Why this Georgia teacher is excited about A-F School Grading

Kelly Cadman, a Georgia mother and teacher, recently explained why she supports Georgia’s new A-F School Grading System.

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As this year draws to a close, Georgia is gearing up for a significant change: The state will release an A-F School Grading System for schools in 2016.

A, B, C, D and F are the most prolific descriptors in education. Everyone intuitively understands the difference between a “D” and a “B” grade. This immediate understanding promotes transparency within the community, district and state. And with this information, Georgia parents, educators and communities will be able to respond to improve learning for their children.

Kelly Cadman is a Georgia mother and teacher who is excited about the coming change. In a recent piece in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Cadman explained why she supports Georgia’s new A-F School Grading System.

Read an excerpt from her piece below, and head over to RaisingTheBarGA.com to learn more about Georgia’s A-F School Grading System.

A-F school grading will give Georgia parents useful measuring stick
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By Kelly Cadman
December 22, 2015

Politicians may talk a big game about education, but at the end of the day, no one has the same stake in my children’s future that I do. As a parent, I’m ultimately responsible for ensuring my two boys, aged 11 and 16, are prepared for all the opportunities and challenges that life brings. I am also a teacher, and I believe that responsibility extends to my students.

But how are we parents supposed to know what happens in our kids’ schools? We can’t do anything to help if we don’t know their schools are struggling. Even the most involved parents can miss major problems in the classroom, because we can’t be there every day. That is why I’m excited about the new A-F school grading system in Georgia.

The new system, which was signed into law by Gov. Nathan Deal earlier this year and will be released in 2016, raises the bar in education in three critically important areas. Here is where the teacher in me kicks in.

First and foremost, A-F school grading prioritizes excellence over the complacency in the old system. There should be no greater goal in education than academic success. Through the simplicity of A-F letter grades, parents can quickly identify problematic trends at their children’s school and get engaged to help turn them around…

Continue reading at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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