(a) The State Board of Education is authorized to waive specifically identified State Board of Education rules, regulations, policies, and procedures, or provisions of Chapter 2 of this title for schools on warning, schools on probation, and qualifying schools not selected as opportunity schools. The goal for each waiver shall be improvement of student performance. Notwithstanding subsection (g) of Code Section 20-2-244, the State Board of Education is authorized to waive the provisions referenced in paragraphs (1) through (4) of subsection (g) of Code Section 20-2-244 for schools on warning, schools on probation, and qualifying schools not selected as opportunity schools and is also authorized to waive any other state board rule, regulation, policy, procedure, or provision of Chapter 2 of this title for such schools pursuant to Code Section 20-2-244. Any waivers granted pursuant to this subsection may be renewable annually based on student performance. The State Board of Education shall coordinate with the OSD Superintendent in determining appropriate waivers for a qualifying school that was not selected as an opportunity school to enable school improvement services and technical assistance by the department pursuant to subsection (b) of this Code section. The State Board of Education shall communicate to the OSD Superintendent any waivers granted to a school on warning or a school on probation. Any waivers granted pursuant to this subsection shall not preclude the school from being selected in subsequent years for inclusion in the OSD.
(b) The Department of Education shall provide school improvement services and technical assistance to schools on warning, schools on probation, and qualifying schools not selected for intervention by the OSD Superintendent pursuant to this article which may include, but is not limited to, appointing a Department of Education school improvement team to:
(1) Conduct a comprehensive on-site evaluation of the school to determine the cause for the school's low performance and lack of progress that includes presentations by the chairperson of the local board of education, the school principal, a parent member of the local school council, and other school personnel;
(2) Recommend actions, including reallocation of resources and technical assistance, changes in school procedures or operations, professional learning focused on student achievement for instructional and administrative staff, intervention for individual administrators or teachers, instructional strategies based on scientifically based research, waivers from state statutes or rules, adoption of policies and practices to ensure all groups of students meet the state's proficiency level, extended instruction time for low-performing students, strategies for parental involvement, incorporation of a teacher mentoring program, smaller class size for low-performing students, or other actions the team considers appropriate;
(3) Assist in the development of an intensive school improvement plan focused on student achievement; and
(4) Monitor the progress of the school in implementing the intensive school improvement plan focused on student achievement.
Section: Previous 20-14-100 20-14-101 20-14-102 20-14-103 20-14-104 20-14-105 20-14-106 20-14-107 20-14-108 20-14-109 20-14-110 20-14-111 20-14-112 20-14-113 NextLast modified: October 14, 2016