Three Forsyth County schools were recently recognized by the Georgia Department of Education as "Reward Schools," which are part of the state’s waiver from the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).

There are two categories for Reward Schools, “Highest-Performing” and “High Progress." Forsyth has three schools named as “Highest-Performing” and they are:

• Cumming Elementary School
• Little Mill Middle School
• Otwell Middle School

As a “Highest-Performing School,” the three schools have the highest absolute performance over three years for the “all students” group on the statewide assessments, according to the GaDOE. A Highest-Performing School must also have made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for the “all students” group and all of its subgroups in 2011. A school may not be classified as a Highest-Performing School if there are significant achievement gaps across subgroups that are not closing in the school.

“These schools are shining examples of what we can achieve in public education in Georgia,” said State School Superintendent Dr. John Barge. “I want to take what’s working at our Reward Schools and replicate that in every school in the state. These are the schools making education work for all Georgians.”

Read more about Reward Schools on the GaDOE website.

Editor's Note: There were no FCS named as “High-Progress” schools.