Jeff Davis County Schools has another reason to celebrate, with third- and sixth-grade English Language Arts educators and students earning recognition through the Georgia Department of Education’s Literacy Leader program. The recognition is more than an academic honor — it reflects student achievement or significant growth in one of the most important foundations of education: the ability to read at grade level.
The Georgia Department of Education began recognizing Literacy Leader schools annually in 2023, citing the fundamental importance of literacy and the impact a student’s ability to read can have throughout his or her entire educational career. Schools earn the designation based on exceptional achievement or growth in the percentage of students reading at or above grade level. The state’s criteria place particular emphasis on third- and sixth-grade reading, recognizing those grades as important benchmarks in a student’s literacy development.
For elementary and middle schools, Literacy Leader recognition is determined using the Georgia Milestones Reading Status indicator. That measure is based on Lexile scores associated with student performance on a portion of the English Language Arts assessment. The state also structures the awards to recognize improvement, requiring greater growth from schools beginning with lower achievement levels.
For Jeff Davis County Schools, the recognition highlights the work happening every day in local ELA classrooms. At the third-grade level, school officials credited the dedication of ELA educators, support from families and, importantly, the hard work and growth of students. Sixth-grade ELA educators and school leadership were also recognized for their commitment to strengthening literacy and supporting student growth. Behind the recognition are students continuing to develop as readers, writers, thinkers and learners.
The achievement represents a combined effort among educators, administrators, families and students — with students’ progress ultimately at the heart of the recognition. Congratulations to Jeff Davis County’s third- and sixth-grade ELA educators and students on earning recognition as Georgia Literacy Leaders.
