All 34 Hall County schools met "Adequate Yearly Progress" this year for the first time ever based on preliminary reports, said Superintendent Will Schofield.

With the system’s May retests of the state’s Criterion-Referenced Competency Test applied, state and high school graduation test scores put every Hall County school system in the AYP category as defined by the federal No Child Left Behind law enacted in 2002.

"This is pretty historic for our district," Schofield said. "... What’s really rewarding is that our teachers and students have done it the right way. We have not stressed test-taking skills. We have not stressed memorization skill and drill. We have tried to stress more rigorous programming for all students, believing that if we raised the bar, all students will benefit from that. I think we’re beginning to see that’s a pretty powerful recipe."

Schofield said two years ago, eight Hall County schools were on the Needs Improvement list, but state reports to be released later this month could confirm only South Hall Middle School remains on the Needs Improvement list.

Schools placed on the Needs Improvement list may be required to make program changes if they do not make AYP two years in a row. A school on the Needs Improvement list must make AYP two years in a row to get off the list.

But Schofield continues to say he does not support the federal act that he believes lacks the assessment of modern skills as well as a growth model to measure individual students’ academic gains each school year.

"As proud as I am of our folks, this ought not be the focus of what we’re about at institutions that are supporting teaching and learning," he said of the standardized testing requirements. "We’ve got to get into deeper discussions about what the 21st century successful adult is going to look like and I’m convinced we’re going to come to the conclusion that it’s not about memorizing a bunch of isolated facts."

As Hall County schools celebrate their academic success that Schofield attributes to increased rigor for all students, Sardis Elementary School celebrates its new state Board of Education-approved Schoolwide Enrichment charter school status.

Sardis Elementary Principal Jan Hughes said the school will open this August as the Sardis Enrichment School.

Students’ own interests drive the Schoolwide Enrichment Model. The model is based on the Renzulli learning method, which allows teachers to teach the state curriculum through students’ interests and academic strong points.

A student who likes racecars, for example, can be taught basic physics laws in the context of a racetrack.

The Renzulli method has often been reserved for gifted students, but the Schoolwide Enrichment Model expands the method to all students of all ability levels in a school.

"The difference between an enrichment school and a traditional school is that we’re going to be focusing more on children’s strengths," Hughes said. "We’ll look at their strengths, their abilities and their learning styles in order to design their curriculum programs to meet their needs specifically."

The Hall County school board also approved a letter to the state Board of Education outlining the system’s intention to become an Investing in Educational Excellence (IE2) system.

The IE± partnership will allow the system to enter into an agreement with the state to establish performance contracts that allow for greater flexibility in return for increased accountability.

"It will give us the unique opportunity to combine what’s best about charter schools and have the flexibility that’s allowed under IE2 from cumbersome laws," Schofield said.

He said the system could enter into the contract by January 2010 after the board holds public hearings on the issue.