Keeping Momentum Going

SBE Update

Dr. Eric Mackey, State Superintendent of Education

In 2023, we are looking forward to continuing, and expanding upon, the trajectory that has been established over the past several months. We are excited about the plans being made and the collective effort to support high quality K-12 education in every corner of Alabama.

The State Board of Education, along with Gov. Ivey and elected officials, continue to make improving education a priority in the state, and a host of initiatives and programs are being improved or established to meet our most pressing needs.

With the legislative session upon us, some of the most important priorities include funding the K-12 budget for FY24. The State Board of Education approved a request that would significantly increase the number of teachers and administrators, provide more mental health professionals, and continue the full-scale push to improvement reading and mathematics by giving teachers more resources, instructional coaches, and high-quality professional development. Governor Kay Ivey will release the first draft of the budget in early March, and with her firm commitment to education, there is no doubt that she will prioritize the classroom!

Some other budget priorities identified by the Board include Advance Placement (AP) Expansion, Career Technical Education (CTE) Expansion, an Alabama Technology in Motion (ATIM) Increase, assisting struggling readers beyond Grade 3, and continued growth for Jobs for Alabama Graduates (JAG).

As I write this, the State School Board is currently in the process of amending the State Administrative Code to ensure local school systems have First Grade Readiness policies. Though it is not nearly the majority, each year, some students show up for first grade without any preparation for school. The new rule would enforce the right and responsibility of local school systems to assist parents in making informed decisions about readiness for school.

The State School Board also approved a new graduation requirement this year that will apply to next year’s ninth graders. Students will have to attain at least one of the following 10 indicators for College/Career Readiness:

• A benchmark score on the ACT college entrance exam,

• A qualifying score of three or higher on an Advanced Placement exam,

• A qualifying score of four or higher on an International Baccalaureate exam,

• Earning college credit while in high school,

• Earning silver or gold status on the ACT WorkKeys exam,

• Completing an in-school youth apprenticeship program,

• Earning a career technical industry credential listed on the compendium of valuable credentials of the Alabama Committee on Credentialing and Career Pathways,

• Being accepted into a branch of the military before graduation,

• Attaining career and technical education completer status,

• Any additional college and career readiness indicator approved by the State Board of Education.

Alabama students deserve to be held to high academic standards and expected to demonstrate scholarly excellence. We believe that when students receive exposure to rigorous instruction with collegelevel curriculum from a qualified teacher they can excel in Advanced Placement (AP) courses, better preparing them for college/university. Our goal is to expand AP courses throughout the state to ensure all students who want to take classes with increased rigor are able to do so.

The same with CTE expansion. We strongly believe that Alabama’s CTE program is the foundation of the state’s economic and workforce development. Whether attending college or not, CTE skills are valuable to students across the state. In fact, every school system offers some type of CTE coursework and 82% of Alabama students currently take CTE courses. We are increasing middle-grade programming and expanding Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) options throughout the state. With the aforementioned requirement for CCR prior to graduation, CTE is even more essential as students prepare for life after high school, whether that is college, the military, or the workforce.

We hope to see increases for the Alabama Technology in Motion (ATIM) program that provides high quality, research-based, embedded professional development for educators in the effective use of technology. We also support increases to JAG, the program developed for students who may face significant challenges from incarcerated parents to homelessness. The success of the JAG program, which boasts a more than 98% graduation rate, is a testament to what is possible when you equip students with academic, professional, and leadership skills.

Improved literacy for all students continues to be a primary focus as reading is the cornerstone to all other learning. Alabama has invested in Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) training. Since 2018, more than 18,659 Alabama educators have engaged in LETRS training, and all regional staff are trained in LETRS training. In fact, more than 6,226 Alabama teachers have achieved mastery status in LETRS Elementary.

We are improving our ability to collect and analyze data, to identify and target areas in need of improvement, to diagnose learning disabilities like dyslexia and provide specific interventions. These are only a few of the many programs and initiatives that we look forward to embracing and expanding upon in 2023.

We are excited about the future of public education in Alabama as everything from our National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores to our Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program (ACAP) scores show incremental progress. We thank our teachers and administrators for their continued dedication to improving education in Alabama.