November 17, 2006
Brooks County - Last year, Brooks County Middle School met Georgia's Adequate Yearly Progress Standards, but its remained in the needs improvement category.
This year, the schools faculty and staff are doing whatever it takes to ensure their students pass the Criterion-Referenced Competency Test, or CRCTs and move off that list. "The GPS and the QCC standards are rigorous but with a lot of love and compassion and some creativity, we can get our students to pass the CRCT," said Diane Thomas, math chair at Brooks County Middle School.
Utilizing this creativity, they have created a fair that has games based on problem areas for students in all subjects. They hope the games will help students retain information and improve their test scores. "A lot of children don't get it when you just stand there and talk. They learn when they are involved and as you can tell all these children are involved," Thomas adds.
And the students approve of this new learning environment. "Being how we have fun when we learn it helps us want to keep learning," says sixth grader Kristin Spencer.
Sixth grader Dexter Murphy agrees. "We can do work outside like we do inside but we can have more fun with it."
"Outside is better. You can do more stuff and you can be with your friends and they can help you," adds Savannah Gordon, also a sixth grader.
Parents were also encouraged to come out and use this opportunity to get more involved in their child's studies. "You ask them, how was your day at school? And they're like, fine, good. What did you learn? Math, science. But this way your hands on. You can actually see what they are learning in math, see what they are learning in science."
They are trying to plan another fair before the CRCT next spring.
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