The Georgia Department of Education released the first list of Targeted Support and Improvement schools as required by the federal Every Student Succeeds Act.

TSI schools fall into one of the following categories:  

• Consistently Underperforming Subgroup: The school has at least one subgroup performing in the lowest 5% of all schools in at least 50% of CCRPI components.

• Additional Targeted Support: Among all schools identified in the “Consistently Underperforming Subgroup” category, the school has at least one subgroup that is performing in the lowest 5% of schools in all CCRPI components.

Under ESSA, states are required to identify schools in need of additional support – Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) and Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) schools. The Georgia Department of Education works directly with CSI schools and provides assistance to help them improve the educational outcomes of their students. School districts are charged with providing supports to TSI schools; while the state provides supports such as professional learning and targeted technical assistance, it is less intensive than the supports provided to CSI schools.  

Georgia’s overall school improvement strategy has four tiers.

Tier I – Universal: All schools have access to resources for school improvement.

Tier II – Targeted: Targeted Support & Improvement Schools receive district-level coaching, and some professional learning and technical assistance from the Georgia Department of Education.

Tier III – Comprehensive: Comprehensive Support & Improvement Schools receive intensive supports from the Georgia Department of Education.

Tier IV – Turnaround: Turnaround Schools are selected by, and receive supports from, the state’s Chief Turnaround Officer. The Turnaround-Eligible list is calculated by the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement.