(a) The office shall adopt and biennially review and revise as necessary, indicators of the quality of learning by students in an individual school.

(b) The performance indicators of student achievement and school performance must be based on information that is disaggregated with respect to ethnicity, sex, disability, language proficiency, and socioeconomic status and must include:

(1) The results of assessment instruments required under Code Section 20-2-281, aggregated by grade level and subject area;

(2) Dropout rates for each school;

(3) Student attendance rates for each school;

(4) School completion rates for each school;

(5) The percentage of graduating students who attain scores on the Georgia high school graduation test required under Code Section 20-2-281 that are equivalent to a passing score on the test instrument until such time as the Georgia high school graduation test is discontinued as provided in Code Section 20-2-281;

(6) The percentage of graduating students who meet the course requirements established for the recommended high school program by State Board of Education rule;

(7) The percentage of students taking end-of-course assessment instruments under Code Section 20-2-281;

(8) The percentage of high school students who pass the end-of-course assessment instrument in core subjects;

(9) The results of the Scholastic Assessment Test or the ACT Assessment;

(10) The percentage of students taking alternate assessments under subsection (d) of Code Section 20-2-281;

(11) The average time that a student placed in an early intervention program remains before attaining grade level status and returning to regular status; and

(12) Any other indicator the office recommends, the council approves, and the State Board of Education adopts.

(c) Performance on the indicator shall be compared to state standards, progress on improved student achievement, and comparable performance. The state standard shall be established by the office as provided in Code Section 20-14-31. Required improvement is defined as the progress necessary for the school or local school system to meet state standards and for its students to meet exit requirements as defined by the office pursuant to Code Section 20-14-31. Comparable improvement is derived by measuring schools and local school systems against a profile developed from a total state student performance data base which exhibits substantial equivalence to the characteristics of students served by the school or system, including past academic performance, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, sex, disability, mobility, and language proficiency. Data and information regarding the standard shall be included in the annual report provided for in paragraph (2) of subsection (a) of Code Section 20-14-27.

(d) The office shall establish individual school ratings for each school in this state for annual academic performance on the assessment instruments required under Code Section 20-2-281, with:

(1) A school grade of A, B, C, D, or F on the established absolute student achievement standard;

(2) A school grade of A, B, C, D, or F for the school on the progress on improved student achievement; and

(3) A school performance status on other school performance indicators as defined in subsection (b) of this Code section.

(e) Annually, the office shall define exemplary, acceptable, and unacceptable performance for each academic excellence indicator included under paragraphs (2) through (12) of subsection (b) of this Code section and shall project the standards for each of those levels of performance for succeeding years. Data and information regarding the establishment of the standard shall be included in the annual report provided for in paragraph (2) of subsection (a) of Code Section 20-14-27.

(f) Each school system shall provide all student performance data and all other student school completion and attendance data to the Department of Education's educational information system in accordance with rules and timelines established by the office.

(g) The office shall develop, the council shall approve, and the State Board of Education shall adopt a uniform definition of "dropout." All schools and school systems shall report student dropout information to the Department of Education's educational information system in accordance with rules and timelines established by the state board as provided in subsection (b) of Code Section 20-2-167. Each school system shall cooperate with the office in determining whether a student is a dropout under this subsection and shall adopt the uniform definition of "dropout." Data and information regarding the establishment of the definition and the tracking of dropout and school completion data shall be included in the annual report provided for in paragraph (2) of subsection (a) of Code Section 20-14-27.

(h) The office shall develop, the council shall approve, and the State Board of Education shall adopt a uniform definition of a "below grade level" student for purposes of placing students in the early intervention program under Code Section 20-2-153 and for purposes of tracking these students for accountability purposes. Data and information regarding the establishment of the definition shall be included in the annual report provided for in paragraph (2) of subsection (a) of Code Section 20-14-27.

(i) The office shall annually review the performance of each school on the indicators identified in subsection (b) of this Code section and determine whether a change in the school rating status of the school is warranted.