Literacy coaches were placed in 8 underperforming Macon schools. Did they help?

Caption

The Bibb County School District office sits off of Mulberry Street on Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in downtown Macon, Ga.

Credit: Katie Tucker/The Telegraph

The Georgia Department of Education’s move to place full-time literacy coaches in 60 of the state’s high-need elementary schools is producing results in the Bibb County School District and elsewhere, data show.

Most Bibb County schools that received instructional literacy coaches saw improved student reading scores this year, signaling that the state’s investment is beginning to pay off. Improvement in English language arts and reading statuses for third graders is more pronounced at some of the elementary schools that have literacy coaches.

Last year, Bibb County received state-funded literacy coaches for eight federally designated Comprehensive Support and Improvement elementary schools: Bernd, Bruce, Hartley, Ingram-Pye, Rosa Taylor, Southfield, Union and L.H. Williams.

The coaches impacted more than 2,200 students in kindergarten through third grade, which BCSD Elementary Services Director Olena Stadnik-Floore describes as “the foundational years” for reading.

“We want to make sure that all students, by the time they leave third grade, are reading on grade level,” Stadnik-Floore said.

Third grade is also critical because it’s the first year students take the Georgia Milestones assessment.

Small gains districtwide, larger gains in coached schools

The Bibb County School District reviewed its 2025 statewide assessment results last month, revealing that reading remains a significant stumbling block for students.

Across the district, third-grade reading scores showed only modest improvement: 51% of third graders read at or above grade level this year, up just one point from last year. The percentage of third graders scoring at or above proficient in English language arts was unchanged at 22%.

But measurable gains were higher at most schools with literacy coaches, where third-grade English language arts scores improved for students achieving developing learner and above, and grade-level reading rates increased.

Credit: Screenshot courtesy of Macon Telegraph

For example, Ingram-Pye Elementary reduced its number of third graders reading below grade level from 78% to 68%.

L.H. Williams Elementary saw an 8% increase in third graders scoring as developing learner or above in English language arts and a 5% bump in those reading on grade level.

Bernd and Hartley Elementary were the only two schools with literacy coaches where English and reading test scores for third graders declined, with Hartley showing double-digit regression in both categories.

Stadnik-Floore said the district compared this year’s third-grade test scores with results from the previous two years, though she noted it was “comparing apples to oranges.”

“We’re comparing different groups of students, but it’s a good starting point to see the impact,” she said.

Bibb County school leaders have previously acknowledged that there is still room for improvement regarding literacy.

Stadnik-Floore could not immediately comment on or provide direct comparison data between the coached schools and the non-coached schools.

“But we also need to realize that the schools that do get the structured literacy coaches are the ones that are on the needs improvement list. So, you can see the growth there faster,” she said.

Inside the literacy coaching model

Reading improvements are thanks in part to coaches like Willette Driskell, a veteran educator and Southfield Elementary’s structured literacy coach.

Driskell said Southfield students started with major deficits in foundational skills such as phonics, which is the relationship between written letters and the sounds they represent.

“Our students have major deficits with foundational reading skills. That is a major barrier that prevents them from reading fluently,” Driskell said. “And because they read poorly, they struggle with comprehension.”

Driskell’s daily work includes leading professional development, collaborative lesson planning, observing instruction, modeling lessons and supporting teachers with feedback. She prioritizes helping teachers implement a strategy known as “the science of reading,” which focuses on phonemic awareness, blending sounds and building comprehension, she said.

Driskell ensures teachers deliver instruction that includes breaking down words into sounds, using visual aids, and even addressing linguistic differences among English language learners, and how that drives language and culture, she added.

Teachers initially showed some resistance but became more engaged as they saw Driskell as a supportive partner rather than an evaluator, she said.

“Once they realized I was there to support and grow them in their craft, it all started to come together,” Driskell said.

Her work contributed to Southfield’s eight-point gain in third graders scoring at or above Proficient Learner in English language arts and a 10-point increase in those reading at grade level, according to the state department of education.

The results included not just higher student scores, but also increased teacher enthusiasm and intentionality in phonetics lesson planning that can lead to better student outcomes, Driskell said.

“My breakthrough moment was seeing teachers truly buy into the work and seeing students raising their hands to answer questions,” Driskell said. “The students went from decoding to encoding, (which is) writing the letters of the words and then saying those words.”

She attributed Southfield’s gains to strong support from Principal Shavone Laney, who actively participated in training and lesson planning, showing staff that leadership was invested in student success.

“We’re looking to go even higher this year,” Driskell said.

Scaling best practices, looking ahead

The second year of the state’s literacy coaching initiative comes at a time when BCSD Superintendent Dan Sims has made literacy a central focus as the district aims for all students to read at grade level by year’s end.

State data shows the coaching initiative impacted 113 teachers, but Stadnik-Floore estimates around 400 educators were directly impacted in strengthening literacy instruction and student achievement.

The coaching initiative aims to boost teacher effectiveness and improve K-3 student literacy outcomes through Georgia’s Early Literacy and Dyslexia Act, which also mandates early screening and instruction aligning with the science of reading.

State officials said the initiative produced a 15-point improvement on reading screener data in its first year, with increases in Milestones ELA and grade-level scores in many participating schools.

The coaches were placed in elementary schools on the Comprehensive Support and Improvement list, which serves schools for three years after identification. Schools will keep a literacy coach as long as they are identified for that list, said Meghan Frick, spokesperson for the state department of education.

Stadnik-Floore noted that Bibb County schools without dedicated literacy coaches rely on academic coaches to reinforce best practices.

Evidence-based practices that are in the eight coached schools are being incorporated across the district, ensuring that every student benefits from high-quality, research-based literacy instruction, Stadnik-Floore added. She also highlighted the newly adopted statewide ELA standards for literacy.

“Anything that we’ve used before is really a lot more rigorous now,” she said. “We are providing support right now to all of our schools through our teaching and learning departments or the district coaches. We’re working on the teacher clarity of what the new standards are because teacher clarity will lead to the student’s achievement in literacy.”

This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with Macon Telegraph