Forsyth County Schools
Encyclopedia
Forsyth County Schools is a public school district
in Forsyth County, Georgia
, USA, based in Cumming
, Georgia
. FCS serves over 36,000 students and is the largest employer in the county with over 4,100 full-time employees and 1,500 substitutes. Out of 180 school districts, FCS is the ninth largest school system in Georgia.
After completing two Strategic Plans, FCS spent a year constructing a new plan to guide the system from 2009 to 2012. Based on feedback from thousands of students, parents, staff and community members, the new Strategic Plan has goals, objectives and metrics to provide the foundation to which all activities and resources will be aligned to achieve our system's vision.
FCS is one of two IE2 (Investing in Educational Excellence) districts in Georgia, which allows the district flexibility from Georgia education laws for increased accountability. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Education selected FCS has one of 49 grantees for the Investing in Innovation (i3) fund grants. This $4.7 million grant is in partnership with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and the University of Gerogia. i3 winners were selected from among nearly 1,700 applicants for potential funding from the $650 million i3 program and represented a cross-section of school districts and nonprofit education organizations, including institutions of higher education. FCS is the only recipient in Georgia and one of twelve public school districts in the nation to be a grantee.
The district adds 1,700 new students a year and six new schools are projected to be built by 2017. In addition to having the highest CRCT and ACT scores in Georgia, FCS also has some of the highest SAT scores in the state, which are also above national averages. It has received numerous district honors and awards, including but not limited to Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), all eligible schools and district; American Association of School Administrators (AASA) Georgia Civic Star; American School Counselor Association (ASCA) Recognized Model Program (RAMP); Construction Owners Association of American Silver Award; National Achievement Scholarship Finalist; National Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence; National Naval Honor School; National School Boards Association (NSBA) "20 to Watch"; National School Boards Association (NSBA) Ed Tech Site Visit Host; National School Boards Association (NSBA) Salute District; National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) Communication Awards; SACS/CASI District Accreditation; Advanced Placement (AP) Honor Schools; Georgia Department of Education Distinguished Achievement Awards; Governor's Office of Student Achievement (OSC) Single Statewide Accountability Awards; and 14 Georgia Schools of Excellence.
Through the Technology Integration for Performance Standards (TIPS) course, teachers receive intensive instruction in standards-based unit design with an emphasis on technology integration using the myriad of resources available, classroom technology management strategies, and professional productivity skills.
Each classroom has access to technology resources. A classroom visit reveals:
is the governing body of the school system. Members are elected by the public to represent one of five districts to which they will serve four year terms that are staggered.
Members:
School district
School districts are a form of special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools.-United States:...
in Forsyth County, Georgia
Forsyth County, Georgia
Forsyth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The county seat is Cumming, Georgia. Forsyth County is a part of the Atlanta metropolitan area...
, USA, based in Cumming
Cumming, Georgia
Cumming is a city in Forsyth County, Georgia, United States. The population was 5,430 at the 2010 census. However, places with a Cumming mailing address have a population of around 100,000...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. FCS serves over 36,000 students and is the largest employer in the county with over 4,100 full-time employees and 1,500 substitutes. Out of 180 school districts, FCS is the ninth largest school system in Georgia.
History
The district was established in 1860 as one of the first free public school systems in Georgia.After completing two Strategic Plans, FCS spent a year constructing a new plan to guide the system from 2009 to 2012. Based on feedback from thousands of students, parents, staff and community members, the new Strategic Plan has goals, objectives and metrics to provide the foundation to which all activities and resources will be aligned to achieve our system's vision.
FCS is one of two IE2 (Investing in Educational Excellence) districts in Georgia, which allows the district flexibility from Georgia education laws for increased accountability. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Education selected FCS has one of 49 grantees for the Investing in Innovation (i3) fund grants. This $4.7 million grant is in partnership with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and the University of Gerogia. i3 winners were selected from among nearly 1,700 applicants for potential funding from the $650 million i3 program and represented a cross-section of school districts and nonprofit education organizations, including institutions of higher education. FCS is the only recipient in Georgia and one of twelve public school districts in the nation to be a grantee.
Schools
FCS is home to 35 schools – nineteen elementary, nine middle, five high schools, as well as the Academies for Creative Education (A.C.E) that houses two schools, Forsyth Academy (a charter non-traditional high school)/Academy @ Night and iAchieve Virtual Academy, FCS' 6-12 online school, and one program, Gateway Academy (the alternative program for middle and high school students).The district adds 1,700 new students a year and six new schools are projected to be built by 2017. In addition to having the highest CRCT and ACT scores in Georgia, FCS also has some of the highest SAT scores in the state, which are also above national averages. It has received numerous district honors and awards, including but not limited to Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), all eligible schools and district; American Association of School Administrators (AASA) Georgia Civic Star; American School Counselor Association (ASCA) Recognized Model Program (RAMP); Construction Owners Association of American Silver Award; National Achievement Scholarship Finalist; National Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence; National Naval Honor School; National School Boards Association (NSBA) "20 to Watch"; National School Boards Association (NSBA) Ed Tech Site Visit Host; National School Boards Association (NSBA) Salute District; National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) Communication Awards; SACS/CASI District Accreditation; Advanced Placement (AP) Honor Schools; Georgia Department of Education Distinguished Achievement Awards; Governor's Office of Student Achievement (OSC) Single Statewide Accountability Awards; and 14 Georgia Schools of Excellence.
Technology
To support the school system's technology initiatives, Instructional Technology Specialists are assigned to each school to work with teachers to model teaching and learning strategies for technology integration. Teachers participate in on-going professional development to experiment, initiate, and create new models of teaching and learning for dynamic and changing curricula.Through the Technology Integration for Performance Standards (TIPS) course, teachers receive intensive instruction in standards-based unit design with an emphasis on technology integration using the myriad of resources available, classroom technology management strategies, and professional productivity skills.
Each classroom has access to technology resources. A classroom visit reveals:
- Teachers and students collaborating on learning through the use of interactive whiteboard technology.
- Learners accessing appropriate software to help accelerate comprehension in math and language arts. In addition, the school's network provides access to a wealth of productivity resources like word processing, presentation tools and connection to the media center holdings from anywhere in the school.
- Students producing and broadcasting the morning announcements each day over the school's two-way video distribution system.
- Students accessing the Internet via high-speed connection and teachers communicating within the school, district, community and the world via email
- All classroom computers are part of the school network and all schools are connected to a high-speed fiber optic network.
Board of Education
The Board of EducationBoard of education
A board of education or a school board or school committee is the title of the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or higher administrative level....
is the governing body of the school system. Members are elected by the public to represent one of five districts to which they will serve four year terms that are staggered.
Members:
- Tom Cleveland - District 3 (Chairperson)
- Darla Light - District 4 (Vice-Chairperson)
- Ann Crow- District 1
- Kristin Morrissey - District 4
- Nancy Roche- District 5