Welcome back! The 2021 school year is in full swing and we are excited to have teachers and students back in the classroom. This year, we are eager to announce the opening of two new charter schools -- Atlanta SMART Academy and Northwest Classical Academy. Congratulations to everyone who worked hard to make it to this school year!
The SCSC welcomes our new cohort of interns this fall. DeShantis Huff and Marquis Wallace are both seniors at Georgia State University and North Georgia University, respectively. DeShanits is a Public Policy major with a concentration of Governance and Management and Marquis is a Political Science major with a Pre-Law concentration. They will be assisting in petition due diligence, monitoring, supporting our compliance with the Open Meetings and Open Records Act, and improving SCSC’s news and owned media, among other important work.
Read below for more updates and important information.
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2021-22 School Year
Calendar and Instructional Delivery Expectations
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The SCSC is aware that some schools have delayed the beginning of the school year and/or shifted to remote learning intermittently due to COVID-19 outbreaks. Please see information below related to SCSC expectations regarding school calendar changes and instructional delivery models for the 2021-22 school year.
- The SCSC expects schools to offer five days of in-person instruction to all students in the 2021-22 school year. Schools were offered a waiver to allow up to 25% of students to opt into remote learning through December 31, 2021.
- The expectation for in-person learning DOES NOT supersede the guidance of your local health department.
- In the event of a COVID-19 outbreak, schools should follow the guidance of their local public health department and implement appropriate quarantine procedures, which may include closure or remote learning periods for some or all students.
- Schools must notify the SCSC and GaDOE of any changes to the school calendar or instructional delivery model due to a COVID-19 outbreak.
- SCSC Contact: Cerrone Lockett (Cerrone.lockett@scsc.georgia.gov)
- GaDOE Contact: Allan Meyer (ameyer@doe.k12.ga.us) and Matt Cardoza (mcardoza@doe.k12.ga.us)
- The most recent Georgia Department of Public Health guidance for schools is available here. GaDOE also houses resources here.
We are wishing a great year for your school. Please contact us if you have any questions.
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Updated Public Health Guidance |
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Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) released updated requirements and recommendations to superintendents and school administrators regarding positive COVID-19 cases. To protect the health and safety of Georgia students and school staff, public and private K-12 schools are required by law to report all confirmed or suspected cases of notifiable diseases to DPH, including COVID-19.
The following steps are required by all schools after the identification of a case of COVID-19 in a student or school staff member in the school setting or at a school-sanctioned event:
- Report the case immediately to the DPH District Health Office. Schools are also required to provide data on close contacts that were exposed in the school setting. Please work closely with the District Health staff to ensure coordination of reporting.
- Exclude the case from in-person learning or work for the duration of their isolation period. Arrange for transportation home if they are identified while at school.
- Determine whether the case was present at school while contagious.
- Identify close contacts and notify parents/guardians.
- Exclude close contacts from the school setting and extracurricular activities unless the school has implemented modified quarantine requirements.
- Report aggregate counts of new cases, new contacts, and clusters weekly to DPH
For additional details, please review DPH's letter and the Close Contact Chart below. |
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2021 Legislative Session Summary Update
The SCSC completed a legislative summary that provides an overview of the 2021 Georgia General Assembly legislative changes that impact state charter schools. The State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia (SCSC) may monitor for any of the following items during annual monitoring and/or throughout the year. State charter schools are encouraged to consult independent legal counsel for questions regarding the impact and implementation of these changes.
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Parent Advisory Council School District Nominations
As a new school year begins, GaDOE is seeking school district nominations for parents to serve on the 2022 State School Superintendent’s Parent Advisory Council (PAC). School districts that are not represented on the current PAC are eligible to submit a nomination. For a list of current PAC members and school districts, please visit the PAC webpage. One nomination per school district will be accepted and past State School Superintendent Parent Advisory Council members are ineligible to serve again.
Nominations are due by Friday, September 3, 2021 to Mandi Griffin, Family Engagement Specialist, at mgriffin@doe.k12.ga.us. The person nominating the parent will be notified no later than September 17, 2021 of the results of the selection process. PAC members will be selected by GaDOE representatives.
The Superintendent’s PAC will meet three times each school year with a focus on parent and family engagement, as described in the federal law, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Members will serve as advisors and will provide input on family and community engagement resources. Please keep in mind that the PAC is an advisory group and not a parent leadership training program. Each PAC member selected will serve a two-year term on the PAC. The nominated parent must meet the following eligibility criteria:
- Be the parent of a child enrolled in a Title I school. “Parent” is defined as a grandparent, foster parent, aunt, uncle, legal guardian, or any other adult who serves as a primary caregiver of a student.
- Commit to attend all PAC meetings held throughout the length of the two-year term.
There are two options for districts nominating a parent for the PAC:
- Complete and return the, attached, nomination packet by emailing Mandi Griffin, Family Engagement Specialist, at mgriffin@doe.k12.ga.us
- Complete and submit the nomination information using the Jotform link by clicking here.
Should you have questions, please contact Mandi Griffin, Family Engagement Specialist, at mgriffin@doe.k12.ga.us or 404-576-5086.
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State Charter Schools Foundation |
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SCSF Welcomes Fall Intern
Please give a warm welcome to Maru Saminath Gandhi, the Fall intern for the Foundation. He will be working on programs, fundraising, and grant applications to support state charter schools, including the Donuts for Teachers program. Maru is a Senior in the Honors Program at UGA, studying Economics and Biology, and he has the eventual goal of running a nonprofit organization. Maru can be reached by email at msaminath@scsfga.org. |
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New School Openings
We are happy to announce the opening of Atlanta SMART Academy and Northwest Classical Academy this school year!
