2007-2008 Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Program (GSNS) year end report [Nov. 18, 2008]

2007 - 2008 Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Program (GSNS)
Year End Report
Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools November 18, 2008,Page 1 of 13

Georgia Department of Education 2007 2008 Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Program (GSNS)
Year End Report
Executive Summary
Senate Bill 10 as signed into law on May 18, 2007, created the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Program which allows parents of eligible special needs students to transfer their children to another public school, public school system, state school, or approved participating private school.
The report contained herein represents the results for Fiscal Year 2008 (the 2007-2008 school year) as required by O.C.G.A. 20-2-2118, which stipulates that the Governor's Office of Student Achievement, in conjunction with the Georgia Department of Education shall provide the General Assembly not later than December 1 of each year with a report regarding the scholarship program for the previous fiscal year.
2007-2008 Program Highlights
2007-2008 school year was the inaugural year for the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Program. 117 private schools participated
o 8 was the average number of students enrolled in private schools o 0-42 was the range of students enrolled in each private school o 2 private schools did not enroll any students under the program 899 public school students enrolled in private schools through the program though this number decreased to 825 by the end of the school year. Of the 899 students enrolled: o 29% Female, 71% Male o 40% Black, 55% White, 5% Asian/Hispanic/Native American/Multi-Racial o 34% Eligible for Free and Reduced Lunch, 66% Not Eligible for Free and Reduced Lunch o 158, or 18% were fifth grade students; the largest grade represented $5,639,748 was the state allocation for the scholarship program $5,417,425 was paid in scholarship payments $222,223 in unused funds reverted to the Quality Basic Education program fund $6,260 was the average annual scholarship for the 899 students. $2,536 - $15,324 was the range for individual scholarship amounts.
2007-08 Georgia Pre/Post Assessment and Information:
Students were assessed with over 55 different types of assessment instruments, e.g., 17 schools used the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills; 16 schools used the Stanford Achievement Tests; 8 schools used report card data; 7 schools used the Brigance Inventory of Early development.
Four students, via parent request, participated in the State assessment system in their resident school. The data submitted from many schools was inconclusive or incomplete. Pre and post test assessment
data could not be aggregated to determine overall academic progress because a common scale of measurement did not exist. GaDOE is providing technical assistance to the private schools for the 2008-2009 school year in an effort to promote the use of a more standardized process for assessing and determining student academic progress. GaDOE is working with technology to create a data portal through which private schools could submit pre and post assessment data for each GSNS student electronically.
Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools November 18, 2008,Page 2 of 13

Georgia Department of Education 2007 - 2008 Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Program (GSNS)
Year End Report

Description Public School Students Eligible for GSNS Scholarship Statewide
Total number of Private Schools Participating in GSNS for 2007-2008
Total number of Private Schools with enrolled Scholarship Students Number of Private Schools with 10 or More Students
Number of Private Schools with Less than 10 Students
Total number of Students Receiving Scholarships
Median number of Scholarship Students Per School
Average number of Scholarship Students Per School
Range of Student Enrollment for the 117 Participating Private Schools Georgia Public School Systems Impacted by Scholarship Student Withdrawals Range of Special Need Scholarship Withdrawals in Georgia Public School Systems Number of Students Withdrawing Prior to the End of Year
Financial Information Statewide Annual Allocation Amount for Scholarship Recipients for 20072008 Total Scholarship Payments Statewide for FY08 Difference in Allocation and Total Payments

Value 199,509
117 115 33 82 899 4.5 8.7 0-42
62 of 184
1-122 73
Value
$5,639,648 $5,417,425 $222,223

Range of Annual Scholarship Amounts for the 899 Scholarship Recipients Median Scholarship Payment for the 899 students Average Annual Scholarship Amount for the 899

$2,536 to 15,324 $6,088 $6,260

Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools November 18, 2008,Page 3 of 13

Georgia Department of Education 2007 - 2008 Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Program (GSNS)
Year End Report

Race/Ethnicity Asian Black Hispanic Native-American Multi-racial White Total

Count 12
359 11 2 21
494 899

GSNS Students by Race & Ethnicity
Asian Black Hispanic Native-American Multi-racial White
12, 1%

