On Friday, January 20, 2023, State Superintendent Richard Woods visited Godley Station K-8 to learn more about innovative approaches to literacy and the use of a reading technology assistant that listens, assesses, and tutors students in Savannah Chatham County Public Schools.  Superintendent Woods had the opportunity to see students using the Amira platform, as well as hear from teachers and school leaders about how they are using technology to advance reading achievement with their students.  

“Our teachers are using this technology in support of the District's strategic focus on literacy and improved reading outcomes for our young scholars.  This is a powerful tool to help students develop early reading skills and fluency and create motivated readers in a unique and innovative format," said Bernadette Ball-Oliver, Deputy Superintendent of Teaching and Learning, of Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools.  “We're excited that our progress has piqued the interest of state leadership."

The visit included classroom visits and demonstrations by students, as well as an opportunity for questions about strategies being employed to increase reading achievement among our students.  This is the third full year of implementation of the Amira program in Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools.  In SY 2021-22, students read 1.2 million minutes.   SCCPSS students recently took their middle-of-year reading assessment. K-3 students using Amira at every school exceeded the National Norm Growth Rate for fluency by 2-4 times. Through December of SY 2022-23, SCCPSS students have read over 79M words and read for more than 1 million minutes.