Empowering Birmingham Youth: Birmingham City Schools took a significant step on Monday to ensure all third graders reach proficiency in reading by year-end. The Lincoln Professional Development Center hosted a luncheon, bringing together PTA, neighborhood officers, and community leaders.
Dr. Pamela Williams, Interim Chief Academic and Accountability Officer, emphasized the gathering’s purpose: creating a community reading partner group. The goal is strategic collaboration to support the literacy requirements of the Alabama Literacy Act, enacted in 2019. This act mandates third graders to achieve a specific reading score on the Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program to advance to fourth grade.
Various organizations, including Page Pals, Better Basic, STAIR, and Birmingham Public Library, participated. Dr. Williams stressed the urgency, stating that without exemptions, students not reading on grade level face the risk of failing the third grade.
Exceptions are made for special needs students, those in their first year in the country, or non-English speakers. Approximately 54% of third graders in Birmingham City Schools require additional support for reading proficiency.
Superintendent Mark Sullivan emphasized community involvement, labeling reading as a shared responsibility. Initiatives include teacher training, a 90-minute reading block, home libraries, extended calendars, and intercession for one-on-one tutoring opportunities. The community’s active engagement, especially faith and neighborhood leaders, is deemed crucial to ensuring students meet the Alabama Literacy Act’s standards.
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