Recently, Meg Kamman (CEEDAR Center project coordinator), Erica McCray (CEEDAR Center co-director), and Angie Andersen (CCSSO-NTEP program associate) had the pleasure of traveling to Atlanta, Georgia, to facilitate the CEEDAR-Georgia Partnership State Steering Committee. This, however, was not their first interaction with the professionals in Georgia. The Georgia team received targeted technical assistance (TA) in 2013 and is transitioning into intensive TA with the 2014 cohort. Committee participants included leaders from the Georgia Department of Education; representatives from the Georgia Professional Standards Commission; members of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia; and deans and faculty from Columbus State University, Georgia State University, and Kennesaw State University.

The group engaged in discussions regarding the wide array of initiatives underway in the state and the importance of aligning our efforts. At the forefront of everyone’s mind is improving college and career readiness for all students, including those with disabilities. Progress will require increasing teacher and leader effectiveness in the state, and everyone shared their commitment to the work ahead. Measuring teacher effectiveness using the edTPA is a hot topic in Georgia, and critical conversations about the impact on professional learning systems (PLSs) are ongoing. In fact, the CEEDAR-Georgia partnership is wasting no time and is already scheduling the first intensive state leadership team meeting in late February to set priorities and begin goal development.