Title 20

(a) The council shall consist of the Governor, the State School Superintendent, the chairperson of the State Board of Education, the chancellor of the University System of Georgia, the chairperson of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, the commissioner of th…

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this part, a majority of the members of the council then in office shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. No vacancy on the council shall impair the right of the quorum to exercise the powers and perform the duties of the co…

The council shall issue an annual report. Copies shall be distributed to each member of the General Assembly not later than the first Monday in December of every year, commencing December 2001. The report shall include: (1) A summary of the council’s activities, findings, recomme…

All departments, boards, and offices represented on the council, the Office of Planning and Budget, and the Office of Student Achievement shall select and appoint such personnel as each such department, board, or office shall determine to be necessary to support the council in th…

The council shall have the following powers: (1) To have a seal and alter the same at its pleasure; (2) To adopt bylaws for its internal government and procedures; (3) To make and execute contracts, lease agreements, and all other instruments necessary or convenient to exercise t…

The council shall have the following general powers and duties, in addition to any and all other powers enumerated in this article, any or all of which may be exercised by the council directly or by the Office of Student Achievement under the direction and supervision of the coun…

All state departments, agencies, boards, bureaus, commissions, and authorities are authorized and required to make available to the council access to records or data which are available in electronic format or, if electronic format is unavailable, in whatever format is available.…

As used in this article, the term: (1) ‘‘Board of regents’’ means the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. (2) ‘‘Council’’ means the Education Coordinating Council created in Article 1 of this chapter. (3) ‘‘Director’’ means the director of the Office of Student …

(a) There is created the Office of Student Achievement. (b) The chief administrative and executive officer of the office shall be the director, who shall be appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. Subject to the general policy established by the Educa…

(a) The office shall have the following duties: (1) To create a single state-wide accountability system, establish indicators of performance, rate schools and school systems, develop annual report cards for elementary, middle, and secondary schools, and formulate a system of scho…

(a) The office shall have the power and authority to incorporate a nonprofit corporation that could qualify as a public foundation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code to aid the office in carrying out any of its powers and in accomplishing any of its purposes. An…

(a) The office shall submit the following reports to the council: (1) An annual report regarding pre-kindergarten education shall be submitted no later than December 1 of each year, commencing December 1, 2002. The pre-kindergarten report shall be an evaluation of the progress ma…

When the state-wide comprehensive educational information system provided for in Code Section 20-2-320 becomes functional, the office shall conduct a longitudinal study of the effect of nationally certified teachers on student performance in Georgia. Thereafter, the office shall …

(a) When private colleges and universities in this state provide the Office of Student Achievement with confidential student data or records concerning students enrolled in such private colleges and universities, such private colleges and universities shall not be held liable in …

The office shall create and implement a state-wide kindergarten through grade 12 accountability assessment program that is performance based to ensure school accountability for the goals of improved student achievement and improved school completion. (Code 1981, § 20-14-30, enact…

Except as otherwise provided in this article, the office shall establish the levels of performance on each assessment instrument administered under Code Section 20-2-281 by establishing the standard that should be achieved by students in each subject area at each grade level. Dat…

The office’s state education accountability analysis and reporting program shall obtain nationally comparative results and benchmarks for the subject areas and grade levels for which criterion-referenced and nationally normed reference assessment instruments are adopted, compare …

(a) The office, in coordination with the Department of Education, shall adopt and annually review, and revise as necessary, indicators of the quality of learning by students, financial efficiency, and school climate for individual schools and for school systems. (b) The performan…

(a) Each school year, the office shall prepare and distribute to each school system in the State of Georgia a report card for each school in the school system and for the school system. The report cards shall include performance data on quality of learning, financial efficiency, …

(a) The office may: (1) Conduct on-site audits of any school at any time, subject to the approval of the director; (2) Raise or lower any performance rating as a result of the audit; and (3) Review school fund accounting information and records to determine effective and efficien…

The office shall recommend, and the State Board of Education shall adopt, written procedures for conducting on-site audits under this part. The office shall make the procedures available to the schools, school councils, local boards of education, and the public. Office staff shal…

The Office of Student Achievement shall develop and the State Board of Education shall approve a Georgia schools awards system to recognize those schools and school systems that demonstrate progress or success in achieving the education goals of the state and achieving excellence…

(a) Financial awards may be provided to the schools that the director determines have demonstrated the greatest improvement in achievement gap closure, subject to appropriation by the General Assembly and any limitation set by the director on the total amount that may be awarded …

The financial award system may be funded by donations, grants, or appropriation by the General Assembly or as otherwise provided. The State Board of Education may solicit and receive grants and donations for the purpose of making awards under this part. Award funds may be used by…

