2015 Priority Schools

2015 Focus School​s

July 8, 2015 – As part of its Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) waiver, the GaDOE identifies schools which exhibit the greatest need for additional support. In summary, Priority Schools are among the lowest five percent of Title I schools in terms of academic achievement. Focus Schools are 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.

Under Georgia’s renewed ESEA flexibility waiver, the criteria for Priority and Focus Schools are now fully aligned with the College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI), allowing for a more transparent measure with which districts and schools are already familiar.  

“Identifying Priority and Focus schools allows us to offer targeted assistance where it is needed most,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “The GaDOE will work with the schools identified to ensure they have the resources they need to provide a quality education for their students.”

Identification of Priority Schools

1. A three-year average of performance on the Content Mastery category of the CCRPI is calculated for all schools (this category is based on performance on statewide assessments)

2. Schools are ranked based on their three-year average in the CCRPI Content Mastery category

3. The lowest five percent of Title I schools in the state, based on the three-year average in the CCRPI Content Mastery category, is identified

4. High schools with a four-year cohort graduation rate less than 60 percent in 2013 and 2014, which are not already captured in the lowest five percent, are identified

5. Schools identified as Priority Schools in 2012, which do not meet the criteria for exiting that list, are re-identified as Priority Schools

Identification of Focus Schools

1. A three-year average of the CCRPI Achievement Gap score is calculated for all schools

2. Schools are ranked based on their three-year average of the CCRPI Achievement Gap score

3. The lowest 10 percent of Title I schools in the state, based on the three-year average CCRPI Achievement Gap score, is identified

4. Schools identified as Focus Schools in 2012, which do not meet the criteria for exiting that list, are re-identified as Focus Schools

More Information:

Original 2012 Priority Schools list

Original 2012 Focus Schools list