Dr. Watts said that literacy is the north star for our district and that they have invested $2.2 million in increasing the quality of literacy instruction.  Being able to read well, write well, and speak well is the basis for success in life.  Data is showing that we are improving but the students still are not where they need to be.  Over the past few years, instruction in reading strayed from the basics and took a more artful approach which proved not to be helpful for the majority of students.  They have now switched to a curriculum called "Science of Reading" and are becoming a beacon in Georgia when it comes to literacy.  

 

She also talked about student attendance.  54% of high school students miss more than 10 days a year.  Students feel that they don't need to go to school since so much is now online.  However, when students are not in school, they are missing out on social interaction which is an important part of life skills.  A question was raised about the SCCPSS policy on cell phone usage in school.  Dr. Watts said that currently each school determines their own policy.  She concluded her presentation by talking about the challenges in finding and retaining good staff.