Thursday, December 12, 2024–8:14 a.m.
-News Release-
Georgia Superintendent Richard Woods visited Floyd County Schools and Garden Lakes Elementary earlier this week to recognize and celebrate the outstanding achievements of their Math and Literacy Leaders.
Woods also visited Rome Middle School to honor them for being a Math Leader. You can read that story here.
The visit highlighted students’ and educators’ dedication and hard work in promoting excellence in these critical areas.
The Math Leaders were:
- Armuchee High: 7th Grade Growth; 8th Grade Gateway Growth; High School Growth
- Coosa High: High School Growth
- Coosa Middle: 5th Grade Gateway Growth; 6th Grade Growth
- Model High: High School Growth
- Pepperell High: High School Growth
Schools were recognized for achievement or growth in the percentage of students scoring at the Proficient Learner level or above in mathematics. The criteria for the 2023-2024 Math Leader Awards recognize the crucial importance of numeracy skills in fifth and eighth grades and require higher growth from schools with lower achievement levels.
Awards were given at the elementary and middle-school levels, and at the high-school level based on the Algebra: Concepts and Connections EOC, which is the state test for mathematics in high school.
“Congratulations to our first-ever Math Leader schools!” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “The skill of numeracy is an essential one, both as students progress through their K-12 education and in their futures. These schools and their educators, students, families, and communities have worked hard to implement the new K-12 Mathematics Standards and prepare all students for life. I commend them on their outstanding work.”
Early Success for Georgia’s New K-12 Mathematics Standards
Georgia’s new K-12 Mathematics Standards were adopted in 2021 and first implemented in classrooms during the 2023-24 school year. Drafted by Georgia math teachers with input from educational leaders, parents, students, and business and industry leaders, the new standards are designed to be clear, understandable, and age- and developmentally appropriate. They aim to present a reasonable amount of content in each year – so students can truly master concepts, rather than simply being quickly exposed to them.
The results of the 2024-24 Georgia Milestones assessments were an early indicator of the success of the new standards. Students showed strong improvement in mathematics, with scores increasing on six of the seven tests. Several assessments saw particularly high growth, including eight-point increases in eighth-grade math and high-school Algebra.
Literacy Leaders also recognized
Four Floyd County schools have also been recognized as Literacy Leaders for the 2023-24 school year.
The following schools have earned distinguished awards:
- Armuchee Elementary: 6th Grade Gateway Growth Award
- Garden Lakes Elementary: 3rd Grade Gateway Growth Award
- Model Middle: 5th and 6th Grade Gateway Growth Awards
- Pepperell Middle: 6th Grade Gateway Growth Award
Schools were recognized for achievement or growth in the percentage of students reading at or above grade level. The criteria for the Literacy Leader awards recognize the crucial importance of grade-level reading in third and sixth grades and require higher growth from schools with lower achievement levels.
Awards were given at the elementary, middle, and high school levels based on the American Literature EOC, which is the state test for ELA in high school.
“I am so proud to announce this year’s Literacy Leader schools,” Woods said. “These schools are moving the needle on literacy in our state – and, as a result, changing the lives of the students they serve. The ability to read opens the doors to lifelong learning – that’s why we remain laser-focused on literacy at the Georgia Department of Education and as a state. I am honored to recognize these schools, educators, students, families, and communities for their outstanding work.”
Literacy Leaders Criteria for Gateway Growth:
Schools earned this award when the percentage of third-grade, sixth-grade, or high school students reading at or above grade level increased according to the tiered growth criteria below:
- Schools with fewer than 50% of students in the identified grade or course reading at or above grade level in 2023-24 needed a 15-point or higher increase compared to the 2022-23 Georgia Milestones assessment
- Schools with at least 50 but less than 70% of students in the identified grade or course reading at or above grade level in 2023-24 needed a 10-point or higher increase compared to the 2022-23 Georgia Milestones assessment
- Schools with at least 70 but less than 90% of students in the identified grade or course reading at or above grade level in 2023-24 needed a 5-point or higher increase compared to the 2022-23 Georgia Milestones assessment
- Schools with at least 90 but less than 98% of students in the identified grade or course reading at or above grade level in 2023-24 needed a 3-point or higher increase compared to the 2022-23 Georgia Milestones assessment
About GaDOE’s Literacy Efforts
The Georgia Department of Education is focused on increasing literacy achievement across all grade levels, including:
- Developing a tiered, statewide literacy coaching model – including using federal school improvement funds to place coaches in the lowest-performing 5% of elementary schools
- Partnering with the Rollins Center for Language & Literacy to offer the Georgia Literacy Academy – proven training in structured literacy and the science of reading – at no cost to all Georgia educators
- Adopting new K-12 English Language Arts (ELA) standards that embed structured literacy
- Developing instructional resources, progressions, lessons, and videos to support evidence-based literacy instruction in schools
- Launching a public-facing dashboard to provide transparent access to detailed literacy results
The 2023-24 Georgia Milestones assessment scores showed some positive indicators in the area of early literacy, with the percentage of students scoring Proficient & Above increasing more for fifth-grade ELA than any other assessment. Additionally, Georgia students’ ACT and SAT scores were higher on the reading and writing assessments than any other subject area.
