Knowing the importance of early literacy and students’ ability to read proficiently by third grade, the Georgia Department of Education recently recognized schools with exceptional achievement or growth in third-grade reading as 2022-2023 Literacy Leaders. Cobb is home to 10 of Georgia’s Literacy Leaders. Only 155 schools statewide met the qualifications to be recognized.
Schools with 90% or more of their third-grade students reading at grade level or above were recognized for outstanding achievement, and schools with a 15% or higher increase from 2021-22 to 2022-23 were recognized for outstanding growth.
Seventy schools in Georgia were recognized for achievement, 84 for growth, and one school was recognized in both categories. In Cobb, eight schools were recognized for literacy achievement and two for literacy growth.
Cobb Literacy Leaders:
- Austell Elementary School (Growth)
- Ford Elementary School (Achievement)
- Mount Bethel Elementary School (Achievement)
- Mountain View Elementary School (Achievement)
- Murdock Elementary School (Achievement)
- Riverside Elementary School (Growth)
- Shallowford Falls Elementary School (Achievement)
- Sope Creek Elementary School (Achievement)
- Timber Ridge Elementary School (Achievement)
- Tritt Elementary School (Achievement)
“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.”
Throughout September and October, Superintendent Woods will visit selected schools identified as Literacy Leaders to recognize and congratulate them.
“I’m proud of the literacy work that is happening in classrooms across Georgia,” GaDOE Director of Literacy Amy Denty said. “Honoring these 155 schools for outstanding achievement and growth shines a spotlight on the commitment our teachers and school leaders have made to ensure that every student in Georgia learns to read and read well. This is not only a celebration of literacy but also a validation of the hard work of teachers and students.”
Literacy Leader qualifications use the Georgia Milestones Reading Status indicator, which is based on the Lexile score associated with students’ performance on a subset of questions on the ELA assessment.
