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Three Tuscaloosa City schools honored for state performance and gains
Summary
Tuscaloosa City Schools on Feb. 18 recognized Rock Quarry Elementary for placing in Alabama's top 25 schools and Southview and Woodland Forest elementary schools for being among the state's most improved, citing classroom initiatives and data-driven professional learning as central to the gains.
Tuscaloosa City Schools on Feb. 18 recognized three elementary schools for state-level performance and year-over-year improvement: Rock Quarry Elementary was named among Alabama's top 25 schools, and Southview and Woodland Forest elementary schools were honored as top-25 most-improved schools.
District leaders said the recognitions reflect deliberate, school-level strategies and district support that focused instruction and monitoring on student needs. "We intentionally know our children. We intentionally work with our children," Rock Quarry principal Miss Jokish told the board, citing professional learning communities and partnerships that she said raised classroom practice.
Rock Quarry was singled out for consistently high results; district speakers emphasized teacher stability and schoolwide emphasis on the "whole child." Southview principal Miss Amerson said her school rebounded after a setback by implementing tightly scheduled data checks and interventions: "We went from a 62 to an 80 in 1 year," she said, describing weekly and four-week cycles of data review and targeted support. Woodland Forest principal Miss Bivens recounted converting sustained intervention and schoolwide consistency into measurable growth: "We moved in 1 school year from a 68 to an 83," and said faculty, custodial staff and parents all contributed to the improvement.
Board members and district officials praised the schools and encouraged them to share practices across the district. Woodland Forest invited board members to a staff celebration Thursday at 4 p.m.; the principal said the school would feed staff and hold a short presentation and a dance to mark the gains.
The district said the recognitions are part of broader efforts to raise academic outcomes across Tuscaloosa City Schools and to use professional learning communities and university partnerships to support classroom instruction.
Board members noted that consistency of leadership and community engagement were common elements in the three schools' turnarounds and said the district will circulate successful strategies to other schools.
