Superintendent Touts Progress Made At Three Tuscaloosa City Schools Named To Failing List

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Tuscaloosa City Schools Superintendent Mike Daria said recent news that three of the district's schools had been identified as under performing was disappointing but not a reflection of the commitment of the system's teachers and administrators.

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As Patch previously reported, Paul W. Bryant High School, Central Elementary and Westlawn Middle School were each identified among the 79 lowest-performing schools in the state, based on the state's compliance with the Alabama Accountability Act.

Along with the three city schools, Holt High School in the Tuscaloosa County School System was also named to the list.

Daria explained that the state board of education classified the schools as such based on their scores for the Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program or ACT test data from the last school year.

What's more, Daria said schools on the list have been identified as the 6% lowest performing schools in the state in English language arts and math.

TCSS Superintendent Responds To Holt High On Failing Schools List

“While this is not information that we wanted to hear, it does not speak for the commitment of our teachers or the quality of work being done in those schools,” Daria said. “We have talented staff who are working hard with our children to ensure student success.”

Daria then elaborated by saying that despite being named on the Alabama Accountability Act list, the three TCS schools have been recognized recently for their progress, including Central Elementary earning the distinction of being a spotlight school in reading this year by the Alabama Department of Education for its work in reading and improvement in reading scores.

The superintendent said that in 2019, only 10% of third graders at Central Elementary were reading proficiently. At present, he said the school has improved that mark to 50% of the third graders reading proficiently. This improvement, he said, prompted the Alabama Department of Education to remove them from the “full support school” list.

In addressing Westlawn Middle, Daria said the school was named both a state and a national School of Character for its character education work.

Daria argued that the results of the initiative have made a difference in the lives of Westlawn students and benefited the school’s culture, while also decreased the number of disciplinary issues.

Paul W. Bryant High also returned to the failing schools list. Still, Daria commended the school for preparing students for life after graduation and mentioned an increased focus on college and career readiness.

What's more, despite the optics of landing on the Alabama Accountability Act list, Daria said more Bryant High students are taking advantage of dual enrollment in local colleges than ever before.

“However, the Tuscaloosa City Schools still has work to do,” Daria said. “The last three years have been difficult, for every school system in America. Gaps in achievement that existed before the pandemic only widened between 2020 and 2022. We are committed to closing those gaps and are doubling down our efforts.”

Daria mentioned that while the school system had made noticeable improvements in its reading scores, the Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program in spring 2022 was based on English language arts and math, not just in reading.

“Again, there is work that needs to be done, and this Alabama Accountability Act list makes that clear,” he said. “But there is already progress being made, and the Tuscaloosa City Schools is committed to doing the work needed to ensure the success of its students.

Tuscaloosa City Schools says it will be providing intensive support to the three schools on the Alabama Accountability Act list and intends to hire additional certified math teachers and math coaches to help students.

Daria said additional training will also be put in place to ensure best practices are being used in math and English language arts instruction.

Lastly, Daria said plans will be put in place at the three city schools to ensure that students who speak English as their second language are getting additional support, while also adding a focus on reversing the trend of chronic absenteeism to ensure that all children are in school.

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