The second round of Priority Status Reviews and SIG monitoring visit.
The Quitman County School District is one of three districts in Georgia implementing the “State-Determined Intervention Model” as part of SIG whole-school transformation. Quitman received the grant because the schools (Pre-K – 12) demonstrated the greatest need for the funds and the most capacity to use the funds to provide effective resources to substantially increase student achievement. Quitman County instructional coaches and SIG administrators facilitate weekly study group sessions with teachers in pre-kindergarten, elementary, middle, and high schools. The purpose of the study groups is to establish common expectations among teachers for standards, curriculum, assessment, and instruction through collaborative planning. As part of their collaborative planning process, teachers identify effective instructional strategies, analyze student work, and engage in the data team process to improve student achievement. Research suggests that study groups tend to be more effective when they are an integral part of a larger school reform effort. Implementation of the SIG reform plan has proven to be successful. Quitman County increased the 2016 graduation rate by 20 points, and the CCRPI for the high school increased each year since implementation of the grant in 2013, moving from 55.1 to 77.1.