MOULTRIE, Ga. – The Georgia Board of Education approved the Colquitt County School System’s charter renewal application to continue as a designated Charter System on June 18, the system announced on Tuesday. 

The system was first awarded this status on June 11, 2015. 

Systems must apply to continue as a charter system every five years, the school system said in a press release. The Colquitt County system completed the required steps for the renewal process during the winter of 2019 and spring of 2020. 

“Charter systems form a contract between the local board of education and the state board of education,” the press release said. “The status allows the system flexibility to design innovations that meet the needs of students and the community. School-level governance is essential, and the contract requires a higher level of accountability for charter systems. All schools work toward system strategic plan goals designed to meet student needs.” 

The system’s 2014 charter system application’s innovative features included the implementation of a literacy initiative through the Striving Reader Grant, the development of opportunities for students learning anywhere and anytime through programs such as VirtuPack, and increased dual enrollment course offerings with neighboring universities and colleges. 

The initial innovations also entailed:

• Developing STEAAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Agriculture, and Mathematics) frameworks for the delivery of instruction.

• The implementation of a Multi-tiered System of Supports (MTSS) for students working to meet mastery levels of achievement.

• The evaluation and development of programs that support gifted and talented students.

The system’s new charter contract extends the system’s work in literacy, options for virtual/flexible learning environments, gifted education, STEAAM, and MTSS.

New action steps in these areas include:

• Teacher mini-grants for STEM/STEAAM experiences for students.

• Extended learning opportunities for students moving in and out of the Response to Intervention (RTI) tiers.

• Implementation of 1:1 (student:device) technologies for all students.

• Increased opportunities for gifted populations of students for differentiated instruction. 

New innovative features that the district will put in place over the next five years of the contract include:

• Increasing the use of formative assessment practices to give teachers actionable information about next steps in learning that each student needs.

• Improving the fidelity of Professional Learning Community processes at the district and school levels to clarify essential standards.

• Responding to student effort based on data.

• Increasing student mastery.

Each year, the system is required to report on student progress and the state of each innovative feature to the Georgia Department of Education. 

“The renewal of the system’s charter with the Georgia Department of Education is not only an endorsement of the innovative efforts of our schools and staff,” county School Superintendent Doug Howell said, “but it is also an opportunity for the system to continue to grow in the areas of differentiation, technology, and collaboration.”