Birmingham City Schools, city partner for literacy town hall

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - If you’re a Birmingham City Schools parent with children in kindergarten through third grade, listen to this - Mayor Randall Woodfin and Superintendent Dr. Mark Sullivan want you to attend a town hall meeting about literacy next week.

They say it can help improve your child’s reading skills.

Beginning next year, third graders who don’t pass the Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program, or ACAP, will be held back and forced to repeat third grade.

This is especially concerning to Birmingham City Schools leaders because 44% of third graders are not reading on grade level.

That’s why Mayor Woodfin, Dr. Sullivan, educators, and many others are encouraging families to attend the Town Hall Meeting on K to 3 Literacy next Tuesday.

Parents and caregivers will get to see the data showing where students are struggling, and also learn strategies and techniques to help their children become better readers.

School leaders say every student who attends the meeting will go home with a book to read.

“I myself have a third grader so I understand the challenges at home of making sure that a young person spends time and you’ll be surprised 15 to 20 minutes a day with a young person allowing them to read to you to effectively repeat what they’ve heard inside the classroom is a wonderful strategy to ensure that young people can be successful,” said Director of the Division of Youth Services for the City of Birmingham, Galvin Billups.

“We have a number of students who still have not met that mark and we do not want to leave any of those children behind. We want to make sure that we capture and support them and give them the supports that they need to be able to be successful and have that limitless future that we’re talking about and this partnership with the mayor’s office is that way, that’s going to help us to be able to meet the needs of all of our children,” explained Chief Academic & Accountability Officer for Birmingham City Schools, Dr. Jermaine Dawson.

The city has implemented several programs to help improve student literacy, including a program called Page Pals, which is designed to enhance reading skills while also rewarding students for their efforts.

Families will learn more about this program at the town hall meeting, which takes place next Tuesday night, August 30 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Boutwell Auditorium.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE WBRC FOX6 NEWS APP

Subscribe to our WBRC newsletter and receive the latest local news and weather straight to your email.

Copyright 2022 WBRC. All rights reserved.