APS Executive Communications Director, Dr. Connie D. Stevenson, shares the 10 potential warning signs that could indicate an individual may be in crisis or need help. In this video, everyone is encouraged to use the Say Something reporting system, especially when concerned about an individuals mental state or safety.
APS is committed to safety. Learn about the observable warning signs that lead to gun violence, and if you see something, say something. To learn more visit: sandyhookpromise.org.
Atlanta Public Schools (APS) recently held its annual State of the District address to provide students, families, stakeholders and the community with an update on the district’s current status of operations.
Streamed live from the Junior Achievement Chick-fil-A Center, APS Interim Superintendent Danielle S. Battle shared the district’s accomplishments, how they are meeting the needs of their students and staff, what needs addressing, and what’s on the horizon.
In addition, members of the senior cabinet highlighted the outcomes achieved through their teams’ efforts in implementing the district’s strategic plan.
Here are the top ten takeaways from this year’s APS State of the District:
1. Literacy at the Heart
The theme for Dr. Battle’s administration has been Leading forward with CARE (Compassion, Accountability, Respect, and Empathy). At the helm of that message is a desire to develop a district of readers.
To that end, the APS Division of Academics and the Superintendent’s office have implemented “Readers are Leaders,” an initiative named by the Teacher Advisory Committee. The initiative directly supports and meets the House Bill 538 (The Georgia Early Literacy Act) mandate, which calls for high-quality instructional materials, teacher training, universal reading screeners, and several other responsibilities and timelines to ensure teachers are fully equipped to guide students along their literacy journey.
“Atlanta Public Schools is utilizing the science of reading to equip our teachers with the additional necessary tools to birth a district of proficient readers,” said Dr. Battle.
Additionally, APS has teamed up with the Rollins Center for Language and Literacy to pilot eight schools in their Literacy and Justice for All program. Those schools are Barack and Michelle Obama Academy, Dobbs Elementary, Dunbar Elementary, Heritage Academy, Kimberly Elementary, Miles Elementary, Peyton Forest Elementary, and Tuskegee Airmen Global Academy.
2. Incentives that Motivate
To assist in carrying out the district’s objective to prioritize literacy and to ensure the success of the “Readers are Leaders” teacher initiative, APS is using the Cox Campus Modules to provide incentives for success.
All APS teaching staff participants, including the Superintendent, will engage in coursework over an 18-month period, in which teachers with a completion rate of 80 percent or higher in modules 1-4 will receive a $1250 stipend. Furthermore, an additional stipend of $1250 will be given for an 80 percent or higher completion rate for modules 5-8.
According to APS Special Assistant to the Superintendent Sherri Forrest, the work has already begun.
“I’m excited to share that we have already started professional learning in the Science of Reading,” Forrest said. “We are starting each module with principals, assistant principals, and instructional coaches first. Then we move to teachers so they will have the wraparound support needed to succeed. Families should stay tuned for some community engagement this Spring to learn more about our efforts but also how to support your students.”
In conjunction with monetary incentives, a competitive compensation philosophy has been implemented with the goal of making APS a leader in the space of Base Pay for teachers and administrators.
“We are currently reviewing our standing in the market and plan to recommend the necessary market adjustments in alignment with our compensation philosophy for the upcoming school year,” APS Chief of Human Resources Nicole Lawson said.
Additionally, APS offers sustaining programs designed to attract new teachers and staff, including a partnership with Georgia State University, where selected teachers will be able to complete fully funded master’s degree programs at the university.
3. Safety at the Forefront
The Atlanta Public Schools Police Department is committed to providing swift action in all situations involving the safety of students and staff and performing ongoing reviews of security protocols to ensure the best and most effective outcomes for those entrusted to the district’s care.
During her address, Dr. Battle stressed the importance of parents and caregivers talking to their children about making wise and safe choices and working together to provide safe environments, both at home and at school.
“If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together,” Dr. Battle said, quoting the proverb.
APS is also proactive in ensuring students have support and direct access to trusted national agencies that offer social, emotional, and mental health resources.
By combining proven safety protocols, prompt law enforcement, compassionate support, and parent partnership, APS stands ready to successfully navigate any challenge.
4. Graduation as the Goal
The mission of Atlanta Public Schools is to ensure every student graduates ready for college, career, and life through a caring culture of equity, trust, and collaboration. The graduating Class of 2023 demonstrated that mandate in action by achieving the district’s all-time highest graduation rate of 86.6 percent, exceeding the state graduation rate of 84.4 percent by 2.2 percentage points.
A comprehensive overview of this amazing accomplishment can be viewed on APS Today, the official blog of Atlanta Public Schools.
