The Office of Education Accountability (OEA) was established July 1, 2000, with a mandate to:

     Improve student achievement
     Improve school completion

To achieve these goals, OEA's major purpose is the establishment of performance-based accountability standards for all of Georgia's education system, from prekindergarten through postsecondary grades (P-16). OEA also has responsibility for development of reports focusing on education workforce issues. This is OEA's first annual report on the Office of School Readiness (OSR). OSR administers Georgia's Pre-K Program. The purpose of Georgia's Pre-K Program is "to provide children with quality preschool experiences necessary for future school success." For more information on Georgia's Pre-K Program, visit OSR's website: http://www.osr.state.ga.us/

2001-2002 Report Card:

This report card on OSR includes two indicators that reflect the extent to which prekindergarten services are delivered to Georgia's four-year-olds and the quality of those services. Data are reported as provided to OEA by OSR.

Accessibility Indicator

The first indicator is accessibility of prekindergarten services to four-year-olds and focuses on Pre-K enrollment and the proportion of economically disadvantaged, or at-risk, students served during the 2001-2002 academic year. Participation in Georgia's Pre-K Program is voluntary for program providers and for families. Information is available for each of the 1,683 lottery-funded prekindergarten programs, by each of the 159 counties, and at the state level.

For each Pre-K program, OEA reports:

• Number of four-year-olds enrolled
• Number of four-year-olds identified as at-risk
• Percent of Pre-K enrollment comprised of at-risk students

For each county, OEA reports:

• Number of four-year-olds enrolled in a Pre-K program
• Percent of county's estimated four-year-old population served by a Pre-K program in the county
• Number of four-year-olds identified as at-risk enrolled in Pre-K program within the county
• Percent of total Pre-K enrollment comprised of at-risk students

At the state level, OEA reports:

• Number of four-year-olds enrolled in a Pre-K program in the state
• Percent of state's estimated four-year-old population served by Pre-K programs
• Number of four-year-olds identified as at-risk
• Percent of total Pre-K enrollment comprised of at-risk students

OSR provided OEA with all the data included in this report. Enrollment figures for 2001-2002 school are based on OSR's February 2002 roster count collected on each Pre-K program. The estimates of four-year-old population are based on the latest census data which was analyzed by the Applied Research Center, Andrew Young School Of Policy Studies at Georgia State University.

Quality of Pre-K Services

The second indicator focuses on the quality of services provided by Georgia's Pre-K programs. Beginning with the 2001-2002 fiscal year, OSR implemented a formal data collection process using its newly developed Program Quality Assessment (PQA). In the PQA, a representative from OSR visits each prekindergarten facility and verifies the certifications of instructors as well as evaluates staffing levels, the physical facilities of the location, and instruction and curriculum. This information is collected on an annual basis by OSR staff. OSR provided the PQA database to OEA. OEA's report on OSR includes the PQA ratings for each program. At the state level, the report shows the percent of programs receiving each rating on the following key elements that define a quality Pre-K program:

• Lead teachers are certified, degreed, and meeting all other program requirements.
• Facility has implemented the approved curricula appropriately.
• The classroom is arranged into clearly defined learning areas that enhance children's growth and development.
• The Language and Literacy area is adequately equipped to provide many opportunities for children to explore, manipulate, investigate, and discover.
• The Math/Manipulative area is adequately equipped to provide many opportunities for children to explore, manipulate, investigate, and discover.
• The Dramatic Play area is adequately equipped to provide many opportunities for children to explore, manipulate, investigate, and discover.
• The Art area is adequately equipped to provide many opportunities for children to explore, manipulate, investigate, and discover.
• The Block area is adequately equipped to provide many opportunities for children to explore, manipulate, investigate, and discover.
• The Science area is adequately equipped to provide many opportunities for children to explore, manipulate, investigate, and discover.
• Music and movement materials are provided for children's use.
• Facility meets child/staff ratios.
• Facility has an appropriate daily routine.
• Facility provides an environment and instruction that promotes language development.

OSR evaluates the above key elements for each program using the following ratings:

• Meets OSR Standards - meets the required level of classroom and instructional quality as defined in the Office of School Readiness Pre-K Operating Guidelines, Standards of Quality, and The Georgia Prekindergarten Quality Assessment documents. Documents are available on the OSR website: http://www.osr.state.ga.us/
• Exceeds OSR Standards - represents a higher level of classroom and instructional quality.
• Does Not Meet OSR Standards - indicates specific areas in need of technical assistance.
• Partially Meets OSR Standards - indicates potential areas of concern and technical assistance opportunities.

It should be noted since OSR has the responsibility to ensure the quality of prekindergarten services to Georgia's four-year-old population, the agency has the authority to discontinue providing lottery funds to any program that does not meet a minimum standard on a sufficient number of the key elements in the PQA survey