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Atlanta SMART is a 5th-8th grade academy located in Southwest Atlanta.
The mission of Atlanta SMART Academy is to use science, math and the arts to develop all students into innovative solutionists. Solutionists are students who can propose multiple research-based answers to a variety of real-world problems.Within a demanding and restorative school community, and with an unwavering focus on high academic growth, Atlanta SMART Academy equips every 5th-8th grade solutionist for success in high school, college and career.
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Northwest Classical is a K-6th grade academy located in Kennesaw, GA. Northwest Classical will scale each year until it reaches a full K-12th grade allotment.
NCA will offer families many advantages in education: A rigorous, liberal arts curriculum, an emphasis on virtue and character education, well-supported teachers who lead knowledge-centered classrooms, a smaller public school option where every student is known, a K-12 school experience, and high-quality athletics and fine-arts programs
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Resurgence Hall's very own therapy dog, Goose, welcomed scholars back to school with the Pawsitive Support program
Scholars are able to visit Goose throughout the year to support emotional needs.
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Fulton Leadership Academy starting the year off studying outside. Keeping kids safe while enjoying the beautiful weather! |
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Odyssey Charter
School spending their first days of school welcoming each other back and creating artwork to get their creative juices flowing!
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International Charter Academy started school off with a spirit week to get their students excited for the new school year! |
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Furlow Charter School awarded $10,000 from Rural Education Fund Grant
Congratulations Furlow Charter School on being awarded $10,000 from Georgia Foundation for Public Education's Rural Education Fund grant. This award will fund their Dinosaur Diplomacy program, a project-based learning literacy and peace initiative! This program's goal will be targeting and addressing loses in reading proficiency indicated by assessments as a result of the pandemic.
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The next SCSC monthly board meeting is scheduled for September 29, 2021 at 10 AM. A list of upcoming meetings for 2021 can be found on the meetings page of the SCSC website.
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The State Charter Schools Commission’s (SCSC) FY21 Reporting Deadlines calendar is available on the SCSC website here. Please note that most deadlines are established by the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) and are subject to change. The SCSC makes every attempt to ensure that it maintains all dates as accurately as possible. However, all schools are encouraged to stay up to date of any changes to the timeline made by GaDOE. Any failure by a state charter school to meet deadlines established and enforced by the SCSC and GaDOE will be reflected in the school’s assessment through the SCSC Comprehensive Performance Framework. |
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2021 CCRPI Live Data Verification Tool Available in the Portal
On March 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Education approved Georgia’s waiver of several accountability, school identification, and report card requirements. (For more information about the waiver, please review the 2021 Accountability Waiver FAQ 3.29.21.) Though there will be no 2021 CCRPI summary score for the state, school districts, or schools, some CCRPI-related data, such as achievement rates, participation rates, and graduation rates, for example, will still be calculated and publicly reported by Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE).
Due to this, GaDOE is providing schools and districts with a valuable accountability resource – the Live Data Verification tool. The Live Data Verification tool, available now in the CCRPI portal with demographic and attendance data and provides summary data from Student Record that updates nightly as your district updates the data. Additional Student Record data (such as students in the 2021 4-year graduation cohort) and data from Student Class data will populate in the tool in May. This tool will assist district staff and principals in verifying the accuracy of the data submitted in Student Record and Student Class before the data collections close. The accuracy of such data is critical to accurate accountability reporting.
View the user guide at your convenience.The user guide, training webinar, and webinar PPT handout for this tool are also available for download on the MyGaDOE portal.
To access the Live Data Verification tool, log on to the MyGaDOE portal, click on the CCRPI link, and then choose Live Data Verification. For help accessing the portal and with any functionality issues, contact the GaDOE Information Systems Customer Support Center at 1-800-869-1011 or dticket@doe.k12.ga.us. Contact the GaDOE accountability specialist assigned to assist your district with questions regarding the data. |
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Funding & Professional Development Opportunities |
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GaDOE Professional Learning Catalog
GCSA's GaTAPP Fall 2021 Cohort
GCSA is now accepting applications for the Fall 2021 Cohort. GaTAPP is an alternative certification pathway for individuals who have a current teaching job and hold a bachelor's degree or higher in fields of study other than education. The Fall 2021 Cohort Application is now open. Click here for a GaTAPP checklist. Learn more.
GaTAPP Fall 2021 Cohort
Application Deadline: Friday, Aug. 27, 2021
Registration Deadline: Friday, Sept. 3, 2021
Cohort Start Date: Monday, Sept. 13, 2021
GCSA FY22 Financial Management Certification Program
REGISTER NOW for GCSA’s Financial Management Certification Program. The fall semester kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 16. The program is offered virtually this fall and is comprised of six courses. Each course is split into two, four-hour sessions in the same week.
This training is specifically designed to build the expertise and knowledge of charter school leaders and board members who oversee school financial operations. However, registration is open to all interested charter school employees. GCSA’s rigorous program is tailored to address the unique financial issues facing charter schools.
**Scholarships are available for state charter school participants.**
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FY22 Estimated Formula Allocations - ESSA and IDEA
Preliminary FY22 estimated formula-based allocations under Title I, Part A; Title II, Part A; Title III, Part A; Title IV, Part A; Title I, Part C and Title I Part D of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015 are posted under the Resources section on the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) Federal Programs webpage.
Estimated allocations for Title V, Part B, and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 611 Flowthrough and 619 Preschool grants should be finalized in early July and posted on our website.
These allocations are not final and are provided for planning purposes only. Final grant award notifications (GANs) will be issued after July 1, 2021 pending State Board of Education (SBOE) approval of funding.
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State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia
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For real-time updates and announcements: |
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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. |
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Copyright © 2020 State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia, All rights reserved. |
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