January 10, 2024: On Tuesday, the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) released updated school designations based on the federal Every Student Succeeds Act. Under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), states are required to identify schools in need of additional support – in Georgia, these designations are referred to as Comprehensive Support & Improvement (CSI) and Targeted Support & Improvement (TSI).
With this release, three Evans County Charter School System (ECCSS) schools, Claxton Elementary School (CES), Claxton Middle School (CMS), and The Academy (TA), were designated as CSI schools.
As part of the designation, states are federally required to identify their lowest-performing 5% of Title I schools, meaning there will always be identified schools even as performance statewide increases. CSI designations are for a three-year period, and during this time, identified schools receive additional support to improve the educational outcomes of their students.
The primary focus of this CSI designation is to identify schools that need comprehensive or targeted support and improvement based on federal guidelines. GaDOE notified ECCSS of these updates, and schools have been notified of this designation. GaDOE’s Office of School Improvement will work with CES, CMS, and TA and will provide support and assistance focused on improving educational outcomes for students. Additionally, staff from FDRESA and school leadership will collaboratively focus on improvement through school planning, effective implementation, and monitoring.
“One of our most important responsibilities as the state’s educational agency is to help every school improve – so that they can provide the best possible education for the children they serve,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said in the press release from GaDOE. “The purpose is not to label schools but to partner with them to increase outcomes and opportunities for their students – as we have with the 86 schools that made the improvements to exit state support this year.”
Dr. Marty Waters, Superintendent of ECCSS, stated, “This designation is not a declaration that our district personnel, and especially teachers, are not working hard or that we do not have successes. Our students’ academic achievements are not where we want them to be, and there are many factors which contribute to this outcome. We will continue implementing our strategic plan and look forward to our partnership with the state to assist us in our efforts. We will recommit to making a difference in the lives of our students and our community. We will recommit to looking for professional learning and resources that will help us help our kids. Ultimately, the goal is for our students’ achievement to improve.”