattern, is a Candidate school for the MYP Program in grades 6-8. Westlake High School is a Candidate school for the MYP Program in grades 9 and 10.  Westlake High School is an authorized IB World School with the Diploma Program for grades 11 and 12.

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 1^st 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.

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.

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:

1. To help teachers, administrators, and parents identify gifted students and understand their unique abilities, needs, and preferences.
2. To design and implement differentiated instructional experiences in the school and the community. 
3. 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:

1. Advanced research methods and independent study skills,
2. Creative thinking and creative problem-solving skills in order to be generators of ideas and products which are original to the learners,
3. Higher order and critical thinking skills,
4. Advanced communication skills that incorporate new techniques, materials, and formats in the development of products and ideas that will be shared with real audiences.

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.

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) 3^RD – 5^th: 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

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	McGraw Hill ConnectED  ELA- Wonders Math- My Math Science- Inspire Science Health- Health and Wellness	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	Office 365  OneDrive  Office apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)  Teams  Other apps as needed	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

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 3^rd-5^th 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	Fulton Academy of Virtual Excellence (FAVE) External Providers: Connections Academy Georgia Cyber Academy	Fulton Academy of Virtual Excellence (FAVE) Fulton Virtual (Temporary; Special circumstances with school approval) External Providers: Connections Academy Georgia Cyber Academy	Fulton Academy of Virtual Excellence (FAVE) Fulton Virtual (Temporary; Special circumstances with school approval) External Providers: Connections Academy Georgia Cyber Academy Georgia Virtual School
Part-Time Option	Fulton Virtual (For students taking accelerated Middle School Reading/ELA and Math Courses)	Fulton Virtual External Provider: Georgia Virtual School	Fulton Virtual External Provider: Georgia Virtual School