(1) DEFINITIONS.
(a) Georgia Milestones Assessment System (Georgia Milestones) – a criterion-referenced test, administered in grades 3 through 8 at the end of each grade and high school at the end of each State Board identified course designed to measure student mastery of the state’s content standards and provide a signal of preparedness for the next grade, course, or educational endeavor, be that college or career. Georgia Milestones includes a norm-referenced component to provide national comparison data.
(b) Remedial educational program – an instructional program designed for students in grades 6-12 who have identified deficiencies in reading, writing, or mathematics.
(2) REQUIREMENTS.
(a) Students participating in the Remedial Education Program (REP) shall meet requirements as stated in O.C.G.A. § 20-2-154 and in the Georgia Department of Education Remedial Education Program Guidelines. Students in grades 6-12 may be eligible for services if they meet two or more of the following criteria:
1. The student has been through the formal student support team process as specified in Rule 160-4-2-.32 Student Support Team and has documented evidence to support the placement in remedial education.
2. The student has failed either a language arts or a mathematics course in grades 6-12.
3. The student is receiving services under the current Elementary and Secondary Education Act of l965, Title I, Part A.
4. The student has been recommended by the teacher who has documented any of the following student information:
(i) Low performance in reading.
(ii) Low performance in mathematics.
(iii) Inability to verbally express ideas or to write or dictate a meaningful sentence.
5. In the absence of Georgia Milestones scores, other current standardized test information in the student file indicates the student has a score at or below the 25th percentile in reading, writing, or mathematics.
6. For participation in middle school remediation programs, the most recent Georgia Milestones end-of-grade scores indicate the student is in the “Beginning Learners” achievement level in English language arts or mathematics, or has a reading status of “Below Grade Level.”
7. For participation in high school remediation programs, the most recent Georgia Milestones end-of-course or end-of-grade scores indicate the student is in the “Beginning Learners” achievement level in English language arts or mathematics, or has a reading status of “Below Grade Level.”
(b) The number of students eligible for participation in REP shall not exceed 25 percent of the school’s most recent FTE count for grades 6-12.
(c) Schools with more than 50 percent of their students eligible for free or reduced-price lunches may provide remedial education services for a higher percent of students up to 35 percent of the school’s full-time equivalent population in grades 6-12.
(d) Each year the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) shall utilize data submitted by local school systems during the regular student records collection process to conduct an evaluation of REP. By June of each year, the local school systems shall report the achievement results to GaDOE of all students who received instructional services through the REP in the content area(s) in which they were served. At a minimum, the evaluation shall include the following components:
1. For students in grades six through eight, a report of the number and percentage of REP students who scored as a “Developing Learner” or above on the appropriate grade-level Georgia Milestones English language arts or mathematics assessment. Also, a report of the number and percentage of REP students whose reading status is “At or Above Grade Level.”
2. For students in grades 9-12 who are not enrolled in a course associated with a Georgia Milestones end-of-course assessment (and therefore will not have a state assessment score), a report of the number and percentage of REP students who passed a system-made test in reading, writing, or mathematics where test items came from the Georgia On-Line Formative Assessment Resource (GOFAR) at grade eight and above. Systems may also choose to use standardized system level assessments of achievement.
3. For students enrolled in a course(s) with an associated Georgia Milestones end-of-course assessment, a report of the number and percentage of REP students who scored as a “Developing Learner” or above on the appropriate Georgia Milestones end-of-course English language arts or mathematics assessment. Also, a report of the number and percentage of REP students whose reading status is “At or Above Grade Level.”
Authority O.C.G.A. § 20-2-154.