Bibb County Schools call on community to help achieve ‘big’ reading goal

As students gear up to return to classrooms, the Bibb County School District is setting an ambitious goal: getting every child reading at or above grade level by the end of the 2025–26 school year.

BCSD Superintendent Dan Sims emphasized that achieving this “big goal” will require a community-wide effort.

Sims identified literacy and attendance as the district’s two primary focus areas, recognizing the critical connection between students being in school and their ability to develop reading skills.

“I want every student reading on grade level by the end of the school year, so that every student moving forward can have full access to the learning experience and not have literacy as his or her barrier,” he told The Telegraph.

The most recent state data shows that nearly 30% of Macon students were chronically absent in 2025, and Georgia Milestones results for the 2023–24 school year show that 45% of Bibb County students read at or above grade level.

As the new school year begins, Sims is calling on all community members to play a role in ensuring students develop strong literacy skills that will serve them throughout their lives.

“What I don’t expect is for people to just get excited about us wanting every student to read on grade level by the end of this school year — but to be clear about what roles and what specifically we need parents to do; rec centers to do; churches to do; anybody else willing, so that everybody can say that I have a stake in the game of ensuring that students have what they need,” he said.

Taryn Collinsworth, chief executive officer of Communities In Schools of Central Georgia, said having every child reading on grade level by the end of the school year is indeed an ambitious goal that she supports.

The organization, which works in 12 BCSD schools — including eight Comprehensive Support and Improvement schools — plays a key role in boosting literacy efforts through mentorship and student academic support services. The team believes that building a community of support equips students with the tools and confidence to stay in school and succeed.

“If you can’t read, you can’t do anything else,” said Collinsworth. “And when I say read, I don’t mean read the words. I mean read (and) understand what you’ve read.”

The organization provides case-managed services to about 10% of each school’s population, with empowerment coaches checking daily to ensure students are in their seats for reading instruction, Collinsworth said. When students are absent or tardy, coaches contact families to address attendance barriers for students.

“If the students are not in their seats, it doesn’t matter what you’re teaching, they’re not going to get it,” she said.

Communities In Schools of Central Georgia has been working with the district since 2012 in efforts to raise graduation rates and reading scores, Collinsworth said. She noted that improving literacy is a top priority for both the youth organization and the Bibb County School District — not only for students’ academic success but also for the long-term future of the community.

Collinsworth said reading scores can impact everything from workforce development to military service and higher education opportunities.

“It doesn’t just inform today’s students,” she said. “It informs what our community looks like today and in the future.”

Sims said the district realizes how important it is that everybody plays a role in making sure students are at school and have all the resources they need to achieve.

“I believe that a community approach, with everybody understanding what role they play, will yield a positive outcome with that goal, but not without students being in the buildings, being in the classrooms every single day to take advantage of the learning experience.”

In terms of recent literacy scores, Sims said the district has Georgia Milestones test scores, but they are under embargo. He added that the district, however, has already begun developing its next steps based on those results.

“We’re excited about our game plan moving forward, but, again, we realize this game plan has to involve this entire community, starting with our homes, more than it has in the past,” Sims said.

The district’s goal reflects a broader statewide effort to improve literacy outcomes, even after the Bibb County Board of Education voted to deny a proposed K–5 English language arts coordinator role due to budget concerns.