Coweta County School System
167 Werz Industrial Dr. Newnan, Georgia 30263
TO:
Parents of Coweta County School District (Title I Schools)
FROM: Sherry Warren, Title I Coordinator
RE:
DATE:
School Distinctions
August 6, 2013
Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s):
We are so pleased that Coweta County School District currently has no schools identified under the
new ESEA school distinctions of Priority, Focus, and Alert. However, we are required to notify
parents of the changes that have taken place in Georgia regarding school distinctions which will also
include Reward Schools.
In November, 2011, the Georgia Department of Education requested flexibility through waivers of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) and their associated requirements from the
United States Department of Education.
On February 9, 2012, Georgia’s Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) Flexibility
Waiver was approved. The waivers allow local school districts to create a Flexible Learning Program
(FLP) that will replace the Supplemental Educational Services (SES) and Public School Choice (Choice)
requirements of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Priority Schools and Focus Schools will be required to
implement and develop a Flexible Learning Program (FLP) beginning July 2012.
Beginning with the 2012-2013 school year, Title 1 schools will transition from Needs Improvement (NI)
distinctions based on Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) to Priority, Focus, Alert and Reward Schools
distinctions. Title I schools will implement specific programs and interventions based on the Reward,
Priority, Focus, and Alert Schools status. In addition, the Flexibility Waiver outlines Georgia’s new
Single Statewide Accountability System, the College and Career Readiness Performance Index
(CCRPI). The CCRPI will serve as a comprehensive report card for all schools in Georgia.
To view school scores, go to http://ccrpi.gadoe.org/2012/ccrpi.aspx.
1
Title 1 School Distinctions
Priority School* -5 percent of Title I Schools;
 Lowest Achieving Schools based on achievement of ALL students, or
 Title I-eligible high school with a graduation rate less than 60 percent over two years; or
 Tier I or Tier II school under the School Improvement Grants (SIG);
Focus Schools*- 10 percent of Title I Schools that have broad gaps in achievement;
These schools are Title I schools that either:
 have the largest within-school gaps between the highest-achieving subgroup(s) and the lowest
achieving subgroup(s), or
 a high school that has the largest within-school gaps in graduation rates (within-school gaps
Focus School) and
 a high school with a graduation rate less than 60 percent over two years that is not identified as
a Priority School (low-graduation-rate Focus School).
*Priority and Focus Schools will be identified every three years and the identified school will be
served for 3 years through a Flexible Learning Program (FLP).
Alert Schools Based on 9 Subgroups-- (Does not include Priority Schools or Focus Schools)
Alert Schools will be identified annually. These schools are both Title I and non-Title I schools that fall
into one of the three following categories using the disaggregated subgroups or subject performance on
both statewide assessments and the graduation rate that will be either:
 Graduation Alert
 Subgroup Alert
 Subject Alert
Reward Schools - will replace Distinguished Schools and Distinguished Districts designations.
Reward Schools will be identified annually. There are two ways a Title I school may be identified as a
Rewards School. A Title I school may be classified as either:
 Highest-Performing schools
 High Progress Schools
Coweta County had three schools identified as Reward Schools: Arnall Middle, Evans
Middle, and Jefferson Parkway Elementary.
Detailed information is available at http://www.gadoe.org/External-Affairs-andPolicy/communications/Pages/NCLB-Waiver.aspx
If you have additional questions or concerns please contact: Sherry Warren, Director of Title I,
770-254-2800, or email her at sherry.warren@cowetaschools.org .