Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Last Wednesday morning, Georgia Board of Education Superintendent Richard Woods visited Bainbridge High School (BHS) to recognize BHS and New Beginnings Learning Center for their outstanding academic growth.

BHS set off the event with Band and Color Guard performing at the rotund academic area once Woods was inside the school. The event took place in the cafeteria where many teachers from different schools and academic departments and students from different clubs and programs eagerly awaited the arrival of Woods. Once he arrived, Christopher Byrant, BHS Principal, started the opening ceremony before announcing Woods to speak at the podium.

Woods started his speech discussing the background and scoring achievements on how to receive a banner by using Literacy and Math as an example. He stated, “to receive a banner in literacy, there has to be progress and proficiency down at third grade level, and once we get to middle school, we have to see sixth grade efficiency. High school is a bit different because of the End of Course test, but I assure you if it’s not happening on the front end, it’s not going to happen once it gets up here.” He continued. “Math is a little different because research shows you have to be fundamentally sound by fifth grade and so for elementary fifth grade is where we look at that string where we have the same things because they are the gate keepers. Middle school math moves to eighth grade where you have that trend that transitions from a concrete thinker to an abstract thinker. We have all our eighth grade students taking the high school portion of the test and high school has the End of Course test. So, that gives you an idea of how to get there.”

Woods also explains what the color represents on a banner. “Once you look at the banners themselves you’ll notice that we look at ribbons, and there are certain ribbons that you can earn. Anytime you see a green ribbon on one of these banners that means that you had growth.” He continued. “So, we recognized growth as a tier approach. So prior to taking the test the viewer within that 0 to 49% proficiency range again which is somewhat low, but we see at least 15 points of growth. We give you the green ribbon. As we go up from anywhere from 50 to 69, we have to see at least 10 points of growth. From 70 to 89, we have to see 5 points of growth and 90 and above, we have to see at least 3 points of growth.” Blue ribbons are based on proficiency growth which are recognized for a 90 passage rate. Additionally, Woods stated he did not want a school that’s known by one set of ribbons so he placed the banners with seven grommets for seven holes at the very bottom so there were a variety of ribbons that the school can earn “because that means we’re seeing that growth and continued improvement.”

Furthermore, Woods recognized the New Beginning Learning Center for sixth grade Literacy by giving them a green banner. He exclaimed, “They had some amazing growth and that was 23.2 points which is fantastic growth.” Next, Woods gave the Math department at BHS a blue banner for receiving “one of the highest growth increases in the state. You have a growth of 26.5 points which is an amazing growth.”

Afterwards, Woods recognizes the many staff that have taken part in a student’s learning experience. “The bus drivers are just as important to what you all do. What comes out of the cafeteria after breakfast, lunch, and things of that nature comes to your classroom everyday. Anything that’s going on in that from the office to the classroom. So whether it’s our cafeteria, staff or bus router, janitorial staff, front office and divisions. If you’ve touched a child’s learning process, you are important too.” Wood also wants to encourage the teachers to continue to earn more banners in Decatur County and in the state of Georgia.

Woods finished his speech by stating to third grade teachers that you can earn the John Hancock Banner at the end of the year if 90% of third grade students can write their names in cursive.