Academics

AKS   -   Gateway Testing  
Success on the Gateway  -  Accelerated Reader   
  2003 School of Excellence  -  School Accreditation 
 Standardized Testing, Gwinnett County - Testing Info & Promotion Requirements 

Academic Knowledge and Skills (AKS) - represents the Board of Education's accepted standards for excellence in academic knowledge and skills in language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, general music, visual arts, health, and physical education for students in Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS).  Curriculum and instruction is tailored for mastery of the AKS for all students.  The link provided will bring you to the GCPS web page relating to Curriculum Standards - Academic Knowledge and Skills.  On the GCPS web page, click on Quick Links on the left and click AKS/Curriculum to access the specific AKS requirements for each grade. 

Gateway Testing - Standards in Gwinnett schools clearly state what your child will be learning and how that learning will be measured. The curriculum standards, the Academic Knowledge and Skills (AKS), have been in place since 1996. Gwinnett's Gateway tests measure how well students are learning the AKS. Starting in the spring of 2000, the Gateway tests will be used in certain grades to determine whether or not students are prepared to go on to the next grade level. The link provided above will bring you to the Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) web page relating to the Gateway testing, where you'll find answers to frequently asked questions.  

For your reference, a link is also provided to the Gwinnett County web page directly to the review procedure for 4th and 7th graders who make A's, B's, and C's but fail Gateway.

Accelerated Reader - Accelerated Reader (AR) is a reading program used at Berkeley Lake Elementary School. Click here to see AR book titles.  

2003 Gwinnett County Elementary School of Excellence

Berkeley Lake was named the 2003 Gwinnett County Elementary School of Excellence.  This honor is a result of the wonderful collaborative efforts of our outstanding staff, wonderful children, and supportive parents.  We were involved in the production of two training videos where our staff members were used to share "best practices" with others in the field of education.  "Results for All" is a video produced by Gwinnett County Schools to demonstrate those effective practices of teachers who are meeting the needs of all students, including our more diverse population.  A national company, The Video Journal of Education, produced the second video. The video, entitled "Elementary Principals as Leaders of Learning," highlights the techniques we use at Berkeley Lake to keep academic achievement at the forefront of our efforts.

School Accreditation

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, our accrediting agency, visited Berkeley Lake in the spring of 2003 and were very complimentary of our school.  The team summarized their visit with the following:   

"The Review Team found Berkeley Lake Elementary School to be an excellent school staffed by competent, caring individuals.  It is evident that student achievement is the primary focus of the school and the staff uses multiple sources of data to drive instruction and school improvement initiatives.  Parent interviews revealed active parental involvement, and the school benefits from a supportive PTA.  The school climate is warm and inviting and provides an environment conducive to learning.  A dynamic administrative team shares decision-making responsibilities with teachers and support staff who work collaboratively among and across grade levels and content areas.  Faced with changing demographics in their community, the staff at Berkeley Lake has accepted the challenge of improving achievement for all students."

How Parents Can Help Their Children Be Successful on the Gateway Test

General Tips:

1. Go through your child's Friday Folder.  Discuss the week's work.  Review low grade work and make corrections.

2. Build a reading atmosphere at home.  Set aside family reading time daily.

3. Keep your child well rested.

4. Remember that being absent from school means missed work.  Students need to be in school everyday, all day.

5. Stress the importance of listening and organizational skills at school, turning work in on time, turning in missed work due to absences, etc.

6. Establish a regular time and routine for homework.  The study area should be well lighted and away from noise and distractions such as the television.

7. Talk with your child.  Encourage your child to talk in complete sentences, and encourage your child to increase their vocabulary by using new words and explaining their meanings.

8. Provide new experiences for your child and talk about what you see.  You can also provide new words and their meanings as you talk about the things you see.

9. Provide puzzles, games, and books for your child.

10. Show an interest in school.  Check on your child's daily, weekly, and quarterly progress.  Work closely with the school, and if a problem arises, talk with your child's teacher about the problem.  Monitor your child's progress on the AKS.

11. Ask your child to show their work, making sure they answer the question asked, not just providing information that may or may not be relevant.

12. Give your child as much exposure to all kinds of maps, even maps on the news (ex: weather) and in newspapers.

13. Be patient with your child and don't forget to PRAISE success.

Reading:

1. Set aside time every night to be used as a family reading time.  Turn off the television!

2. Let your child see you reading to help demonstrate that reading is important.

3. Read with your child everyday and really listen to them read, or read together independently.

4. Visit the public library regularly.  Check out books that correspond with your child's curriculum.

5. Ask you child questions about the books they have read independently or in the classroom:
   -Tell me about what you've read. (Summary)
   -What part do you like best? Why? (Justify opinions)
   -What do you think will happen next? (Prediction)
   -At the end of the story, was your prediction correct? Why or why not?
   -How is the story like others you've read? (Comparison)
   -How does the title fit the story? (Main idea)
   -Describe the main character.
   -How do you feel about the character, event? (Stating opinions)
   -Do you think the author had a good beginning and end to the story? (Author's style)
   -Would you choose this book again? (Developing independence)
   -What is the problem in the story?
   -How is the problem solved?
   -Describe the setting.
   -Could there have been a different ending?

Writing:

1. Encourage your child to write letters, notes, and thank-you notes to family and/or friends.  Edit the notes so they send a corrected final copy.

2. Encourage your child to use the dictionary and help as needed.

3. Encourage your child to keep a daily journal or diary.

4. Check over your child's written homework, and help him/her to edit the work and correct spelling and grammar errors.

Math:

1. Be sure multiplication facts are memorized and review them frequently.

2. Guide your child in real life math problem solving at the grocery store, on a trip (mileage), or in any other situation where numbers are involved.

3. Give your child opportunities to pay for items at the store and figure out the change received before the cashier tells him/her.

4. Expose your child to graphs and give him/her the opportunity to try to analyze graphs of all kinds.