In January of 2008, the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement (GOSA) unveiled Georgia’s Education Scoreboard. This official state Scoreboard, conceived by Governor Perdue and developed by GOSA, provides education stakeholders, i.e. parents, educators, business and government leaders, and community-based organizations, with a straightforward indication of student achievement in Georgia, from pre-kindergarten through postsecondary education.

Just as a scoreboard in an athletic competition provides fans with an at-a-glance status report, the Education Scoreboard provide stakeholders with meaningful, concise, transparent data on the quality and progress of education in Georgia. It is intended to:

• Highlight to educators and parents areas in education that are especially important on which to focus;
• Encourage education institutions to gauge their progress in raising student achievement as compared with other Georgia institutions, other states, and the nation;
• Compel schools, colleges, and universities to implement improvement practices as necessary;
• Provide businesses and families interested in moving to Georgia with clear data on the quality of education from preschool to college;
• Impel all stakeholders to greater advocacy in creating quality education options in their communities; and
• Grow a state culture that demands continuous educational improvement.

GOSA subjected the development of the scoreboard to a rigorous approval process. First, GOSA conducted a review of the research literature to identify critical performance indicators for elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, colleges and universities, and technical colleges.

Next, GOSA consulted members from reputed national and state education organizations for comments and recommendations on the draft indicators. Such organizations included the National Governor’s Association, the Southern Regional Education Board, the Black Alliance for Educational Options, the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce, the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education, the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, the Georgia House of Representatives, the Metro Chamber of Commerce, AT&T, Georgia Power, Governor Perdue’s Education Finance Task Force, and the Office of Planning and Budget.

Finally, GOSA solicited feedback from the leaders of Georgia’s education agencies, including the State Superintendent of Schools, the Chancellor of the University System of Georgia, the President of the Technical College System, the Commissioner of the Department of Early Care and Learning, the President of the Georgia Student Finance Commission, and the Executive Secretary of the Georgia Professional Standards Commission.

Detailed information on Georgia's Education Scoreboard and its indicators