Midtown, Atlanta GA (pic submitted by Mprovise)

Beer Fest ticket’s don’t go on sale until next week, but you know what they say, “Wine Before Beer, You’re in the Clear!”.  From Angie at the Decatur Arts Alliance…

Tickets go on sale tomorrow for the 10th Annual Decatur Wine Festival is scheduled for Saturday, November 5, 2011 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the historic Old Courthouse Square in Downtown Decatur. Taste more than 350 wines, sample fare from Decatur’s best eateries and enjoy live music from the Gwen Hughes Band and The Shadowboxers. All proceeds from the festival benefit the Decatur Arts Alliance which offers free events to the community each year. Attendees must be 21 or over. For event info, please visit www.decaturwinefestival.com

Get your tickets HERE.

According to data released from the Georgia Department of Education this morning [here the Excel file], 161 Decatur Seniors who took the SATs did 5 points better than their counterparts last year, with a total score of 1518.  Decatur High’s statewide ranking also increased a bit to 59th (out of 406 schools), up from the 66th position last year.  However scores still are a ways behind 2009 levels, when the school system ranked 30th in the state with a total score of 1577.

Both Math and Reading scores actually didn’t change at all vs. last year, at 503 and 516, respectively.  The five point total score growth was due entirely to a five point increase in the school’s writing score to 499 from 494.

Last year, Superintendent Edwards noted that math scores had declined for 5 straight years, and since then the school system has made reversing that trend a priority.  While the trend wasn’t technically reversed this year, With math down 2 points statewide, an unchanged score could be seen as a good indication halting declines seen in math previously.

Bigger picture, the GDOE release states…

Georgia’s public, private and home school students scored 1,445 on the SAT, a six point decrease from 2010. The national average was 1,500, also a six point decrease from 2010. Public school students scored 1,431 on the exam and the national average score was 1,483.

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Photo Courtesy of Pecanne Log