Though we’ve moved to a “new”

location, now sharing a facility

with the College and Career

Preparatory Academy (CCPA),

our mission remains the same,

facilitating high school graduation

and preparing students for the

next step!

This year, the PLC expects to have

supported more than 58 students

in achieving the dream of high

school graduation.

This May, the Barrow County

Performance Learning Center

(PLC) will complete its seventh

year serving high school students

in our county! What began as a

dream in the minds of several

school board members soon

blossomed into a new, non-

traditional opportunity for high

school graduation.

The PLC utilizes a small-school,

lab-based setting to provide

blended learning through an

online curriculum (e2020)

combined with physically

present, highly qualified subject

area teachers who customize,

supplement, and actively adjust

instruction to best suit individual

student needs.

The PLC

program has

grown in size

and scope

from an initial

student body

of approxi-

mately 50 to

one of more than 100 this year.

Five of the current faculty and

staff helped to start the program

and have been integral to its

success: Mrs. Molly Stiltner

(principal), Ms. Angie Peifer

(secretary/registrar), Mrs. Tam’ra

Kerch (math), Dr. Dena Pruitt

(language arts), and Dr. Lynn

Rambo (social studies). Mr. Matt

Sims (business/electives) joined

us in year two, and Mr. Michael

Garrett (science) is completing

his second year at the PLC.

The following PLC students have

worked diligently to complete

coursework early and are ready

to graduate:

From AHS

Anna Dominguez, Justin Jackson,

Jared Lingenfelter, Phillip

McMurtrie and Savannah Morton.

From WBHS

Ashley Burgess, Chelsi Campbell,

Diamond Cintron, Chebria

Creightney, BreAna Deal,

Brianna Edwards, Abigail Guerra,

Justice Hamilton, Kasan Jarrett,

Amanda Knight, Corey McDaniel,

and Troy Williams.

From the CCPA

Jacob Crowe, and Justin McDevitt.

—————-

Finishing early allows these

students to begin pursuing their

post-secondary goals including

college, employment, or military

service.

Wrapping up another Successful Year

I N S I D E T H I S

I S S U E :

Graduation and

Beyond

2

Data-Driven at

the PLC

2

Teacher of the

Year

2

Focus on the

SS GHSGT

3

Governance

Team

4

Dr. Pruitt

Retiring

5

Important

Dates

6

PLC Students Finish Coursework Early!

Barrow County PLC News A P R I L 2 0 1 2

S P E C I A L

P O I N T S O F

I N T E R E S T :

18 PLC students

participated in the

Barrow County Team

Lean competition this

spring as part of our

ongoing focus on

Healthy Choices for a

Better Barrow.

—————————-—-

PLC Seniors!!!

Join our Facebook

Group: Barrow County

PLC Seniors 2012 to

keep up with our

end-of-year events!

P A G E 2

Providing bus

transportation to

and from AHS and

WBHS this year

has improved PLC

attendance rates!

Gathering Data to Better Serve Our Students

PLC Teacher of the Year

Focusing on Graduation and Beyond The mission of the PLC has

always included more than

graduation. Through an

individualized advisement

program, our teachers seek to

connect students with life after

high school.

We use a number of

resources including Individual

Development Plans, Georgia

College 411, and college visits

to help our students make a

plan for their future in line

with their particular skills and

interests.

Now, the state of Georgia has

passed the BRIDGE Act

(Building Resourceful Individu-

als to Develop Georgia’s

Economy) which states that

Georgia’s high school students

must be provided:

1. Career counseling

2. Career guidance

3. Regularly-scheduled

career advisement

4. Information to enable

students to successfully

complete their graduation

plans, preparing them for

a seamless transition to

postsecondary study,

further training, or

employment.

Our PLC students are certainly

in compliance, even moving

beyond what is required

through opportunities such as

college field trips, dual enroll-

ment and job shadowing we

provide in our individualized,

small-school environment.

She also serves as a liaison through monthly Teacher Advisory Committee Meetings with our Superintendent, Dr. Wanda Creel, to relay school-level questions and communicate responses.

Mrs. Tam’ra Kerch was selected as the 2011-2012 PLC Teacher of the Year. She ably serves as a leader in our PLC program, providing both administrative support and team guidance.

Mrs. Kerch is additionally pursuing her certificate in Leadership through the Rising Stars Program and hopes to serve as a school administrator in the future.

A picture is worth a thousand words!

The PLC has opened its DATA ROOM with

the goal of utilizing data to drive instruction

and increase the effectiveness of our pro-

gram. Data has been collected, organized, and

color-coded with respect to the strategic goals

of our Balanced Scorecard (sample shown).

