SCSC Newsletter

August 31, 2023

State Charter Schools Continue to Excel:

Georgia Milestones Results Show Strong Performance

in 2022-2023 School Year

Recent assessment results reveal an impressive performance by state charter schools in Georgia. The Georgia Milestones Assessment System is designed to measure student content mastery in core subject areas. Milestones data from the 2022-2023 school year show that, on average, state charter school students have recovered to near or above pre-pandemic performance levels. Additionally, 59% of state charter schools serving elementary, 53% serving middle, and 55% serving high school grades outperformed their local district on the End of Grade and End of Course exams. The strong performance by state charter schools underscores their resilience and commitment to high-quality education, even amid the challenges of the pandemic. More information on the achievements of state charter schools can be found on the SCSC website.

State Charter Schools Commission Updates & Announcements

Commission Board Approves Charter Petition


The Commission Board approved the petition for Four Points Preparatory Academy at its August board meeting. Four Points Preparatory Academy will be located in Braselton, Georgia and plans to open for the 2024-25 school year.

This is an exciting day for Braselton-area families. We are grateful to the State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia for believing in our vision of opening a tuition-free public charter school: Four Points Preparatory Academy. Their decision to approve our charter application puts us one step closer to realizing our vision of bringing high-quality educational choice to our community. We cannot wait to see what the future holds!


- Four Points Preparatory Academy

2023-24 Renewal Cycle

State charter schools with charter terms expiring on June 30, 2024, must submit a renewal application to the SCSC during the 2023-2024 school year. The following timeline was approved by the SCSC Board at the August board meeting.

Task

Date

Renewal Application Release

November 1, 2023

Interview Scheduling

December 2023

Applications Due

January 3, 2024

Renewal Interviews

Jan. 29- Feb. 2, 2023

Recommendation Letters Mailed

February 14, 2023

Recommendations Posted

February 21, 2024

Commission Votes on Recommendations

February 28, 2024

Visit the SCSC Charter Renewal page for more information.

FY24 Monitoring

Important Dates & Deadlines

Application Submission Deadline

September 18, 2023, 11:59 p.m.

Health and Safety Site Visit Window

September 1-October 31, 2023

Resources

Reference the SCSC Monitoring Activities Handbook for a description of the SCSC’s monitoring activities.

The SCSC staff listed below can be contacted for monitoring-specific questions.

Operations Monitoring

Tiffany Leach, Associate General Counsel

Tiffany.leach@scsc.georgia.gov


Fiscal Monitoring

Carmen Freemire, Director of School Finance

Carmen.freemire@scsc.georgia.gov


Health & Safety Facility Visit

Robert Watts, Facility & Asset Manager

Robert.watts@scsc.georgia.gov


SCSC Administrative Portal

Kiara Thompson, Legal Programs Coordinator

Kiara.thompson@scsc.georgia.gov

Visit the Monitoring Resources page of the

SCSC Administrative Portal for our robust list of resources.

Training Opportunities & Events

The SCSC offers various training opportunities throughout the year. See below for upcoming training events and the most up-to-date information about SCSC-offered training and resources.

SCSC Petitioner

Bootcamp

Oct 4, 9 AM-2:30 PM

Register

Petition Platform & Budget Webinar

Nov 2, 2-3:30 PM

Register

Visit the SCSC training page for more information about SCSC-offered training and resources.

SCSC Bulletin Board

Website Monitoring Reminder



State Charter Schools must ensure website transparency compliance. Please utilize this checklist as a resource to ensure that school websites promote transparency and monitoring per SCSC Rule 691-2-.03 (State Charter School Monitoring) and SBOE Rule 160-4-9-.06 (Charter Authorizers, Financing, Management, and Governance Training)


State Charter School Website Checklist

School Communications Policy


The SCSC School Communications Policy, FAQ and submission form can be found on the School Resources page of the SCSC website.

New School Leader Fellowship

Application Coming Soon


The SCSF will be accepting applications for the 2nd round of the New School Leader Fellowship program. The program will include intensive support in a cohort setting for new school leaders during their pre-opening year. Led by a Georgia charter school founder and school leader, participants will gain the knowledge and guidance to plan for a successful first year in both academics and operations.


