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 The Community, Faculty, and Student Population (2004-2005)

The tradition continues at John McEachern High School, one of the fourteen high schools in the Cobb County School System and the sixth largest school in Georgia. The campus site encompasses eighty-four acres and includes twenty-one buildings. Located near Powder Springs, Georgia, McEachern has served as a vital and dynamic educational facility for almost a century. Founded as the Seventh District Agricultural and Mechanical School in 1907, it became a public school in 1933. From its beginning to the 1970's, it was considered a rural school with a large segment of the community comprised of second and third generation families. The economic boom of the late 1970's and 1980's prompted McEachern's growth as a suburban community. The face of the campus continues to change and adapt to the needs of the students. The J. Alton Keith Theatre, which opened in 1996, is considered one of the very finest performing arts centers in the Southeast. The Jack D. Hall Ninth Grade Center, which opened in the fall of 2000, is a thirty-five classroom building equipped with the latest in modern technology for educating students well into the twenty-first century. Due to the commitment of the McEachern Endowment, students are offered a wide variety of support services such as academic tutoring and SAT preparation throughout the school year.

The Cobb County School District is the third largest school system in Georgia and the 28th largest in the United States. Its student population grows by nearly 2,500 each year. Continuing a strong tradition of excellence in education, student achievement remains the primary focus. This is evident in the “report cards” that annually evaluate the performance of Georgia's schools and school districts. Cobb schools have earned 13 National Schools of Excellence and 30 Georgia Schools of Excellence awards.

McEachern is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). The school calendar is divided into two 18-week semesters. Credit is granted each semester independently of any other semester. Students earn three Carnegie units per semester. A tuition summer school program is offered.

A = 90 - 100
B = 80 - 89
C = 74 - 79
D = 70 - 73
F = Below 70

A = 4.0
B = 3.0
C = 2.0
D = 1.0
F = 0.0

Beginning the 2004-05 school year, McEachern observes an 8 A/B block schedule. Students attend class periods 1,3,5,and 7 on the A day and 2,4,6, and 8 on the B day. This change has allowed many students opportunity to study in greater breadth and has allowed many other students an opportunity to enrich their learning in greater depth. Three initiatives in particular have been deployed to increase academic rigor and support specifically, individual student needs.

First, many students have been offered "guided electives" which ultimately provide double the instructional time in three of the four core areas (Science, Math, and Language Arts). The purpose of the academic elective is to provide particularly needy students academic scaffolding to help build new skills and understanding. The guided elective supports student learning by enhancing student vocabulary within the context of the course and by helping students understand key concepts through the use of graphic organizers and engaging learning activities. Students are then able to "link" new learning acquired during their core course period to key vocabulary and content already previewed with the elective teacher during the guided elective period.

Second, nearly two hundred students have been identified, invited and included in our AVID program. AVID stands for "advancement via individual determination." AVID students are typically students who have exceptional ability but have less than exceptional achievement. Or, they may be students who have exceptional ability but have been placed in less rigorous classes that are not commensurate with their ability. Students involved in this program are provided support through the AVID curriculum, their AVID teacher, and college tutors during the school day. Third, during the 2004-05 school year, McEachern will be developing an application to host an International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme beginning the 2006-07 school year. Given the enrollment of the school, the IB will not be offered as a magnet, but rather as an open elective program of study for interested students.

Due to the level of difficulty, some courses receive extra weight in calculating a student's grade point average (GPA). Additional quality points are calculated into the overall GPA and are not reflected in the numerical averages.

The following accelerated and advanced placement courses are awarded one extra quality point .

AP Eng Literature/Comp AP Calculus AP Statistics Analysis AP Biology AP Chemistry

AP Physics Chemistry II AP Economics AP US History AP Government AP Music Theory AP Studio Art

AP French Lang French IV AP German Lang German IV AP Spanish Lang Spanish IV

The following one level courses (honors) receive an additional 0.5 quality point.

American Lit/Comp Eng. Lit/Comp World Lit/Comp Algebra II Euclidean Geometry

Biology Anatomy/Physiology Chemistry I Physics US History 111

Am. Govt/ Economics World History French III German III Spanish III