GAINESVILLE — State School Superintendent Dr. Richard Woods recently announced that the U.S. Department of Education has approved Georgia’s ESEA Flexibility Waiver renewal. Under this renewed waiver, certain Title I schools are designated as Reward, Priority, Focus, or Alert schools.
The identification of schools receiving these designations has been updated to align with the College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI), which serves as a comprehensive report card for all schools in Georgia. The CCRPI provides a score between 0-100 for each school, and that score measures how well the school is doing in preparing its students to be successful in college and/or a career.
Two Gainesville schools are included: Centennial Arts Academy (Focus) and Woods Mill Academy (Priority).
According to the DOE, Priority Schools area mong the lowest five percent ofTitle I schools in terms of academic achievement. Focus Schools among the lowest 10 percent of Title I schools in terms of the achievement gap – both the size of the gap between the school’s bottom quartile of students and the state average, and the degree to which that gap is closing.
Gainesville Schools Supt. Wanda Creel says the leadership of the Gainesville City School System stands ready to support both schools in the challenge of leading them through the process of achieving the exit criteria to be removed from the lists.
"“The mission of our school system is that as one Gainesville, we will inspire, nurture, challenge, and prepare our students," Dr. Creel said. "I am confident that each of us – students, educators, parents, and the community, working together – can reach greater heights of student learning and achievement. It is crucial to keep in mind that these particular designations are based on the results of one state standardized assessment and the comparison between subgroups of students. There are so many aspects of our schools that are celebrated. We encourage all interested individuals to join our Gainesville City School System family that is committed to ensuring that all of our students will have the chance to become high achieving and responsible citizens.”
In 2012, Gainesville Middle School was designated a Focus School. In the most recent release of identified schools, it has been removed from the Focus School list.
