Game Show Prize May Go Toward Debt

The $1 million that Georgia schools Superintendent Kathy Cox won for charity on a game show last fall could end up in the hands of her creditors because of her personal bankruptcy filing. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that it is unclear if three public schools for deaf and blind students will get the money Cox won in August on Fox's "Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?" The attorney for the bankruptcy trustee tells the newspaper his client is exploring making a claim on the prize money. Cox and her husband, John, filed for bankruptcy Nov. 17, claiming $3.5 million in debt because of his Fayette County homebuilding business.

(Associated Press)

Georgia Dems want probe of CRCT's

Georgia's Democratic leadership is calling for an investigation into Republican Superintendent Kathy Cox's handling of state-mandated tests this year.

38-percent of Georgia's 8th graders did not pass the math test this year. Many are in summer school hoping to pass and move on to 9th grade. Superintendent Cox says the failure rate was expected because Georgia has a tougher curriculum and a more rigorous test. House Minority Leader DuBose Porter called for an independent investigation, saying teachers did not get enough training.

"If we don't get it straight going to this fall, we're going to have the same results next year because teachers still have not been prepared to teach by that new curriculum or the new rigor of this CRCT test".

Cox says teachers are prepared and she makes no excuses for raising the bar in math so quickly.

"I think we've got to say we have not had a rigorous math curriculum and we haven't had the expectations, and our teachers are doing a heck of a job and they'll get there".

Cox says she's been forthcoming with information and expects most kids to pass the math test after summer school.

Schools Superintendent wants pushback of school year

State Schools Superintendent Kathy Cox wants local districts to push back the start of classes to late August. The request is aimed to help Georgia’s place in federal ‘No Child Left Behind’ requirements. The extra time would allow state education officials to include retesting numbers for many students, instead of using the failing marks that many receive the first time they take Georgia’s standardized exams. The request is voluntary for each of the state’s 180 school districts—the change would be effective in fall 2009. Cox will present the proposal at the Georgia School Boards Association meeting this coming weekend in Savannah.

Panel mulls curriculum problems

A panel of educators is wrapping up a series of meetings today aimed at tackling problems with Georgia's social studies curriculum. State schools superintendent Kathy Cox hastily formed the committee after less than 30% of 6th- and 7th-graders passes this year's state exam. Cox threw the scores out, saying the state's curriculum didn't match the questions on the test.

Student math scores will stand

Unlike the results of social studies testing, the state Department of Education has no plans to throw out math scores of Georgia 8th graders in the recent standardized testing results.

State D-O-E spokesperson Dana Tofig says the 40-percent failure rate in the math portion of the Criterion Referenced Competency Test, or CRCT, is in-line with what they expected with a tougher curriculum.

"There are no issues with math. The issues with social studies were that the data raised a big red flag for us. To see that type of pass-rate raised a big red flag. The pass rate for math did not raise a red flag”.

Wednesday, state schools Superintendent Kathy Cox announced the social studies scores for 6th and 7th graders will be tossed from recent testing in the CRCT’s. The recorded 70-80 percent failure rate was attributed to a vague curriculum, and testing not matching the coursework.