ATLANTA -- Georgia is on the verge of beginning a new pilot program to evaluate teachers and for the first time will factor in student test scores.

"This is something we've been trying to change for years.  The old system simply doesn't take into consideration what is happening in our classrooms today," said State School Superintendnet Dr. John Barge.

It's  called value-added score -- looking at how much students improve in a year -- but Barge insists that's not all educators will be measured by.

"It is a component of the evaluation, but by no means is it the overriding thing we'll be using," said Barge.

The state's pilot begins in January and will initially include about 5,000 teachers and several hundred principals from schools that were part of the Race to the Top federal grant application.

ATLANTA -- The Georgia Department of Revenue stamped its approval on $50 million in donations under the Georgia Scholarship Tax Credit Program.

The program lets people and businesses get tax credit for donations to scholarships for Georgia children to attend private schools.

Fifty million dollars is the most allowed under the program. In 2012, the statewide cap on donations will increase by the annual increase in the Consumer Price Index until 2018.

Individuals can donate up to $1,000, while married couples have a donation cap of $2,500. Corporations can donate up to 75 percent of their state income tax liability.

The American Federation for Children estimated more than 6,000 students last year got scholarships to attend private schools through the program.

ATLANTA – In an effort to help students and parents secure funding for college, Atlanta City Councilmember Aaron Watson (Post 2 At-Large) and Atlanta Board of Education member Yolanda Johnson (District 6) have teamed up with The Scholarship Academy (TSA), a local nonprofit scholarship preparatory program, to launch the “I am College Material” Scholarship Fair.