The Governor's Office of Student Achievement recently launched Georgia's Education Scoreboard, an electronic resource that concisely and transparently reports data on the quality and progress of education in Georgia. It can be accessed at http:// www.gaosa.org.

"Until now, Georgia has lacked a sole source for stakeholders that paints a clear picture of education in Georgia, from pre-kindergarten through college," said Executive Director Jennifer Rippner. "I am proud to make this valuable resource available, and I believe it will assist communities in their efforts to improve education statewide."

The Education Scoreboard, conceived by Governor Sonny Perdue and developed by the Governor's Office of Student Achievement, provides bottom-line data for Georgia's K-12 schools, colleges and universities, and technical colleges. Stakeholders can search for information on a particular school and compare that data against school systems in Georgia, southeastern states, or the nation.

The easy-to-navigate Scoreboard provides users with straightforward measures of education that are both commonly and uncommonly reported in Georgia.

Among the data reported for K-12 schools, stakeholders will find a single percentage of students meeting and exceeding standards in all core areas; the average days attended for a given school population; the percent of high school students who graduate with a regular diploma; average SAT and ACT scores; AP and IB course participation and achievement; and the percent of HOPE scholars graduating from high school who are college ready.

Separate indicators are reported for colleges and universities as well as technical colleges, including the percent of freshmen who return to the same institution for a second year of study; the percent of students who graduate within 3 years with an associate's degree or 6 years with a bachelor's degree; the percent of HOPE scholars who retain their scholarships through the 90 credit hour (or roughly 3 year) mark; and the percent of students requiring learning support who graduate with a bachelor's degree.

"I hope the Scoreboard will highlight to parents opportunities for greater involvement in their children's schools," said Ms. Rippner. "Businesses will also be able to access data they need on the preparedness of those entering their workforce."

The Education Scoreboard is independent of No Child Left Behind and other accountability reporting requirements. It is not intended to make education in Georgia look strong or weak; instead, it simply identifies levels of achievement in important areas of education.

For more information on Georgia's Education Scoreboard, visit http:// www.gaosa.org, call 404-463-1150, or send an email to GOSA@gov.state.ga.us.