5. Milestones that Glow and Grow
Dr. Battle highlighted the gains APS experienced regarding the 2023 Georgia Milestones, sharing ways in which students were excelling and improving in their competencies. Likewise in transparency, Dr. Battle also shared the areas where there is still a need for improvement. Below is an excerpt from her address:
“In English Language Arts (ELA) in grades 3-5, we saw the highest year-over-year gains in proficient and distinguished levels since 2015. That year also brought a decrease in the percentage of beginning learners.
However, with a 34.7% proficiency rate, we know there is much more work for us to do.
In the middle grades ELA, seventh grade had the most significant year-over-year gains since 2015, with a 3.8% increase.
Sixth and seventh grades also saw a decrease in the percentage of beginning learners from 2022-2023.
In 2023, 68% of students in grades 4-8 in Atlanta Public Schools achieved typical or high growth in ELA. Growth denotes student’s academic growth compared to their peers.
But with a 31.8% middle-grade proficiency rate, we still have work to do.
We had an increase of 4.7% in 2023, which was the most significant year-over-year increase since 2015. This year also marked a decrease in those identified as beginning learners.
But we know that with a 34.1% proficiency rate in math for grades 3-5, we still have work to do.
We experienced growth in math in grades 4-8, with 66% of students experiencing typical or high growth.
2023 brought a 1.9% gain for sixth grade students scoring at the proficiency and distinguished levels. The sixth and seventh grades also saw a decrease in the percentage of beginner learners from 2022-2023.
But with a 22.8% proficiency rate, we still have a lot of work to do. The End of Course Tests brought about the most significant increase in Algebra I. Algebra I saw the largest increase in students scoring proficient or above from 2022-2023.”
—Dr. Daniells S. Battle, APS Interim Superintendent
6. Nutrition’s New Home
Larry Hoskins, Chief Operations Officer for APS, shared the news that the district will transition to an in-house food service model after partnering with outside vendors for more than 20 years. What’s especially exciting about this is that all nutrition workers will be APS employees, and more importantly, the enhancement of the quality of ingredients used in school meals will provide students with healthier and more nutritious food options.
APS has already begun the process of hiring food assistants and cafeteria workers, offering competitive salaries and incentives. The new Nutrition model will officially launch in the 2024-2025 school year.
7. Support Where it Counts
Atlanta Public Schools is prioritizing efforts to ensure the leaders on the front lines in their schools receive the support they require to effectively educate students and run the day to day operations of their facilities. By doing so, ongoing and personalized support to principals across various domains is being provided, including budget planning and management, staffing optimization, school safety protocols, strategies for student promotion and retention, and addressing retention challenges through targeted interventions and professional development opportunities.
In addition, APS will host a summer retreat to design and foster equitable learning environments, address systemic barriers, and promote inclusivity in teaching and learning practices.
8. APS by the Numbers
Each State of the District attendee received a copy of a summary of the district’s current numbers for 2023-2024 school year, which included stats on student enrollment, graduation numbers, diversity percentages, and other key indicators unique to Atlanta Public Schools.
*To view the district’s current numbers, click the image directly above.
9. Innovative Developments
With the rapid advancement of technology, APS is dedicated to ensuring its students and staff have access to state-of-the art tools and devices that will usher them into the future.
This school year, APS oversaw the implementation of the only four Verizon Innovative Learning Labs in the State of Georgia. Students at Crawford W. Long Middle School, H.J. Russell West End Academy, Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy, and Price Middle School now have access to robotics, equipment and other emerging technologies designed to elevate the educational space.
There are also several new developments on the horizon at APS that will not only support the mission of the district but also uplift the well-being of the entire family.
Over the coming months, the APS Division of Academics will be conducting multiple stakeholder engagement sessions to determine the needs of students and families to be incorporated into a new student and family services center, which will be housed at the Oglethorpe Building.
“All of our student support services [will be housed in the center] like school social work, homeless services, health services, student assignment and records, school counseling, etc.,” APS Chief Academics Officer Yolanda Brown said. “This will allow students and families easier access to services and supports.”
10. The APS “Battle Plan”
APS is moving forward along a solid, strong trajectory and will continue to lead the charge of effectively preparing its students for college, career, and life.
The reoccurring themes in the State of the District address supported what Dr. Battle called the “Battle Plan” of the district: prioritizing efforts in literacy, special education, principals and schools, and resources.
As APS continues to lead forward with CARE, celebrating accomplishments while maintaining transparency and addressing the areas of need will remain a primary focus, making APS a leader in primary and secondary education. “I say this all the time and I truly believe it to the core— Atlanta Public Schools can be that urban district that is the model for the country,” said Dr. Battle.
