Schools

Elkins Pointe, Holcomb Bridge Students Excel on Writing Assessment

Roswell middle schools praised for writing achievements.

Holcomb Bridge and Elkins Pointe middle schools showed impressive gains over last year's Grade 8 Writing Assessment scores, according to the Fulton County School System.

The Grade 8 Writing Assessment, administered in January, required students to write a composition on an assigned topic. The annual assessment provides eighth graders with a measurement of their writing performance. 

Holcomb Bridge was one of three schools, including McNair and Sandy Springs, which saw increases of 10 percent or more of students meeting or exceeding standards.

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"We are so very proud that our scores reflect the continuous hard work of both the staff and the students," said Holcomb Bridge Middle School Principal, Joy Schroerlucke.

In an e-mailed statement, Schroerlucke told Roswell Patch that Holcomb Bridge teachers have worked with the Georgia Performance Standards on developing curriculum for the last three years.

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"We have also had the opportunity to bring professional development to our teachers, which has created a cohesive vision for our writing program. Teachers report seeing daily gains in student performance and each and every year our students have become stronger writers," she added. 

A recent release by the county showed that 91 percent of all students are meeting or exceeding standards for 2011. In fact, Fulton is percentage points higher than the metro area average and nine percentage points higher than the state.

Twenty-two of Fulton’s 23 middle schools have more than 80 percent of their students meeting or exceeding standards. Seven schools also have more than 95 percent of their students in this category including, Autrey Mill, Fulton Science Academy, Haynes Bridge, Northwestern, River Trail, Taylor Road and Webb Bridge.  

Holcomb Bridge and Elkins Pointe were among the thirteen middle schools which showed impressive gains over the previous year’s scores. Elkins Point was one of five schools that also showed gains in the percent of students exceeding standards.

“We have seen significant improvement over the past five years. In 2007, our scores were around 80 percent but have climbed to 91 percent,” said Fulton County Superintendent Cindy Loe. “This achievement shows that our students and teachers have been working really hard to master the new language arts curriculum and improve their skills.”


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