SCCPSS officials hope rewarding teachers will improve reading scores

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Savannah Chatham County Public School officials are hoping rewarding teachers more can improve reading scores in schools.

The board of education got an update from staff on how literacy rates across the district Wednesday.

It started with a breakdown of different factors that play a role in low reading scores in some elementary schools in Chatham County. Things like high poverty levels and low attendance.

District staff looked at two elementary schools that they only referred to by letters.

School A only had 22 percent of third grade students reading at or above grade level and school B had 79 percent.

At school A, 87 percent of students we economically disadvantaged and that number was 16 percent for school B.

46 percent of students missed 10 percent of days at school A. That’s compared to school B’s 12 percent absent rate. School A also has 12 vacant positions while school B only has 3 openings.

Deputy Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Benrnadette Ball-Oliver says they’ve started offering incentives to teachers at well performing schools if they transfer to schools with lower literacy scores.

“As well as for all of our schools we have a growth incentive model that we rolled out last Friday that encompasses incentives for all of our teachers from the core content, our reading and math areas, in terms of growing their students. So, on top of that schools that are struggling get an additional incentive.”

They also went over several virtual reading programs that they say are improving literacy scores.

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