To view the video recording of the 2024 Atlanta Public Schools State of the District Address, please click the image below. APS ©
On March 17, the Atlanta Public Schools Police Department (APSPD) bestowed 76 officers with the ability to endorse laws outside of our school district. To understand the significance of this, it is helpful to know that before June 2016, Atlanta Public Schools did not have its own police force. Students who ran afoul of District rules and the law were often simply arrested, charged, and put into the juvenile justice system.
Five years ago, Atlanta Public Schools (APS) created a different kind of police department – one trained in social emotional learning skills and restorative practices. Officers learned and then practiced techniques that encouraged – and enabled – them to work with students, teachers, staff, families, and the community to solve problems, work to get to the source of issues, and empower everyone with the skills to make better decisions.
It has worked. Since the launch of the District’s police department, arrests are down more than 50 percent.
The team of officers is critical to APS. There will be times when APSPD will need to keep students safe and strong outside of the District’s jurisdiction. This gives officers the authority to follow through issues previously handed off to other law enforcement agencies.
Even with a pandemic and while many schools were closed, APSPD protected our schools, conducted welfare checks when necessary, and helped prepare the district for reopen. This authorization allows officers to serve our students beyond the borders of school.
Visit https://www.atlantapublicschools.us/oss to learn more about the safe and secure environment our officers work to provide for Atlanta Public Schools students, staff and families.
By Leslie Rivera
Hope-Hill Media Specialist Christine Tigue commutes to school most days by bicycle. When she does, she parks her bike behind the media center’s circulation desk and that caught the attention of several students. So many children showed an interest in cycling that Ms. Tigue teamed up with the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition to get helmets for a few students earlier this year. That’s when she heard about the Earn A Bike program, decided to participate in the program and received funding from the Hope-Hill Elementary School Foundation.
Here’s how the program works. The Atlanta Bicycle Coalition offers a class for elementary, middle or high school students on bicycle basics and safety. The four-hour class teaches students basic road rules, safety checks on proper helmet and bike fit as well as tips on cycling in Atlanta.
Ms. Tigue arranged to have the program held at Hope-Hill Elementary for the first fifteen students, grades 3-5, who brought her a signed permission slip. Those students completed the course and earned a bicycle plus a helmet! Now the school’s foundation has offered to purchase a bicycle lock for every student.
Because of the program’s success, the Hope-Hill Elementary School foundation has offered to pay for another class to take place before the end of the school year. Some of the teachers have even signed up for the Earn A Bike Adult Program!
The Atlanta Bicycle Coalition is a nonprofit organization founded in 1991 that promotes the bicycle as a viable transportation solution and form of recreation and exercise. Its mission is to create a healthier, more livable Atlanta by making it safer, easier, and more attractive to cycle in the city.
Representatives from the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office recently visited Cleveland Avenue Elementary and Dunbar Elementary schools to educate students about bicycle and pedestrian safety. The Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Education Program seeks to reduce pedestrian and bicycle injuries and deaths by teaching safety awareness to students and adults.
Sheriff’s Office representatives taught Cleveland Avenue third graders how to respond if approached by strangers, and gave the group guidelines for walking on sidewalks. The students responded by asking countless questions about the best way to respond to a variety scenarios. Following the safety presentation, the representatives gave reflective safety vests to every student, which many of them sported as they walked down the hall during afternoon dismissal.
Third graders at Dunbar learned the basics of safely walking and bicycling to school and other destinations during a similar presentation at their school. To emphasize the importance of wearing protective head gear, the Sheriff’s Office representatives gave the Dunbar students safety helmets to wear when cycling in addition to protective vests.
This school year, Kimberly Elementary School parents are experiencing a car rider procedure that employs stricter safety measures. Mr. Joseph Salley, who is starting his first full year as principal of Southwest Atlanta’s L.O. Kimberly Elementary School, decided that stricter safety procedures were in order for the car rider pick-up line.
During the first week of school, parents received car rider tags with large print numbers on them to hang in their windshields. Students who ride home in cars are identified by the numbers on the car rider tag. When a car pulls into the parking lot at the end of the day, a school official announces the number of the car rider tag in the windshield and another school official escorts identified students to the corresponding cars.
“This process isn’t new to many other schools in the nation,” said Mr. Salley. “But, this is a new experience for the parents of this Cascade-Campbellton Road community.”
With about 70 different cars and daycare vans picking up students at Kimberly, the entire process only takes about 15 minutes.
“This process may seem like it could draw out the dismissal process at the car rider line, but in fact it is very efficient,” Mr.Salley explained.
