Key Resources

• School Keys
• Georgia Assessment of Performance on School Standards (GAPSS)
• Implementation Resource
• Graduation Coach Initiative Report
• Graduation Counts!
• High School Graduation Coach Information
• Credit Recovery Program (GA Virtual School)
• Partnership for Continuous School Improvement Brochure

The Office of School Improvement supports and facilitates efforts in all schools to increase student achievement by providing quality teaching; assisting schools in developing, implementing, and monitoring school improvement plans; building the capacity of local schools to support effective leadership at all levels; and providing professional learning to design and support meaningful student work. In addition, the Office of School Improvement coordinates a statewide system of support for all Georgia schools and provides resources and intensive support for schools not making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).

• Implements programs and services to support successful academic achievement and school completion for all students. The division facilitates success for all children by assuring that delivery of these services is efficient and timely, and that they meet the mandates of federal, state, and local regulations.
• Honors Programs
• Georgia Scholar Program - Recognition program for high achieving high school seniors.
• Governor’s Honors Program - Summer program for high achieving high school sophomores and juniors.
• Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship - Scholarship program for high achieving high school seniors.
• United States Senate Youth Program - Scholarship program for high achieving high school juniors and seniors in the area of civics and U. S. history.
• Student Support
• Alternative Education Program - Program designed to provide some program flexibility at the local level for students in grades 6-12 who are more likely to succeed in a nontraditional setting.
• Georgia Learn and Serve - provides grant funds to schools and school systems to implement service learning.
• Hospital/Homebound Instruction (HHB) - Provides guidelines for local school systems and parents related to HHB implementation.
• Magnet Schools - Offers a wide range of distinctive education programs with specific academic emphases and a special curriculum capable of attracting substantial numbers of students of different racial backgrounds.
• School Guidance and Counseling - Program promotes and enhances student achievement by addressing a student’s academic, personal/social, and career development needs.
• School Social Work - Enhances the school system's ability to meet its academic mission by functioning as a link between home, school, and community.
• School Health Nurse Program - Provides guidance to schools in the implementation of best practices for school nurses.
• School Psychological Services - Addresses psychological, assessment, behavioral, and student intervention needs via IDEA, Response to Intervention (RTI), Section 504, and professional psychology practices.
• Student Support Team (SST) - Addresses team processes involved in SST related to intervention, Response to Intervention (RTI), assessment, and referral to Special Education.

• Provides a statewide system of support and coordinates the work of the following agencies: Georgia Department of Education, Regional Educational Service Agencies (RESAs), Georgia Learning Resources System (GLRSs), Education Technology Centers (ETCs), the SACS/CASI Partnership, and college and university representatives to provide support for all Georgia schools through regional support and training.
• Coordinates the monthly meetings and work of the five (5) Regional Support Teams (RSTs) across the state to plan, implement, and monitor the work of the Statewide System of Support in providing direct services to schools based on identified areas of academic need.
• Provides a school improvement specialist in each Title I school at Needs Improvement Levels 1-4.
• Provides training to schools in the Georgia Keys to Quality.
• Provides mandated and voluntary GAPSS reviews to Georgia schools.
• Coordinates support and conducts reviews of school systems in Needs Improvement status.
• Provides training and support of graduation coaches.

• Provides a full-time state director for each State-Directed school (Needs Improvement Levels 5 and higher).
• Collaboratively customizes a contract for State-Directed schools with specific responsibilities for the system, the local school, and the Georgia Department of Education.
• Provides required professional learning for State-Directed schools.
• Works directly with State-Directed schools to write, implement, and monitor 45-60 day action plans.

• Impacts student achievement by providing programs and resources to enhance teacher and leader quality that include the following: Title II, Part A grant awards, CLASS Keys and Leader Keys evaluation systems, National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, and professional learning.