‘Keep pushing.’ Bibb County Title I schools make strides and receive state recognition

The Georgia Department of Education announced last week the top-performing and most-improved Title I schools in the state, with nine in the Bibb County School District gaining recognition for academic improvement and progress.

Title I schools in Georgia are public schools that receive federal money to help students meet academic standards. Under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the funds are allocated to schools with a high percentage of low-income students.

Alexander II Magnet and Springdale Elementary schools were named 2023-2024 Title I Distinguished Schools. This designation recognizes the top 5% of Title I schools in the state based on combined English-language arts and math content mastery scores from standardized assessments in 2022-2023.

At Thursday’s board meeting, the BCSD honored the two schools’ principals with plaques and certificates signed by state Superintendent Richard Woods for their dedication to student success.

Springdale Elementary Principal Cami Hamlin said she has noticed an improvement in her students’ test scores, crediting tutor community partnerships with United Way, Mercer University and other entities for having influence on their progression.

“I just think we’re willing to let anybody that helps us help us,” she said. “In a class of twenty-five (students), there’s the need for personalized learning and teaching. We look at our data, see which kids need help and find a way to give it to them.”

Hamlin told The Telegraph that it was nice to celebrate the achievement, but she underlined the importance of staying focused on the current school year and striving for ongoing success.

“You got to keep your eye on the prize every year. We really do focus on growing all of our kids,” she said.

The state Department of Education also recognized improvement plans and performance of the currently listed Comprehensive Support & Improvement schools, which are among the lowest-performing 5% of Title I schools and require extensive support.

Ballard-Hudson Middle, Bernd Elementary, Bruce Elementary, Hartley Elementary, Southfield Elementary, Union Elementary and Williams Elementary schools in Bibb County were among 52 schools identified as CSI Progress Schools for the 2023-2024 academic year.

“To be recognized, CSI schools had to show a 5% increase in the CCRPI Content Mastery component score from 2023 to 2024 and have a score of 80 or higher on one of the other components (progress, closing gaps, or readiness),” the state Department of Education said.

BCSD leaders also recognized and congratulated the seven schools’ improvement on Thursday.

“While there’s much to celebrate with the progress of our schools, we know there’s still much work for us to do,” said Tamara Candis, BCSD associate superintendent of schools.

Candis said that the district will continue to monitor improvement plans of the schools, which were recognized as federally identified schools in December’s board meeting.

After all of the district’s highlights were presented before the board, BCSD Superintendent Dan Sims said it felt good to return back to positive news after the holiday break.

“Keep pushing, (and) be careful of the noise because nobody knows the work like the ones who are doing the work,” Sims said. “Let’s keep loving on our students, and let’s truly see how far we can go.”