Mr. Salley knows that his parents appreciate the extra safety measures.
Additionally, Mr. Salley has implemented Positive Behavior Intervention Supports (PBIS) at Kimberly Elementary. PBIS is part of the Response to Intervention (RtI) process that emphasizes the use of positive reinforcement and a consistent set of schoolwide expectations for all students.
At Kimberly, students are focusing on the 3 Bee’s (Bee Respectful, Bee Responsible, Bee Safe). Their behavior matrix outlines how students should behave in the lines, walkways, playground, restrooms, cafeteria, school assemblies, and the library.
Students are also using choice cards to document positive and negative behaviors. Positive marks on the choice card will entitle students to participate in quarterly “Top Bee” celebrations. Along with the choice cards, students can also earn “Caught-Ya” tickets. These tickets are given to students that exhibit great behavior. Students can save them for big prizes such as lunch with the principal, a school t-shirt, or having their name displayed on the school’s marquee.
REVISED Bus routes for all elementary, middle and high school bus riders are now posted on the district’s Department of Transportation website and available at your local school. Routes were updated on Sunday, August 5, 2013.
CLICK HERE to view Elementary School Bus Routes
CLICK HERE to view Middle School Bus Routes
CLICK HERE to view High School Bus Routes
The deadline for students to register for school to receive a bus stop prior to the first day of school was July 12th. Students who did not register by July 12th will be assigned a bus stop on August 23rd when updated bus routes are posted. Students who do not have a bus stop and are eligible for APS transportation will be allowed to use the nearest bus stop until a permanent bus stop is assigned.
Parents of special education students, who have not been assigned pick-up times, should contact Thomas McGaha at (404) 802-2613 to arrange transportation.
Download a copy of the Bus Safety & Conduct Standards here.
School bus routes are accessible via the school district map site. Use this link to access the school map site and school bus stops – Bus Stop Locator
For the latest information on bus schedules and transportation changes, visit www.atlantapublicschools.us/busupdates.
We are excited about the upcoming school year, and we look forward to seeing excited learners on Wednesday, August 7th.
Enjoy this bus safety video, produced by our talented students at Maynard Jackson High School!
On February 8th, the kindergarteners at Toomer Elementary School brought their teddy bears to be treated at the Teddy Bear Hospital. A group of 15 Emory medical students posed as doctors and examined the teddy bears that the children brought in as patients. The doctors assessed the teddy bears by taking x-rays, checking their blood pressure, heart rate, and more. The children participated in the check-up by examining their eyes, giving them shots, and listening for their heartbeat. They were fully engaged in the activity and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
“The idea is to allow the children to experience the medical interaction through the eyes of their teddy bear,” says Chris Lewis, Director of Emory’s Teddy Bear Hospital. “It’s all about getting the children excited about health in a setting where they feel comfortable.”
As the kindergarten classes rotated through the examination room, they received an interactive lecture on health. The lesson covered topics including public health, safety issues, healthy foods, the importance of exercise, and more. They were also introduced to a skeleton and learned about bones and other parts of the body.
“Initially, the kids were actually quite scared of the skeleton,” says Vineet Tiruvadi, an Emory medical student. “Once they warmed up to the skeleton, they loved it, and the skeleton even got a few hugs at the end of the day. It was great to see the children get over their initial fear of the skeleton, just like their initial fear of a doctor.”
ATLANTA – APS is revising and adding school bus routes and stops following a comprehensive district-wide review of the system and after considering parent input during the first week and a half of classes for the new school year.
APS has developed a strategy based on a review of the issues that surfaced since the start of classes for the new school year on August 6 and has begun implementing a plan to ensure that all students travel to and from their schools in a safe and efficient manner. The plan will be implemented over the next several weeks.
As a result of this review, the district is adding 49 buses to the fleet, along with 850 additional bus stops to existing routes. APS will also add additional crossing guards to assist students crossing busy streets and intersections.
Costs associated with implementing these transportation changes are estimated at $2.8 million. The district will identify specific areas where budgeted revenues can be redirected to support these transportation changes.
APS will also collaborate with appropriate local and state agencies and organizations to address the root causes of the issues that potentially impact students safely walking to and from schools, including crime, over-grown vegetation on lots, abandoned buildings and stray animals.
The district will continue to receive parent input regarding pupil transportation and will consider changes on a case-by-case basis, which is the current practice. Parents and guardians of students should continue to contact their local schools or the APS Transportation Department with issues, concerns and suggestions.
APS will notify parents of changes to bus routes and stops on a weekly basis every Friday through postings on the district Web site (www.atlantapublicschools.us), email messages, automated phone calls, Twitter, flyers and letters.
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