Kim Miller, the district official presenting a state-required update, told the Coffee County Board of Education on Nov. 20 that Coffee Middle and West Green were identified for support based on prior state data and are being served with a set of targeted interventions.

"This is an update on our 2 federally identified schools," Miller said, adding that both schools are identified for a single subgroup: students with disabilities. She said the identification was based on FY23 data and that the next list reflecting FY26 data will appear in January 2027.

Miller outlined the district’s supports: specially designed instruction (SDI) for students with disabilities; high-leverage instructional practices; assistive technology such as text-to-speech devices; and district-wide use of FastBridge (a common progress-monitoring tool) to align K–8 benchmarks with expectations for the Georgia Milestones summative assessments. She told the board the schools administer interim benchmarks three times per year and use the resulting data to inform scheduling, targeted interventions and professional learning.

On performance measures, Miller reviewed Georgia Milestones, CCRPI calculations and fall benchmark comparisons to show growth areas and remaining gaps. She credited school leaders for implementation work: "I can't applaud Mister Winters and Miss Bynum enough and their staff and their teachers for the work that they've done," she said.

Board members discussed how Hurricane Helene’s lost instructional time affected test-score comparisons and praised continued efforts to improve student outcomes. Miller said the district will continue data protocols, regular monitoring and supports aimed at helping the two schools meet exit criteria when the next statewide data are released.

The board received the presentation as informational; Miller listed continued next steps including sustained implementation of interventions, professional learning and data-driven planning intended to move the schools off the identified list.