VALDOSTA, GA (WTXL) -- Valdosta Middle School and Valdosta High School have been officially removed from the Georgia Department of Education’s Focus School List, according to the school district.
Information from the Valdosta City School District
These two schools were focus schools because they are Title I schools that had the largest within-school gaps between the highest-achieving subgroup(s) and the lowest-achieving subgroup(s) and, at the high school level, had the largest within-school gaps in graduations rates.
Under Georgia’s renewed Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) flexibility, the criteria for Priority and Focus Schools are now fully aligned with the College and Career Readiness Performance Index (CCRPI), allowing for a more transparent measure with which districts and schools are already familiar.
The Georgia Department of Education released the list of Georgia’s Priority and Focus Schools on July 8. Interim superintendent, Dr. Alvin Hudson, said “It’s a great day to be a Wildcat! I’m so pleased to announce that there were no Valdosta City Schools identified as Priority or Focus Schools. We are so proud of the dedication and laser focus from Valdosta Middle and Valdosta High School’s administration, teachers and students to increase student achievement. Their hard work has paid off. What a great way to start the 2015-16 school year.”
Getting Valdosta High School off of the focus list was a collaborative effort that included a lot of hard work and dedication from everyone. Now together we can celebrate this accomplishment. Teachers at Valdosta High School truly care about their students and their individual achievements. "At Valdosta High School we are in the business of graduating students and preparing them for limitless opportunities,” said Dr. Janice Richardson, principal of Valdosta High School.
Valdosta Middle School echoed the sentiments of Valdosta High School. “It is quite an achievement for our administrators, faculty and students. We built in instructional time for our entire student body to address areas of concern. Together we made great strides and the ultimate goal of coming off the focus school list was reached,” said Beth DeLoach, principal of Valdosta Middle School.
