Accountability

Accreditation is a voluntary process by which schools seek a certification that they comply with the accrediting agencies’ educational standards or criteria. GOSA reports accreditation information on Georgia K-12 public school from two accrediting bodies, the Georgia Accrediting Commission (GAC) and AdvancED (formerly SACS). The Georgia Accrediting Commission recognizes four levels of accreditation: Preparation Status, Provisional Status, Accredited Status, and Accredited with Quality Status. Candidates for Accreditation (Preparation Status) are schools which have begun the process of applying the GAC standards and procedures. Provisionally Accredited schools are those which have begun applying GAC standards and procedures and have met standards in the areas of finances and administrator qualifications. Quality Accredited schools are those which meet all of the standards which apply to Accreditation Status.

The federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) requires that schools and districts test 95% of all students, as well as 95% of each student subgroup for federally mandated assessments. GOSA reports the participation rates by school, district, and state for state assessments.

Since 2012, Georgia has had a waiver from the requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). In this waiver, Georgia set Statewide and Subgroup Performance Targets for its statewide assessments and four-year cohort graduation rate. The targets were originally set for the 2011-2012 school year, and these targets were in effect for three years. In its 2015 waiver renewal, Georgia reset Performance Targets for both statewide assessments, largely due to the transition to the Georgia Milestones Assessment System, and the graduation rate. As such, the targets for the 2014-2015 school year on the Report Card reflect the new targets.

Since 2012, Georgia has had a waiver from the requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). In this waiver, Georgia set Statewide and Subgroup Performance Targets for its statewide assessments and four-year cohort graduation rate. The targets were originally set for the 2011-2012 school year, and these targets were in effect for three years. In its 2015 waiver renewal, Georgia reset Performance Targets for both statewide assessments, largely due to the transition to the Georgia Milestones Assessment System, and the graduation rate. As such, the targets for the 2014-2015 school year on the Report Card reflect the new targets.

Beginning with the 2014-2015, GOSA identifies Greatest Gains and Highest Performing Schools through the Single Statewide Accountability System (SSAS) using components of the College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI). Greatest Gains schools exhibit high growth in student achievement by earning a CCRPI Progress Score in at least the 93rd percentile. Highest Performing schools exhibit high academic performance by earning a three-year average CCRPI Achievement Score in at least the 93rd percentile.

Through its waiver from ESEA in 2015, the GaDOE identified Priority, Focus, and Reward Schools. Priority and Focus Schools receive support from the GaDOE to improve student outcomes, and Reward Schools are commemorated for their high performance and/or high academic growth. The following criteria are used to identify them: Priority Schools

• Schools meeting one of the following three criteria were identified as Priority Schools in 2015:
  • Schools in the bottom 5% of Title I Schools in terms of a three-year average of content mastery on state assessments,
  • Schools with a graduation rate below 60% for two consecutive years, or
  • Schools identified as Priority Schools in 2012 that have not met the exit criteria.
• Click here for a list of 2015 Priority Schools.

Focus Schools

• Schools not already identified as Priority Schools that meet one of the following criteria were identified as Focus Schools in 2015:
  • Schools in the bottom 10% of Title I Schools in terms of a three-year average of Achievement Gap scores.
  • Schools identified as Focus Schools in 2012 that have not meet the exit criteria.
• Click here for a list of 2015 Focus Schools.

Reward Schools

• Reward Schools are identified annually and fall into one of the following two categories:
  • Highest Performing
    • Schools in the highest 5% of Title I Schools in the state in terms of content mastery on state assessments.
    • Click here for a list of FY16 Highest-Performing Reward Schools.
  • High Progress
    • Schools in the highest 10% of Title I Schools in the state in terms of academic growth on state assessments (as measured by the Progress score of the CCRPI).
    • Click here for a list of FY16 High-Progress Reward Schools.

 

SSAS awards can be awarded to any public school in the state with three years of assessment data, while Reward school designations are only awarded to Title I schools. In addition, state law in O.C.G.A. §20-14-37 calls for SSAS awards, and Reward Schools are required for the state’s waiver from the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).