494, 55%

359, 40%
11, 1% 21, 3% 2, 0%

Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools November 18, 2008,Page 4 of 13

Georgia Department of Education 2007 - 2008 Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Program (GSNS)
Year End Report

Eligibility Eligible Not Eligible Total

Count 310 589 899

Free & Reduced Lunch Eligibility
Eligible Not Eligible

589 / 66%

310 / 34%

Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools November 18, 2008,Page 5 of 13

Georgia Department of Education 2007 - 2008 Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Program (GSNS)
Year End Report

Program code 1 2 3 6 7 8 P Q R S T U V W X Y Z U

Category Blind Deaf and Blind Speech-Language Impairment Autism Traumatic Brain Injury Significant Developmental Delay Mild Intellectual Disability Moderate Intellectual Disability Severe Intellectual Disability Profound Intectual Disability Emotional & Behavioral Disorder Specific Learning Disability Orthopedic Impairment Hearing Impairment Deaf Other Health Impairment Visual Impairment Not Available Total

Number 1 0 97 75 5 33 54 11 4 1 91
268 4 4 0
246 0 5
899

Scholarship Participants by Disability

Not Available 5

Visual Impairment 0

Other Health Impairment

Deaf 0

Hearing Impairment 4

Orthopedic Impairment 4

Specific Learning Disability

Emotional & Behavioral...

Profound Intectual... 1

Severe Intellectual Disability 4

Moderate Intellectual... 11

Mild Intellectual Disability

54

Significant Developmental...

33

Traumatic Brain Injury 5

Autism

Speech-Language...

Deaf and Blind 0

Blind 1

91
75 97

246 268

Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools November 18, 2008,Page 6 of 13

Georgia Department of Education 2007 - 2008 Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Program (GSNS)
Year End Report

Gender Male
Female Total

Count 635 264 899

GSNS Students by Gender
Male Female
264, 29%

635, 71%

Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools November 18, 2008,Page 7 of 13

Georgia Department of Education 2007 - 2008 Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Program (GSNS)
Year End Report

Grade in 2006-2007 KK 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th
Total

Count 65 70 98 96 96 158 86 68 63 55 31 11 2 899

GSNS Students by Grade (2006-2007)
158

98 96 96 65 70

86 68 63 55

31
11 2

KK 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th

Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools November 18, 2008,Page 8 of 13

Georgia Department of Education 2007 - 2008 Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Program (GSNS)
Year End Report

Private School Name
ADVANCE Academy Advance Learning Center Amit, Inc. Anointed Word Christian Schools International Atlanta Speech School Aurora Strategies Ava White Academy Bible Baptist Christian School Blessed Sacrament School Branch Christian Community School Brandon Hall Brookwood Christian Language School Brunswick Chrisitan Academy Central Fellowship Christian Academy Chatham Academy at Royce Christian Heritage School Chrysalis Experiential Academy, Inc. Clara Mohammed Elementary and W. Deen Mohammed High School
Community Christian Academy (formally Cornerstone Christian Academy) Community Christian School Cornerstone Community Services Learning Academy Cornerstone Prepatory Academy Cornerstone Schools Covenant Christian Academy Cumberland Academy at Sandy Springs Cumberland Academy dba Gables Academy Dawson Street Christian School Decatur Adventist Junior Academy Dominion Christian High School Eagle's Landing Christian Academy Eaton Academy, Inc. Emory Christian School Faith Christian Academy Fayette Christian School Focus Learning & Enrichment Academy Footprints Christian Academy Frederick J.Furtah Preparatory School Fullington Academy Heart of Hope Academy for Children with Special Needs Holy Spirit Preparatory School Hope Christian School of Augusta Hope Schools of Excellence Hopewell Christiam Academy Horizon Christian Academy Horizons School

Number of Students
Enrolled
* * * * * * * * * 21 * 13 * * 19 * * 10
* * * * 10 * * * 12 * * * * * 15 13 * 14 42 * * * 19 * 24 * *

Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools November 18, 2008,Page 9 of 13

Georgia Department of Education 2007 - 2008 Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Program (GSNS)
Year End Report

