On September 29, State School Superintendent Richard Woods visited Griffin-Spalding County School System (GSCS) to recognize Atkinson Elementary, Crescent Road Elementary and Jordan Hill Elementary as Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) 2022-2023 Literacy Leaders. At an awards ceremony held at Atkinson Elementary, the three schools were presented with Literacy Leader Banners.
Literacy Leaders are schools with 90 percent or more of their third-grade students reading at grade level or schools with a 15 percent or higher increase from 2021-22 to 2022-23. A total of 155 schools in Georgia met the qualifications to be recognized as Literacy Leaders.
"The ability to read opens up the doors not only to the rest of a student's education but to their ability to continue learning throughout their life," State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. "That's why we are laser-focused on literacy at the Georgia Department of Education and as a state. These schools -- our Literacy Leaders -- are doing exceptional work to ensure every student is equipped with the lifelong skill of literacy, and it's an honor to recognize them."
GSCS Executive Director of Teaching and Learning Dr. Tiffany Taylor stated, "Our instructional vision is that our students read, write, speak and solve on grade level daily. I commend the work of our building leaders and teachers who have focused on giving our students opportunities to engage in rigorous learning activities in every class daily. As a result, the third-grade students at three of our schools showed double-digit growth in their reading levels. The Georgia Department of Education recognizes schools with exceptional achievement or growth in third-grade reading as 2022-2023 Literacy Leaders. Congratulations to these leaders, teachers and scholars on these remarkable gains."
"I am excited that State Superintendent Woods was able to join us to celebrate the hard work of leaders, teachers and learners from these three schools. I am glad that these schools have been able to benefit from the intentionality of the effort dedicated toward growth in literacy. Today's recognition is another example of our growth toward our vision of developing a distinctive brand, strong leaders and great schools," stated GSCS Superintendent Dr. Keith Simmons.
During his visit at Atkinson, State Superintendent Woods toured the classrooms, observed learning in progress and talked with students and educators. He also brought U.S. Constitution booklets to distribute to the fourth-grade students at Atkinson Elementary.