All identifiable individual student performance data and information and reports received by the office, the Department of Education, and the State Board of Education under this part from schools or school systems shall be deemed confidential and may not be disclosed. (Code 1981,…

(a) The State Board of Education shall by policies, rules, or regulations establish a coherent and sustained system of assistance and support for schools not meeting identified levels of achievement or not showing specified levels of progress as determined by the office. The Stat…

(a) The office shall create and the council shall adopt the rules and policies that support a postsecondary accountability assessment program that is primarily performance based. (b) The office shall develop and the council shall adopt performance measures and indicators that pro…

(a) The office, with the approval of the council, shall create and the Department of Early Care and Learning shall adopt the rules and policies that support a pre-kindergarten accountability assessment program that is primarily performance based. (b) The office shall develop and …

(a) The office, with the approval of the council, shall create and the Professional Standards Commission shall adopt the rules and policies that support an education work force accountability assessment program that is primarily performance based. (b) The office shall develop and…

(a) There shall be an Education Information Steering Committee as provided in Code Section 20-2-320. (b) The office shall provide a member to the Education Information Steering Committee to assure that all necessary data, information, and specifications are included in the develo…

(a) There is created the Agricultural Education Advisory Commission. (b)(1) The commission shall consist of three members of the House of Representatives to be appointed by the Speaker of the House, at least one of whom shall be from the House Committee on Agriculture and Consume…

(a) There is created the Career and Technical Education Advisory Commission. (b)(1) The commission shall consist of four members of the House of Representatives to be appointed by the Speaker of the House, one of whom shall be from the House Committee on Economic Development and …

As used in this article, the term: (1) ‘‘Office’’ means the Office of Student Achievement. (2) ‘‘Opportunity school’’ means a public elementary or secondary school under the supervision of the Opportunity School District. (3) ‘‘Opportunity School District’’ or ‘‘OSD’’ means the s…

(a) The Opportunity School District is hereby created pursuant to the authority granted in Article VIII, Section V, Paragraph VIII of the Georgia Constitution. The Opportunity School District shall be authorized to assume the supervision, management, and operation of public eleme…

(a) The Governor shall appoint a superintendent, to be confirmed by the Senate, to serve as the executive officer of the Opportunity School District. The OSD Superintendent shall serve at the pleasure of the Governor and shall have such qualifications as set forth in subsection (…

(a) The Opportunity School District shall be authorized to select up to 20 qualifying schools to add to the OSD in any single school year. The Opportunity School District shall have no more than 100 schools under its supervision at any given time. The schools selected for inclusi…

The office shall annually, for purposes of this article, determine a rating of A, B, C, D, or F for each public elementary and secondary school in this state based on student achievement, achievement gap closure, and student growth. Such ratings shall be based on the state accoun…

(a) An opportunity school may be subject to any of the following intervention models, as determined by the OSD Superintendent: (1) Direct management of the opportunity school by the OSD; (2) Shared governance of the opportunity school by the OSD and the local board of education p…

(a) For opportunity schools other than OSD charter schools, the OSD Superintendent shall set clear goals, empower and equip teachers and school leaders to meet the goals, and hold such teachers and school leaders accountable to meet the goals. The OSD Superintendent shall approve…

(a) In an effort to ensure high quality charter petitions for opportunity schools seeking OSD charter school status, the OSD Superintendent shall: (1) Solicit, screen, and select or approve OSD charter school governing board members; and (2) Assist the OSD charter school governin…

(a) Facilities of qualifying schools that are transferred to the supervision of the OSD as opportunity schools shall come under the control of the OSD. The OSD Superintendent may assign the facility for use by an OSD charter school governing board to operate the opportunity schoo…

(a) An opportunity school shall remain under the supervision of the OSD for a minimum of five consecutive years or, for an OSD charter school, for the term of the initial charter for such school; provided, however, that if an opportunity school earns, for three consecutive years,…

(a) The OSD shall be treated as a single local education agency; provided, however, that opportunity schools that are OSD charter schools shall be treated individually as single local education agencies in accordance with Code Section 20-2-2090. The State Charter Schools Commissi…

(a) Funding for an opportunity school shall be an amount equal to the sum of: (1) QBE formula earnings, QBE grants, and federal grants earned by the school based on the school’s enrollment, school profile, and student characteristics. QBE formula earnings shall include the salary…

(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 opp…

14 of this title, consisting of Code Sections 20-14-1 through 20-14-15, enacted by Ga. L. 2000, p. 399, § 1, was redesignated as Chapter 15 of this title, consisting of Code Sections 20-15-1 through 20-15-15.