Strategic Waivers School Systems Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Strategic Waivers School Systems (SWSS) enter into multi-year performance contracts with the State Board of Education (SBOE) to gain greater flexibility from state laws and regulations to increase student achievement. Schools in SWSS districts must meet yearly performance targets as part of the district's contract. GOSA monitors progress towards meeting these targets and reports to the SBOE.

As part of a district’s SWSS contract, schools that report Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) data (except local charter schools) are expected to meet a yearly performance target. This is an annual goal designed to show whether a school has improved over time. Schools can meet the yearly performance target by achieving or exceeding the target CCRPI Single Score calculated by GOSA. A school can also meet the yearly performance target by earning a designation of “Beating the Odds” in GOSA’s Beating the Odds analysis. Note that designations of “Within Expected Range” and “Below Expected Range” do not count as meeting the yearly performance target. An example BTO calculation is available on the BTO website.

To meet its yearly performance target, a school must meet or exceed its target CCRPI Single Score or “Beat the Odds.” To meet or exceed the CCRPI target, the school must annually increase its CCRPI score by three percent of the gap between the baseline year CCRPI Single Score and 100. If a school does not meet its target CCRPI Single Score, the school can meet its yearly performance target if it “Beats the Odds”. The Beating the Odds (BTO) analysis, developed in partnership by GOSA and GaDOE, compares a school’s CCRPI Single Score to its expected performance. Note that designations of “Within Expected Range” and “Below Expected Range” do not count as meeting the yearly performance target. Districts can read an overview of the Beating the Odds analysis on GOSA’s website.

Given the 2017-2018 baseline reset, Year Two (2017-2018) is a baseline reset year that does not count for or against a school. As a result, a school will be deemed as meeting the terms of its contract at the end of the contract term if:

• It meets its targets or “Beats the Odds” in two of the four other years (Years One, Three, Four, or Five), or
• It shows three years of growth by meeting the revised Year Five target, which will represent three years of growth from the Year Two baseline, or “Beating the Odds” in the fifth year.

Targets increase annually by three percent of the gap between the baseline CCRPI Single Score and 100. A school whose CCRPI Single Score is currently in or moves into the top quartile threshold for the appropriate grade cluster is required to remain at or above this threshold for the remaining years. View sample calculation.

Grade Cluster	Top Quartile Threshold
Elementary	81.1
Middle	80.0
High	80.2
Multiple	78.4

Beating the Odds (BTO) is a statistical analysis that provides additional context for a school's CCRPI score based on characteristics outside of the school’s control. The primary purpose of BTO is to complement the CCRPI as an accountability measure in performance contracts between schools or districts and the State Board of Education. For SWSS accountability, if a school fails to meet its target CCRPI Single Score, the school will be deemed as meeting its yearly performance target if the school earns a designation of “Beating the Odds.”  If a school fails to meet its target CCRPI Single Score and earns a designation of “Within Expected Range” or “Below Expected Range,” the school will be deemed as not meeting its yearly performance target.

Due to the baseline reset, Year Two (2017-2018) does not count for or against a school. Schools that do not meet their performance target in Year Three (2018-2019) must submit a school improvement plan (SIP). GOSA will email district superintendents information on how to submit this information. GOSA encourages districts to utilize existing local school improvement plans and other available internal resources when submitting this information.

The SWSS Evaluation Dashboard provides evaluation results for all SWSS districts. (Please note the dashboard is currently in Beta form and may not be accessible on all mobile devices). GOSA has not yet updated the SWSS Evaluation Dashboard to reflect the 2018 (Year Two) baseline reset.

• Year One (2016-2017) evaluation results
• Year Two (2017-2018) Baseline Reset and Targets

Schools that do not have CCRPI Single Scores are not included in the SWSS Dashboard. Additionally, local charter schools in SWSS districts are not on the dashboard because these schools are not included in SWSS contracts.

Year of Contract	School Year	CCRPI Year
Original Baseline	2015-2016	2016 CCRPI
Year One	2016-2017	2017 CCRPI
Year Two (Baseline Reset)	2017-2018	2018 CCRPI
Year Three	2018-2019	2019 CCRPI
Year Four	2019-2020	2020 CCRPI
Year Five	2020-2021	2021 CCRPI

To comply with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) modified the calculation of the CCRPI, beginning with the 2018 CCRPI. Since the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement (GOSA) set the original targets based on the previous CCRPI calculation, and the 2018 CCRPI is not comparable with that of previous years, GOSA reset the targets in 2018. GOSA calculated the new targets using the 2018 CCRPI as a baseline. Therefore, Year Two (2017-2018) serves as the baseline reset year, meaning Year Two performance does not count for or against a school. Please refer to the GaDOE website for more information about the revised CCRPI.

The baseline reset year occurred during Year Two (2017-2018) and does not count for or against a school. The number of years in the contract did not change.

As a result of the baseline reset, Exhibits C, D, E, F, and G of the SWSS Partnership Contracts require amendments. The revised exhibits incorporate the new baseline year for CCRPI and updated yearly performance targets for each school. Districts provided these revised exhibits to GaDOE, and the State Board of Education approved all amended SWSS contracts at its February 2019 monthly meeting.

Each year, GaDOE produces a list of schools which have changed school codes, merged, or split between school years. GOSA evaluates how to match schools across years for the purposes of SWSS evaluation using this list. Changes to schools that occurred between the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 school years will not be taken into account until late 2019. GOSA will consider changes to SWSS targets for schools that changed at that time. Districts can provide documentation of school reconfigurations (such as press releases or board meeting minutes) to GOSA.

To request an amendment to the waivers in the SWSS contract, districts should contact GaDOE. Contact information is available on the GaDOE SWSS webpage.