Guiding Principles
We believe our Mission, Vision, Core Values, and Trust-Based Accountability System offer the most effective and impactful guide to providing a world-class educational system. Built from the heart and voice of our community, the Guiding Principles reflect the hopes and dreams our stakeholders hold for our students and the future. Our strong foundation of mission and vision combined with the reinforcing pillars of our directional system make Cartersville City Schools a place where students are empowered to thrive, staff are fueled by purpose, and legacies are built.
Mission
Vision
Core Values
COMPASSION
CCS understands that as a member of the global community we must exhibit compassion as we build relationships based on trust and mutual respect. We celebrate diversity and demonstrate awareness, sensitivity, and respect as we build relationships.
COMMUNITY
CCS involves students, parents, teachers, and the community to support student learning. We firmly believe students will learn best when engaged with the community and when the community is invested in student learning- ensuring that we are all achieving at the highest level.
EQUITY
CCS supports every student and creates a learning environment in which all of our diverse learners can achieve their highest potential. We believe that all students have the capability to learn at a high level and we encourage them to find their passions and achieve their goals.
ENGAGEMENT
CCS believes that engagement is at the core of all student success. We know students learn best when they participate in a student-centered, standards-based curriculum that emphasizes hands-on, project-based learning. Our innovative staff strives to create a dynamic engaging learning environment for all students.
HIGH EXPECTATIONS
CCS staff and students hold the highest expectations for their own achievement and believe in the motivating power of hope combined with unwavering determination. We align curriculum, instruction, and assessments as an accountability tool for continuous learning. We are committed to providing all students with the skills that will ensure their ability to achieve success for career, college, and life.
SHARED LEADERSHIP
CCS is committed to a vision of shared leadership that is collaborative and courageous. The district is led by a team of highly qualified partners who invite all community stakeholders to contribute to the decision-making process. We look forward to the momentum that occurs when the hopes and dreams of the community fuse with the expertise of caring innovative educators.
Trust-Based Accountability
The Cartersville City School District is committed to the success of all our students. We make all our decisions- instructional, financial, and operational - with the awareness that we are "Building Legacies – One Student at a Time." CCS is at the forefront of the evolution of accountability in K12 schools. Our district is nationally recognized as a dedicated partner with several Trust-Based Accountability school districts around the country that are re-visioning what it means to be a successful teaching and learning organization. Our team is committed to building a Trust-Based Accountability System that guides us to focus on our mission every day.
What is a Trust-Based Accountability System?
A Trust-Based Accountability System is a holistic approach to evaluating the success of a school district. Instead of focusing solely on standardized test scores, it emphasizes transparency, collaboration, and systemic progress. This model incorporates multiple dimensions of a district's work, including instructional, operational, and financial decisions, while engaging school leaders, teachers, and stakeholders to build schools that meet the community's aspirations for all students. The approach prioritizes educating the whole child and measures success through continuous improvement rather than solely on summative annual evaluations.
Our accountability system is built on 7-Pillars and 28-Guiding Questions that are the foundation of all the work we do as a learning organization. Our district is very fortunate to have incredible community support. We value and embrace the belief that our district is accountable to our community, ensuring we provide a world-class education. With this important concept in mind, we are implementing the Trust-Based Accountability Model to ensure that our community is educated on all aspects of our work and the goals, success, and areas of need that truly define our school system. This model enables us to shed the old and ineffective "Protectionist Accountability" system that schools have struggled with for decades. Our Trust-Based Accountability system allows us to work with all our stakeholders to declare the future we envision for our students and build the schools that deliver that future. We know that the success of any school can not be determined by one test given on one day every year. Rather, true accountability is a systemic, holistic review of the district's work that is grounded in forward-facing progress versus annual summative reviews with regard to educating the whole child.
The Trust-Based Accountability Signaling Charts below are used by the district and individual schools to identify areas from the 7-Pillars that need resources or focus on improving those areas and track areas that are meeting the district's goals and mission.
Strategic Direction
District Trust-Based Accountability Goals