Our team of teachers dug into the data and

discovered patterns, recognized strengths,

discussed areas for improvement, and

identified additional data needs.

B A R R O W C O U N T Y P L C N E W S

PLC

Teacher of

the Year,

Mrs. Tam’ra

Kerch

Ticket to Graduation: the Social Studies Hurdle

P A G E 3

With the gradual phasing out of the Georgia High School Grad– uation Tests (GHSGTs) across the state, the End-of-Course Tests (EOCTs) are taking center stage. This year’s graduating class has the benefit of meeting graduation testing require-ments by passing either the subject area GHSGTs or at least one EOCT in each subject area.

The Social Studies GHSGT, along with the U.S. History EOCT, have increasingly become

struggles for Georgia’s high school students. Dr. Lynn Rambo has doubled down this year, continuing to hold fall and spring remediation sessions while adding intensive EOCT preparation.

Connecting students’ personal lives with the history of our nation and world is key, so she implemented two hands-on activities aimed at strengthen-ing these connections:

During February, PLC students completed several online activities, culminating in a group viewing of The Help. A discussion brought clarity to the reality of a critical era in America’s past.

Prior to the March GHSGT administration, students constructed an annotated timeline in order to better grasp the chrono– logy of U.S. historical events.

She brought experience from Classic City High School, the PLC in Clarke County, where she spent two years prior to joining our Barrow County PLC. Dr. Pruitt also spent time teaching in Walton County.

Dr. Pruitt shared, “Teaching at the PLC has provided

With much gratitude and heavy hearts, the PLC will say good-bye to Dr. Dena Pruitt at the end of this school year. A three-time UGA graduate and die hard Dawg fan, she has been a Georgia educator for 26 years. Dr. Pruitt was an inaugural member of the PLC staff and helped open our program nearly seven years ago.

some of the most meaningful experiences of my career. The past seven years have gone by in a blur, and I will miss my PLC family of students and co-workers. I have ambitious plans to ride my bicycle in as many states as I can, beginning with Wisconsin this summer.”

She will surely be missed!

CCPA Governance Team Meeting Minutes and

related documents can be accessed at:

http://ccpagovernanceteam.pbworks.com

————————————

The purpose of the school governance team is

to make decisions that support the continuous

improvement of the school as outlined by the

provisions of the Charter.

Since Barrow County Schools has become a charter system,

governance teams have been formed to enable school-level

cluster-level, and district-level decision making.

The PLC is represented as part of both the Apalachee and

Winder-Barrow Cluster Governance Teams. Additionally,

since we share a building with the College and Career

Preparatory Academy (CCPA), the PLC is included on this

team as well. Mrs. Tam’ra Kerch and Dr. Lynn Rambo are

currently serving as teacher representatives to bring our

program interests to building-level decisions.

School Governance Team

Saying “Good-Bye” to a Founding PLC Member

Note: Opportunities to retake the GHSGTs will be offered this summer.

Check the Barrow County Testing Calendar and Website for additional information.

~PLC Senior Days~

Wednesday, May 16th

8:45-9:15 Senior Breakfast

College/Career Dress Day

Thursday, May 17th

12:15-1:15 Senior Lunch/Cookout

Seniors Only Hat Day

Field Games

CCPA Graduation

Wednesday, May 23rd

6:30 pm

Barrow County PDC

*practice TBA

Winder-Barrow Graduation

Thursday, May 24th

8:00 pm

WBHS Stadium

*practice on Thursday at 9:00 am

Apalachee Graduation

Friday, May 25th

8:00 pm

AHS Stadium

*practice on Thursday at 9:00 am

54 Star Street, West

Bethlehem, Georgia 30620

For more information OR an application, see the

links below.

Phone: 770-868-1072

Fax: 770-867-1341

PLC Website: www.Barrow.k12.ga.us/PLC

PLC Wiki: http://BarrowPLC.pbworks.com

The Performance Learning Center (PLC) is a small,

non-traditional high school program geared toward

students who are not succeeding in a traditional school

setting. The PLC incorporates a caring philosophy and

approach that combines strong personal relationships

between staff and students with an intense focus on

academic achievement.

The Performance Learning Center’s business-like

environment challenges students to complete assign-

ments at their own pace using online, computer-based

curriculum. The PLC has low student/teacher ratios, and

students receive one-on-one attention when needed.

The Barrow County PLC serves students from:

Apalachee High School

Winder Barrow High School

The College & Career Preparatory Academy

Barrow County

Performance Learning Center

Important Dates to Remember:

Summer Graduation Test Administration

July 16—20

PLC Parents—Please complete and return the enclosed CCPA/PLC School Uniform Survey by May 7th.