Atlanta Public schools is seeking your feedback regarding upcoming decisions about a new Vision and Mission and about School System Operating Models and Flexibility Options. We appreciate your candid responses, which will be anonymous.
The following questions are about the District's proposed Vision and Mission Statements. Please review the statements below and give us your feedback.

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* 1. Vision (Draft): A high-performing school district where students love to learn, educators work to inspire, parents are engaged and the community has trust in the district.

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* 2. Mission (Draft): Through a caring culture of trust and collaboration, every student will be ready for college and career.

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* 3. What are the top three things you'd like to see APS focus upon as a district in order to achieve our vision and mission and be successful?

The next section of questions are about School System Operating Models.

By June 30, 2015, all school districts in Georgia are required by law to select one of three operating structures.

Status Quo – Formal acceptance that the district will continue to follow all Title 20 education laws, including the state accountability system.

Investing in Educational Excellence (IE2) – Districts enter into an agreement with the State Board of Education and the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement. The agreement provides specific waivers in exchange for increased accountability requirements with penalties in place if schools do not meet targets. Penalties can include the district losing control over individual schools. There are three IE2 systems in the state, including Gwinnett, the largest district in the state.

Charter System – Districts execute a 5-year charter contract with the State Board of Education to receive a blanket waiver of nearly all Title 20 education laws. These waivers give districts the flexibility to implement innovative strategies in order to meet increased accountability requirements. Currently there are 16 charter systems in Georgia, with many additional systems moving forward with developing charter petitions.

Examples of the types of flexibility that can be accessed as an IE2 or Charter System district include:

Customizing a school’s offerings (new arts program, language instruction, etc.)
Course credit through content mastery (non-EOCT)
Waiving class size to allow for college-style delivery
Hiring content experts for teachers
Seat-time requirements to adjust pacing of content/material
Non-traditional ELL or Gifted programs
Early Release for additional Professional Development
Waiver of seat-time requirements to let students explore internships, dual enrollment, etc.

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* 4. Have you attended any of the following meetings?

  Yes No
Community Visioning Session
Advisory Committee Meeting

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* 5. After attending a Visioning Session, and/or reading the above information about Operating Models, what feedback would you like to share? Please elaborate.

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