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On Tuesday, State School Superintendent Richard Woods came to Callaway Middle School to nine schools with Literacy and Math Leaders banner awards.

The awards were given for growth and achievement in several grade levels in literacy and math.

The literacy banners are based on third and sixth-grade proficiency scores as they are considered “gateway grades” for future literacy success. Awards are also offered at the high school level based on the state test for ELA in high school.

Similarly, the math banners are based on fifth and eighth-grade scores. The high-school awards are based on state tests in Algebra.

Banners were presented to Hillcrest Elementary and Rosemont Elementary for literacy, Gardner Newman Middle, Hollis Hand Elementary, LaGrange High, Long Cane Elementary and Middle, and West Point Elementary received math banners.

Callaway Middle School, which hosted the banner presentations, earned both math and literacy banners.

Superintendent Woods said the banners show real success happening at schools around the state.

“We wanted to make sure that what we were giving out was not just a participation banner. It did have some meat to it. So, in order to get the banner, we felt that we had to have some recognition of some good, strong data points before anyone gets any banners. We had to see progress in math and literacy,” Woods said.

Woods explained that the ribbons attached to the banners represent years the awards were given, whether in growth or achievement.

“Those seven holes down at the bottom represent seven years, so you can keep adding them.” Woods said. “My anticipation is that I will come back next year, and I’ll have what I would say is more of a pinning ceremony for all of you that now have banners. We want to continue to add to that so that we can see that once you fill up those holes, we’ll give you another banner.”

“One is the loneliest number. You do not want to be in the school with one banner and one set of ribbons,” he said.