157 schools making up the top 5% of Title I schools were awarded the status of 'Reward School' by the Georgia Department of Education, including Statesboro STEAM Academy and Sallie Zetterower Elementary.
Title I schools receive federal funds to ensure that all children regardless of their parents' income can meet challenging state achievement standards.
"We're excited to be recognized for the hard work that goes on at Statesboro STEAM Academy," said superintendent, Corliss Reese. "We are very grateful to our teachers, our parents, students and the governing board for the support that they give us each day to do the work that we do."
A Reward School is among the top 5% of Title I schools in the state that are making the most progress in improving the performance of all students over the most recent two years on the statewide assessments. Because assessments were not administered in the 2019-20 school year, this year’s list is based on 2018-19 and 2019-20 data.
“While we are focused on ensuring all schools have the support and resources they need to continuously improve, it is incredibly important that we also recognize and celebrate when schools are doing well,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “I wish to congratulate the staff and students of this year’s Reward Schools – during a time of challenges, they have worked hard and they have succeeded.”
Reese said that the school performed the highest in "progress", meaning: "Every year we are growing students by high margins in order to get them where they need to be in a post-secondary career or life after high school," said Reese.
