Executive Summary
Sope Creek Elementary School, a 30-year old public school in East Cobb County, is a kindergarten through fifth grade school. It is one of the largest Cobb County Elementary schools with a population of about 1050 students. Sope Creek is located in a high socio-economic growth corridor of East Cobb County, with the overwhelming majority of students residing in single-family residences. In addition, the attendance zone also encompasses one large apartment complex. Our affluent community can also be reflected through our current free and reduced lunch percentage of 4.4%. Historically, we have had outstanding parental involvement and support, as well as naturally talented children eager and ready to learn.
Sope Creek is the proud academic home for multiple Special Education classes that enrich the school and provide daily examples of perseverance and achievement. Special Education Programs at Sope Creek include: Orthopedic Impaired, Severe/Profound Intellectual Disabilities, Mild Intellectual Disabilities, Autism Unit, Special Needs Pre-school, Primary and Intermediate Small Group Classes, Co-teaching and Supportive Inclusion Classes, Speech, and Consultative Special Education Services. In addition, the school provides services in compensatory programs such as English Language Learners, Advanced Learning Program, and Early Intervention Program. Sope Creek consistently ranks academically in the top ten among the seventy-one Cobb County Elementary Schools.
Our diverse student population is represented by at least 50 different cultures, providing a rich environment for all learners. A large majority of the students remain at Sope Creek for their entire elementary school experience. The low transience rate is primarily due to the close location to metro Atlanta, outstanding academic accomplishments, and a highly educated and professional staff.
Our student achievement goal has focused on math since 2006. The first year the goal narrowly focused only on computation. It was expanded last year to include problem solving. This year we will continue to focus our efforts on teaching the Georgia Performance Standards in math with a clear emphasis on assessment and data. It is imperative that we analyze the data we collect to make instructional decisions. The school performance goal will be to plan, implement, and assess performance based lessons through the Highly Effective Teaching Model, which emphasizes rigor, relevance, and relationships. “The world has urgent problems to solve and we have children waiting to learn and grow and hoping to have meaningful work to do.” (Kovalik & Olsen, 2005).
Organizational Characteristics
Sope Creek is a K-5 site-based, shared governance school with a principal, an assistant principal, and an assistant administrator. Teachers are organized according to grade level taught or subject area taught, and each “horizontal department” has a team leader. Team leaders meet together as the Building Level Team (BLT) and then disseminate information back to the team. Vertical Design Teams (i.e. Planning, Staff Development, Communication, Technology/Media, School Improvement/Data, Yearbook, Curriculum and Instruction, and Climate) collaborate monthly to plan and make decisions which support student achievement and the smooth operation of the school. Support staff works in tandem with the grade level teachers to further enrich the lives of the students. Skilled services include: professional school counselors, teacher of English Language Learners, Early Intervention Program, special education, gifted education, itinerant county services, psychologist, social worker, and physical needs services complete the circle of student support to enhance teaching and learning. A strong Response to Intervention Team (RTI) assists teachers, parents and students in the areas of academic and behavioral concerns. The process begins with regularly scheduled cross grade level teacher-led collaborative (Tier 2) problem-solving meetings designed to close to the achievement gap for all learners.
