Savannah Standard

Three schools in the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System (SCCPSS) were recognized at the Georgia Association of Educational Leaders Conference in July for their advancements in achievement. Hodge Elementary, The School of Humanities at Juliette Gordon Low Elementary, and The School of Liberal Studies at Savannah High have successfully exited the Georgia Department of Education's (GaDOE) lists for Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) and Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI).

The GaDOE initially released the 2022-23 lists identifying schools needing comprehensive or targeted support in December 2022. Alongside these lists, they announced schools that made necessary improvements to exit CSI or TSI status. Changes included expanding the CSI designation to include the lowest 10% of schools instead of just the bottom 5%. Schools falling between these ranges are now classified as 'CSI – Promise Schools,' allowing them to receive additional support from GaDOE's School Improvement team.

Under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), states must identify schools requiring extra assistance, known in Georgia as CSI and TSI designations. These identifications were last updated in 2019 due to a waiver granted because of data limitations from the pandemic.

In Savannah-Chatham County, several schools remain identified for comprehensive support: A.B. Williams Elementary, Derenne Middle School, Mercer Middle School, and Otis J. Brock Elementary. Eight district schools hold the status of CSI Promise Schools: Butler, Haven, Hubert, Myers, Rice Creek, SCELA, Shuman, and Susie Kind Taylor Middle Grades Academy. Meanwhile, Largo-Tibet Elementary School and Windsor Forest Elementary School are designated for targeted support.

State School Superintendent Richard Woods emphasized that identification for CSI or TSI does not imply a lack of progress: "It is our responsibility as a state to provide the support all schools need to improve," he stated. "I want to be very clear; being identified for CSI or TSI support does not mean these schools are not making progress."

Typically, schools are marked for Comprehensive Support & Improvement if they fall within the lowest-performing 5% of Title I schools based on their three-year CCRPI average or if they have a graduation rate below 67%. However, Georgia revised its criteria due to pandemic-related data constraints.

Elementary and middle school assessments involve multiple stages focusing on Content Mastery scores and Progress Towards English Language Proficiency indicators before final Readiness component evaluations determine CSI eligibility.

The criteria for Targeted Support & Improvement remain unchanged but continue using available CCRPI indicators. TSI designation applies when at least one subgroup underperforms across half of CCRPI components.

To assist identified schools, GaDOE's Office of School Improvement collaborates directly with CSI-designated institutions while districts provide support to TSI-identified ones.