The program is free of charge to participants, and funding is provided by the SCSF’s federal CSP Grant as a part of the Georgia Strategic Charter School Growth Initiative. All charter schools scheduled to open in Fall 2024 are encouraged to apply. More information and the application will be posted soon on FindaGaCharter.org.


Reach out to info@findagacharter.org with any questions.


Note: The New School Leader Stipend will be a part of the CSP subgrant application that will be released later this Fall. It will be a separate application.

Georgia Department of Education Updates & Announcements

Title I Updates: Tips, & Parents Rights to Know 


In Georgia, all LEA schools are required to notify parents at the beginning of the school year of their ‘right to know’ the professional qualifications of the student’s classroom teacher(s) and paraprofessional(s). Visit GaDOE's School Improvement & Professional Qualifications page for more info. and quick guides.

State Resource for Educators Regarding the Georgia Early Literacy Act


GaDOE Curriculum & Instruction webpage

Aligning State Literacy Policies & Practices Guidance

GaDOE Assessment Updates


August 2023 Assessment Updates

For more info. and past GaDOE Assessment updates, click here.

Professional Learning & Development Opportunity

Title III, Part A: Open Office Hours


Sep 5, 10-11 AM

Sept 21, 1-2 PM


Full Calendar for 2023-24

TKES/LKES Educator

Support & Development 


Sep 12, 8:30 AM-12 PM

TKES Train-the-Trainer Session


Sep 14, 12-3:30 PM

LKES Train-the-Trainer Session

Title I, Part A: Open Office Hours


Sep 13, 9:30-10:30 AM

Oct 11, 9:30-10:30 AM


Full calendar for 2023-24

Special Education &

School Administrator Academy


Sept 13, 10-11 AM

Student Record

Sep 20, 10AM-12PM

Discipline & Positive, Proactive Approaches



Additional information & full calendar

ESSER: Office Hour


Sep 14, 10-11 AM

Oct 12, 10-11 AM

Full Calendar for Fall 2023

Office of Rural Education & Innovation (REI) Partnerships: Office Hours


Office Hours

Sep 14, 8:30-9:30 am

Oct 11, 8:30-9:30 am

Full Calendar for Fall 2023


Rural Roadmaps Fall Summit 2023

One-day event

Sept. 11, 7:30 AM - 3:30 PM

Info & Registration Link


Georgia’s Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) Webinar Series


Georgia’s MTSS is a data-driven prevention system designed to meet the needs of the whole child by implementing a continuum of tiered supports that contributes to increased student success and overall district and school improvement.

Sep 7 - Nov 9

Info. & Registration Link

FY 24 McKinney-Vento Workshop

Middle Georgia State University


Provides McKinney-Vento liaisons with insight into best practices, program management, and engagement strategies for supporting the educational needs of youths experiencing homelessness.



Sep 12-13

Info. & Registration Link

Deadline to register - Sep 5

Knowledge Building for Leaders:

Setting the Foundation for Structured Literacy Transformation


Free Training Workshops for PLCs sponsored by the Rollins Center for Language & Literacy in partnership with GaDOE.


Sep 25 - Jun 3, 2024

Info. & Registration Link

The Academy of New Federal Program Leader


Designed to assist Federal Program leaders (with three or fewer years of experience) navigate through ESSA guidance, regulations, deadlines, policies, and forms.



Info. & Registration Link

Additional Resources

GaDoe Community

A private professional networking space to engage with other educators across the state.

Georgia Learns

GaDOE’s Professional Learning platform for Georgia school and district staff and education partners.


GaConnects

The one-stop-shop site for Georgia educators to provide quick access to GaDOE educational resources, GA Standards of Excellence, data dashboards, professional learning, and GaDOE applications.

Funding & Engagement Programs

GaDOE Competitive Grants


Periodically, funding is available for GaDOE to award to districts and schools in the form of competitive grants, solidifying this commitment to Georgia's students. In an effort to streamline communication and create a consistent application process, all competitive grant opportunities can now be accessed below.


GaDOE Grant Opportunities

Follow the SCSC for real-time news and updates.


scsc.georgia.gov

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The State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia (SCSC) is a state-level, independent charter school authorizing entity. The SCSC has the power to approve or deny petitions for state charter schools and renew, nonrenew, or terminate state charter school contracts in accordance with Georgia law.

Copyright © 2023 State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia, All rights reserved.

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