By Sym Posey | The Birmingham Times
Birmingham City Schools system continues its strong academic rebound over the past five years.
A study of 8,000 school districts across 30 states found that Alabama is the only state where students’ average mathematics proficiency exceeds pre-pandemic levels.
Among districts in the state, BCS ranks first for mathematics recovery and seventh among other large, urban districts, according to the study.
“Several years ago we took a long look at Birmingham City Schools’ academic achievements and we discovered there were some things that we needed to work on,” said Superintendent Mark Sullivan on Tuesday. “A few years ago, we had 15 schools in the state A-F report card that were listed as F schools … Two years ago we cut that number in half to seven schools.”
Sullivan points to strategies like intersessions, optional instructional weeks held after each grading period, and a focus on providing wraparound services and tutoring as reasons for the success.
The superintendent also announced that the district has achieved its highest grade from the Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program (ACAP) and reduced the number of failing schools to its lowest number since the inception of the program.
“This is a testament to the hard work of our educators, it is a testament to the hard work of our students, it’s also a testament to the commitment of their parents, community, as well as the commitment of our school board who put the resources in place to ensure our students had what they needed to be successful,” said Sullivan during Tuesday’s press conference.
Full results of 2024-2025 ACAP testing will be released later this year.
More details are available in this case study by Curriculum and Associates.
