The Georgia Department of Education released its 2016-2017 list of Title I Reward Districts and Reward Schools.

“These schools and districts are working against the odds to provide an excellent education for their students,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “This is so much more than numbers or data. We are talking about changed lives for thousands of students. I can’t overstate how proud I am of every teacher, administrator, and parent who worked to make that happen.”

The “Reward District” designation is awarded to school systems with the highest absolute performance over three years for the “all students” group on the statewide assessments, among districts of their size. Title I Reward Districts are named in four categories: large districts with 10,000 or more students, medium districts with 4,000 to 9,999 students, small districts with 2,000 to 3,999 students, and extra-small districts with fewer than 2,000 students. Each Reward District receives a grant of $25,000 in additional federal funds.

Reward Schools are Title I schools that fall into one of two categories:

• A Highest-Performing School is among the five percent of the state’s Title I schools with the absolute highest performance, over three years, for the “all students” group on the statewide assessments. A school may not be classified as a Highest-Performing School if it has been identified as a Priority or Focus School.

• A High-Progress School is among the 10 percent of the state’s Title I schools making the most progress in improving the performance of the “all students” group over three years on the statewide assessments. A school may not be classified as a High-Progress School if it has been identified as a Priority or Focus School.

Reward Districts for 2016-2017 are:

• Forsyth County (Large)

• Oconee County (Medium)

• Jefferson City (Small)

• Chickamauga City (Extra-Small)