Dear RCPS Families, Staff and Community Stakeholders,
Welcome to the 2023-24 school year! Each year we look forward to a new beginning, returning from summer break – refreshed, re-energized, and refocused. Our top priority remains the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff, and we return ready to continue with the second year of implementing our renewed strategic plan for continuous improvement.
While we are fully committed to continuous improvement and we recognize there is much work to be done, I want to pause and share some of the positive highlights received during the 2022-23 school year.
• On the 2022 Georgia Milestones Assessments, RCPS increased in 19 of 21 assessments over the prior year and held steady on the remaining 2 assessments.
• On the 2022 Georgia Milestones Assessments, RCPS exceeded the state’s performance on 3 End-of-Grade Assessments for our 8th graders – English Language Arts, Reading, and Physical Science.
• The RCPS 2022 5-Year Cohort Graduation Rate increased for the 3rd consecutive year and exceeded the state’s 5-Year Cohort Graduation Rate.
• The RCPS 2022 CTAE Graduation Rate increased 3rd Consecutive Year (99.13%) and exceeded the state’s CTAE Graduation Rate (97.1%)
• RCPS increased the number of students earning CTAE pathway completion.
• RCPS had a record number of students recognized by the College Board as 2022 AP (Advanced Placement) Scholars - 83 recognized over 66 the prior year.
• RCPS increased its AP course offerings and its 2022 AP Exam Achievement as there was a 6% increase in the proportion of our AP students scoring at the highest levels of 3, 4, and 5 on the 2022 AP exams.
• RCPS increased its annual gifted student eligibility and for the first time surpassed the state’s target threshold for gifted student enrollment of 10% with a current gifted enrollment of 11%
• RCPS increased its number of Governor’s Honors Program (GHP) Semifinalists this year to 17 – a four year high!
• All three high schools were named 2022 AP Honor Schools by the Georgia Department of Education.
• GSBA named our Board of Education an Exemplary Board (2022) for the 7th time and a Leading Edge Award Recipient (2022) for the 4th time.
• RCPS has two elementary schools named AVID Certified Schools.
• RCPS has had two State Teacher of the Year Finalists in the last five years and one State Pre-K Teacher of the Year Finalist.
I applaud our teachers, students, administrators, and all RCPS employees who work hard to realize student success for all. We look forward to sharing more great news during this school year.
Safety will always be our highest priority. Our multilayered approach to campus safety will continue, with the clear bookbag requirement for grades 1-12 remaining in effect as one of the measures. Our Board of Education approved the purchase of 24 additional Open Gate weapons detection systems during the last school year which allows each middle and high school to have their own set to deploy at their discretion and as needed. These systems have proven to be a great deterrent for all inappropriate items on campus. We promote “See or Hear Something, Say Something” among our parents, students, and staff and encourage everyone to speak up! Together, we will keep our schools a safe learning environment.
It’s going to be another great year – let’s get started!
Dr. Terry Oatts
Superintendent,
Rockdale County Public Schools