Private School Name
Jacob's Ladder John Hancock Academy Kaleidoscope Applied Behavior Analysis, Inc. Katherine and Jacob Greenfield Hebrew Academy of Atlanta Kingfisher Academy LaGrange Academy Lakeside Preparatory School Lighthouse Christian Academy Lyon Academy Inc. DBA Solid Rock Academy McGinnis Woods Country Day School Memorial Day School Mill Springs Academy Miller's Preparatory Academy for Boys Montessori Community School, Inc. d/b/a Counterpane Mount de Sales Academy Mount Paran Christian School Oasis Learning Center Ombudsman Educational Services at College Living Prep Our Lady of Mercy Catholic High School Paideia School Pathways Academy Peachtree Academy Private School Perimeter Christian School (PCS) Porter Academy Rock Solid Foundations Christian Academy Saint Catherine of Siena Catholic School Saint Francis Day School Sherwood Christian Academy Sophia Academy Special Needs Schools of Gwinnett, Inc. St. Joseph Catholic School St. Paul Academy St. Peter Claver Regional Catholic School St. Teresa's School Stepping Stones Educational Therapy Center, Inc. The Bedford School, Inc. The Campus The Community School The Cottage School The Friends School of Atlanta The Hirsch Academy The Howard School The Joseph Sams School

Number of Students
Enrolled
* * * * * * 13 * 30 * * 29 29 * * * * * * * * * * 15 25 * 28 * 14 14 * 18 * * 10 42 * * 37 * * 19 12

Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools November 18, 2008,Page 10 of 13

Georgia Department of Education 2007 - 2008 Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Program (GSNS)
Year End Report

Private School Name
The Lighthouse The Lionheart School The Owens Academy For Exceptional Learners The Ron Clark Academy The Schenck School The Swift School Torah Day School of Atlanta Trinity Chapel Academy Vineyard Harvester Christian Academy Waverly Hall Christian Academy Westminster Schools of Augusta Woodfield Academy Woodlee's Christian Academy Woodward Academy Yeshiva Atlanta High School

Total

Number of Students
Enrolled
12 * 13 * 22 33 * * * * * 25 11 * * 899

*The Georgia Department of Education does not report student information below 10 students to protect individual students from being identified in compliance with federal law -- the Family Education Privacy Act (FERPA).

Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools November 18, 2008,Page 11 of 13

Georgia Department of Education 2007 - 2008 Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Program (GSNS)
Year End Report
The table below lists the Local School District of origin for students participating in the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Program.

System of Origin Atlanta Public Schools Baldwin County Schools Banks County Schools Bartow County Schools Bibb County Schools Bryan County Schools Butts County Schools Camden County Schools Candler County Schools Carroll County Schools Carrollton City Schools Chatham County Schools Cherokee County Schools Clarke County Schools Clayton County Schools Cobb County Schools Coffee County Schools Columbia County Schools Commerce City Schools Cook County Schools Coweta County Schools Crisp County Schools Decatur City County DeKalb County Schools Dougherty County Schools Douglas County Schools Effingham County Schools Fayette County Schools Floyd County Schools Forsyth County Schools Fulton County Schools Gwinnett County Schools

Count of students 39 3 1 3 15 3 1 5 2 10 2 36 31 1 57 98 2 6 1 1 12 1 3 111 1 4 3 46 1 34 122 88

Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools November 18, 2008,Page 12 of 13

Georgia Department of Education 2007 - 2008 Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Program (GSNS)
Year End Report
The table below lists the Local School District of origin for students participating in the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Program.

System of Origin Habersham County Schools Hall County Schools Harris County Schools Henry County Schools Houston County Schools Jefferson City Schools Jones County Schools Lamar County Schools Lee County Schools Liberty County Schools Marietta City Schools Marion County Schools Meriwether County Schools Monroe County Schools Muscogee County Schools Newton County Schools Paulding County Schools Peach County Schools Polk County Schools Richmond County Schools Rockdale County Schools Social Circle City Schools Spalding County Schools Thomaston-Upson County Schools Troup County Schools Walker County Schools Walton County Schools White County Schools Whitfield County Schools Wilkinson County Schools Total

Count of students 3 6 3 33 5 1 3 3 2 1 1 2 2 2 1 12 14 1 3 16 6 1 14 1 11 1 4 1 2 1
899

Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools November 18, 2008,Page 13 of 13