MCBOE Recognizes Student Achievement
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The Montgomery County Board of Education recognized the achievement of several students and staff during its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, February 13.
“This is one of our favorite items, recognizing students,” Superintendent Stan Rentz began.
Montgomery County High School sophomore Evan Hardeman was acknowledged first by the Board for earning a perfect score on the Georgia Milestone standardized test for U.S. History. “[Montgomery County High School teacher] Mrs. [Melissa] Barrow led me through it, and it was pretty easy,” Hardeman commented on the achievement.
Barrow was later recognized in the meeting for her own accomplishment in receiving the annual Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR) Award, alongside the Montgomery County High School 2024 STAR Student Rebecca Hong. The STAR Student award is given to the school’s senior with the highest score on the SAT, and who is within the top 10 students in their class academically; the STAR Student then picks a teacher to be acknowledged alongside them as the district’s STAR teacher.
When discussing why she selected Barrow as her STAR Teacher, Hong remarked, “She is a great teacher and super kind, too. Her class isn’t very simple and boring or just a lecture, it is always engaging. I especially love the games she puts out. They’re really entertaining.”
Hong told the Board that she plans to attend Georgia Tech to major in neuroscience after graduation. “We’re extremely proud of you. Congratulations, and know you’ll always be an eagle,” Rentz said to the student.
In addition to these students and staff members, the growing progress and achievement of the students in the Montgomery County Middle School Department of Exceptional Learning were also recognized, as Montgomery County Middle School special education teacher Amber Reid presented data to the Board about the students’ recent growth on the Georgia Milestone standardized assessments.
She began her presentation by complimenting the leadership within the school. “My principal is fantastic to work for and with,” she shared. “He’s very knowledgeable about the business of education. He’s very fair and consistent. In my educational career, I’ve not seen anybody work harder on making MCMS and MCHS the best. Every year, we get data that he’s compiled from milestones and different types of things, and Montgomery County is always at the top. We’re at the top in our area; we’re at the top of same size schools surrounding us; we’re always up here.”
Reid continued, “My [Department of Exceptional Learning — DEL] boss is also one of the best that I have ever had the privilege to work for. In the last three years, she has really been a blessing to our department and students. We have seen so many gains in our Milestones testing and growth.”
According to Reid, every grade level within the middle school department has experienced significant growth from year to year on the Milestones — more growth than the average of students within the state both with and without disabilities. She emphasized the importance of both acknowledging and understanding this growth, as she told the Board, “I know a lot of times — in all aspects of life — we tend to focus on pass/fail. Of course, that is important, but in education, growth is just as important, especially when you are talking about students with disabilities.”
The school data that Reid shared included a 67% growth rate of knowledge in math and language arts for the seven Department of Exceptional Learning students in the 6th grade; a 100% growth rate in math and a 50% growth rate in language arts for the two Department of Exceptional Learning students in the 7th grade; a 75% growth rate in math and a 100% growth rate in language arts for the six Department of Exceptional Learning students in the 8th grade; and an 88% growth rate in math and 75% growth rate in language arts for Department of Exceptional Learning students in the 9th grade.
“For DEL students, this is very impressive,” Reid emphasized. “I know it’s not a lot of passfail data, I get that, but as an educator and for other educators, I want my kids to grow. Year after year, I want to see them get better. I don’t expect them to blow it out the water, but if they have some growth, I’m satisfied.”
Curriculum Director Beverly Faircloth also spoke on the achievement. “I’m extremely impressed. Years ago, we did have a modified version of the state test [for students with disabilities]. We don’t have that anymore. The Milestone is the Milestone. These kids are passing the very same Milestone as every other child; that’s phenomenal,” she remarked.
Yet, while the achievement of the middle school special education program was recognized, a parent of an elementary school special education student addressed the Board about her concern with the future of the program.
Stacie Randolph told the Board that she had not originally planned to speak at the meeting, but that after attending the Board’s work session on February 8, she had become concerned with leadership’s enthusiasm about special education.
She said that during the work session, she was encouraged to hear about the plans being made to improve the district’s gifted program, appearance at job fairs, sports facilities, and transportation safety. “I am in no way taking away from anything that was said the other night. I think it is all great things. I just want to bring a different approach to it so that you see it in a different light,” Randolph added.
“The thing that we’re lacking is: how many times has someone walked and stood in front of you with as much enthusiasm for what they’ve done for the special education department?” she asked the Board. “Because I can tell you what was said about the special education department in that work session. Medicaid billing: how all of you were going to be able to get more funding because of our children; how you need to switch to a different program so that maybe you could get more money out of our children because they’re dollar signs.”
She said that during the work session, a sendoff and t-shirt order for Special Olympics had also been discussed, which, while she thought it was a great thing, was again missing the purpose in special education. “That is great; it is wonderful. That could have been a handout sent home, and your parents could help if you had that parental involvement. I know of three sets of parents right now who would have bought t-shirts for all of the participants, but we know nothing about it. Aside from that, what is Special Olympics in my child’s life? Is that going to help her live independently in an apartment one day? Is that going to help her know how to walk into McDonald’s and tell them what she wants to eat? It’s not. It’s not livelihood at all for my child nor for the other children that I stand here for,” Randolph stated.
“You know what’s going to help them: getting the resources that they need, getting the speech services that they need so that they can speak and articulate what they need, getting the physical therapy they need so they can walk and get where they need to go,” she continued. [For example,] My child cannot alternate steps. You would think she could, but she can’t. She needs that.”
She emphasized the need for focus on completing each student’s individualized education plan (IEP) goals as a part of their education. “[My child] has a phenomenal teacher right now. Kaylee Coleman is wonderful; she has worked wonders with my child, and I will not take that away from her. But how long is she going to be in that classroom?” Randolph questioned. “We do not have any plans. We put out fires consistently everywhere. There is no long-term plan. There is no enthusiasm that comes through these doors.”
Randolph continued sharing her frustration, as she explained that while a child was moved from the elementary school to the middle school because of noncompliance with state guidelines, and the school’s facilities were not ADA compliant, funding had appeared to be put into renovating the school’s special education office rather than fixing these issues.
“The SPED office is receiving some updating, but the child that was moved from the elementary school [to the middle/high school because we were not in compliance], he’s being changed, or he was; it may be corrected now in a utility closet with washers, dryers, and all kinds of other things. I just don’t understand why we’re not making these children [a] priority. Why?” she stressed. “I understand we are a small school, and nobody would be upset about [lacking some resources] if we cared about our children and we put our heart into them. That might not be that important if people could see that we were pouring into other areas, and that we cared, saw them, and understood them. Are we listening?
“I’ve brought concern after concern after concern,
PERFECT SCORE – During the meeting of the Montgomery County Board of Education on February 13, Montgomery County High School Sophomore Evan Hardeman was recognized for his perfect score on the U.S. History Georgia Milestone standardized assessment. L to R: Superintendent Stan Rentz, Evan Hardeman, Montgomery County High School Teacher Melissa Barrow.Photo by Makaylee Randolph
FUTURE OF PROGRAM — During the meeting of the Montgomery County Board of Education on February 13, Stacie Randolph spoke to the Board about her concerns with the future of the district’s Special Education department.Photo by Makaylee Randolph
DISTRICT STARS – The Montgomery County Board of Education recognized STAR Student Rebecca Hong and STAR Teacher Melissa Barrow during the Board’s meeting on February 13. L to R: Superintendent Stan Rentz, Rebecca Hong, Montgomery County High School Teacher Melissa Barrow.Photo by Makaylee Randolph
