Three Local Schools Removed from State’s Priority List

Two Hart County schools and Franklin County High School have been removed from a list of some 200 schools statewide that were deemed either Priority schools or Focus Schools.

In 2012, as part of the waiver from No Child Left Behind, the Ga Department of Education was required to identify Priority Schools and Focus Schools.

The schools were put on the list based on achievement data from all core content areas, including graduation rate data, and the gap between the highest performing and lowest performing students.

Franklin County High School had been put on that list because of low graduation rates.

However, over the past several years, those rates have climbed consistently and this year, 86% of the Class of 2014 graduated with 212 students matriculating out of a class of 246.

Franklin County School Superintendent Dr. Ruth O’Dell said there are several reasons for increase.

“Some of it has to do with things the high school has done, such as offering more opportunities to take classes online, make up courses, the whole credit recovery piece,” she said. “That way students don’t feel defeated. They have another opportunity in the next semester to repeat that class maybe online.”

Another part of the success, O’Dell said is greater teacher involvement now in students’ lives and academic progress.

“Everybody keeps up with the kids now,” O’Dell said. “You can ask any counselor how many credits the kids have, how much they need, do they have everything, how is their attendance. There’s a lot more attention being placed on students with disabilities graduating. Another thing is the entire school system owns the children. Everybody can tell you now what the graduation rate is.”

And Hart County Middle School and Hartwell Elementary School were also two of the 38 schools that were taken off the Priority list by the Georgia Department of Education after making significant improvements.

Both schools had been put on the list as Focus schools because of under achievement by certain subgroups of students.

State School Superintendent Dr. John Barge said the educators in the 38 schools and districts have taken the work of making improvements very seriously, and he said the outcomes are benefiting thousands of students across the state.