The Georgia Department of Education is teaming up with the Atlanta Speech School to improve reading skills for students across the state.
Why it matters: Only 39% of third-grade students were at or above proficient in English/Language Arts on the Georgia Milestones assessment in 2023, state education data shows .
- While that’s higher than 36% in 2022, it remains lower than 42% in 2019.
The latest: The partnership between the state DOE and the Rollins Center , an Atlanta Speech School program that provides professional development to educators, will train teachers and school leaders on how to incorporate the science of reading method into their lessons.
- More than 125 educators and leaders across Georgia will participate as the first two-year cohort.
What they’re saying: Amy Denty, the DOE’s director of literacy, told Axios that elements of the science of reading have been around for decades, but educators now realize “students have to start out with a strong foundation.”