A History of High School Reform in Georgia

A decade before high school reform became the education topic du jour, Georgia began implementing high school reform. A decade before national studies pushed for a required core of academics for all high school students Georgia set almost identical requirements for college prep and career/technology diplomas. A decade ago Georgia’s SAT scores began to rise.

The class of 1994 scored an average of 948 -- 55 points below the national average -- on the SAT. The class of 1995 had an average of 960. The class of ’95 had to pass the High School Graduation Test in English, Math, and Writing before they received a diploma. Previous classes faced only the Basic Skills Test. The class of 2001 had an average SAT score of 980, which was 40 points below the national average. By the time they entered high school, a number of changes had been phased in:

• Students had to pass graduation tests in English, Math, Writing, Social Studies, and Science to receive a diploma.
• All students had to take three years of Science.
• All students had to take at least three years of Math including Algebra. College prep students had to take four years of Math including two years of Algebra and Geometry.
• The general diploma, which almost 30% of graduates received, was eliminated.
• College prep students had to take two years of a foreign language.
• Only grades in core academic courses counted towards the HOPE scholarship. Under these standards, 46% of the recipients in the class of ’96 would have been ineligible and 35% of the class of ’97.
• Admission to Georgia’s university system was based on the Freshman Index, a combination of the grade point average and SAT score.

The class of 2005 was the second to take a CRCT before they entered high school and faced the graduation tests. End-of-course tests applied to them their junior and senior years. Their SAT average of 993 is Georgia’s highest and only 35 points below the national average. Since the high school reforms began in the mid ‘90’s, the state average has gone up 45 points. It takes time and determination to dig out of a hole as deep as the one we were in. There is neither glory nor political incentive for those who plan and fight for long-term changes. When the payoff comes someone else has usually moved into the spotlight. From kindergarten through 12 th grade is 13 years. The school years of the class of 2005 covered terms for 3 Governors, 3 State Superintendents of Schools, numerous turnovers on the State Board of Education, and 7 legislative elections. Follow through by successors is obviously a necessary component for sustained improvement. We have a long way to go, but we will not make it if we do not remember changes made, evaluate results, and adjust as necessary. So to all those who envisioned a better education for our students, to those who fought for changes, to those who turned theory into working plans, to those who kept order in the midst of the chaos of change, to those who have kept reform on track, your work is making a difference.

HIGH SCHOOL REFORMS