Nine Columbus schools to get extra state support, five improve enough to not require it
Nine of the 175 schools identified this year as needing extra support from the state are in Muscogee County. And five of the 59 schools that improved their academic performance enough to no longer be in these intervention programs also are in Muscogee County.
The Georgia Department of Education’s announcement of the 2022-23 Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) and Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) lists — plus the exit list — include the following Columbus public schools:
- Baker and Eddy middle schools and Davis, Dorothy Height, Fox and Martin Luther King Jr. elementary schools are among the 116 schools on this year’s CSI list. All of them entered the list because their overall academic performance, based on standardized test scores, was ranked in the state’s bottom 5%.
- Dimon, Georgetown and Lonnie Jackson elementary schools are among the 59 schools on this year’s TSI list. All of them entered the list because their test scores for students with disability didn’t show enough content mastery to meet the state standard.
- Brewer Elementary School and Rothschild Leadership Academy moved off the CSI list, and Carver and Jordan Vocational high schools and Rigdon Road Elementary School exited the TSI list, because they improved enough on their academic performance to not require the extra state support anymore.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the last time the GaDOE compiled these lists was three years ago. In 2019, Muscogee County had five CSI schools (Baker and Rothschild middle schools and Brewer, Dorothy Height and Martin Luther King Jr. elementary schools) and three TSI schools (Carver and Jordan Vocational high schools and Rigdon Road Elementary School).
“We are very pleased to see Brewer Elementary and Rothschild Middle move off the CSI schools list as well as Jordan College and Career Academy, Carver High, and Rigdon Road Elementary exit from the TSI schools list,” MCSD superintendent David Lewis told the Ledger-Enquirer in an email. “This is a credit to the focused, hard work of the teachers, administrators, students, and the staff that supports them, and we couldn’t be more proud of them.”
The GaDOE noted the entrance criteria for this year’s CSI and TSI lists are based only on content mastery and don’t include credit for improvement as in previous calculations because no valid comparison is available due to statewide standardized tests not being administered during the pandemic in 2019-20.
“It is our responsibility as a state to provide the support all schools need to improve,” GaDOE superintendent Richard Woods said in the news release. “I want to be very clear, being identified for CSI or TSI support does not mean these schools are not making progress. Over the last several years our schools have faced enormous challenges beyond their control, and school leaders, teachers, and families have worked hard to get students back on track. CSI and TSI identifications allow us to come alongside these schools to ensure they have the resources and support necessary for academic recovery.”
Lewis described the effort from teachers, students and school leaders as “nothing short of heroic” amid what he called “the most disruptive event in recent history.”
“Together,” he wrote, “we will continue to address the associated challenges head-on through additional support personnel; specifically targeted high-yield instructional strategies, tutoring, resources and professional development based on individual needs; as well as teacher recruitment and retention efforts.”
GaDOE communications director Meghan Frick explained to the L-E the state support these schools receive.
CSI schools are assigned specialists who provide on-site coaching and support, working with school leadership teams to analyze their practices, develop a plan for school improvement and implement that plan.
GaDOE’s school improvement team works with each CSI school to put interventions in place, such as updating instructional practices, providing teacher training and leadership support, and putting community services in place to meet nonacademic needs that affect students’ ability to learn. These services can include:
- Access to donated food and clothes
- Mental health counseling
- Tutoring and academic support
- Workshops on college applications, resumes and interview skills
- Assistance with job opportunities.
TSI schools receive support at the district level. GaDOE staff members collaborate with the district to plan the support for these schools. They also meet with district officials to monitor the plan’s implementation and provide professional learning and resources for these schools as needed.
This story was originally published December 14, 2022 at 9:09 AM.
