Education News in Alabama

August 27, 2004 (archive)

SUBJECT-SPECIFIC TEACHER TESTING CLOSE TO REALITY
At a called K-12 meeting today, the state Board of Education heard an update on the status of subject-specific testing for prospective teachers in Alabama. Dave Boyd, an outside lead counsel for the education department, explained the process of revising an amended consent decree, which was signed in 2000 as part of the Allen v. Alabama State Board of Education lawsuit. This negotiation was motivated by State Superintendent of Education Dr. Joe Morton’s desire to implement high-quality subject-matter testing of prospective teachers in Alabama, as well as ensure that the state’s public school teachers are “highly qualified” as required by the federal No Child Left Behind law.

Boyd confirmed the rewritten decree will achieve both of those goals. It also enables the Alabama Department of Education to use the PRAXIS II series of tests, developed by Educational Testing Service, to measure subject-matter knowledge of teacher certification candidates. According to Boyd, if the state Board approves the second amended decree at its regular board meeting on September 9 — and if the plaintiffs and Attorney General approve the decree— it would be recommended to Judge Myron Thompson for final approval. The first use of PRAXIS II tests for actual certification of teachers wanting to work in Alabama classrooms could occur in late 2005.

STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION APPROVES DEPARTMENTAL PERSONNEL CHANGES
Also at its meeting on August 26, the State Board of Education unanimously accepted State Superintendent of Education Dr. Joe Morton’s recommendations for personnel actions. As a result, Dr. Ruth Ash, Dean of the Orlean Bullard Beeson School of Education and Professional Studies at Samford University since 1992, will serve as a Deputy Superintendent of Education. Ash will oversee all aspects of instruction for the state’s education department, a position that Morton himself held for nearly nine years before he assumed the role of State Superintendent of Education earlier this month.

Under Dr. Ash’s leadership, the school at Samford University was recently honored by the U. S. Department of Education as one of the four top teacher preparation programs in the nation. Previously, Dr. Ash has served in public school systems in Alabama as a teacher, assistant principal, director of curriculum and staff development, assistant superintendent, and superintendent. She is a former Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Judge and a Baldrige Examiner. Dr. Ash is also a member of the A+ Education Partnership's Executive Committee.

Dr. Ash received her B.S. degree from Auburn University, her M.S. degree from the University of South Alabama, her AA Certificate from the University of Alabama in Birmingham and her doctorate from Auburn University.

The State Board also approved the promotion of Dr. Eddie Johnson from Assistant Superintendent of Education to a Deputy Superintendent of Education. In addition to his current responsibilities, Dr. Johnson will now oversee personnel, as well as a variety of state, legislative and education-related liaison functions.

Dr. Katherine Mitchell received a promotion to Assistant Superintendent of Education for Reading. Dr. Gloria Turner received a promotion to Director of Student Assessments, and Ms. Maggie Rivers was promoted to Director of Federal Programs.

"This group will keep Alabama moving forward," said Dr. Morton. "This represents the nucleus of the team we need to do the job that needs to be done to ensure that all children in Alabama perform grade level work in reading and math."

IN THE NEWS
36th Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes on Public Education
The public is a bit fickle about its schools, with mixed or even contradictory views about testing, vouchers and other education topics, a poll by Phi Delta Kappa and Gallup finds. At least two in three adults, for example, oppose the way test scores in reading and math are used to judge school performance under federal law. Yet almost as many people said schools give the right emphasis to tests or don't emphasize them enough, the poll found. Conducted by the Gallup Organization and Phi Delta Kappa International, a professional society for educators, the annual poll on school attitudes focused on No Child Left Behind. The law, which took effect in 2002, has come to dominate the national debate on education by requiring progress among all groups of students and penalizing many schools that fall short. Slightly more than half of those polled said the law will improve student achievement in their schools. But people had other views about some of the law's underpinnings. A majority, in one example, said the test scores of disabled children should not be counted in determining whether a school made enough progress to satisfy the federal law. The law generally requires children in special education to be counted just like other students. Also, most of those polled opposed reporting test scores for all major groups of students, such as poor, minority, disabled or limited-English students. Yet it is those scores that reveal the achievement gap -- the same problem deemed important by most of those polled. Overall, 68 percent of people said they knew nothing or very little about the 2.5-year-old education law, and 55 percent said they didn't know enough to form an opinion of it. Those numbers of uninformed people, although high, did drop since 2003. To read the poll, please visit http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/k0409pol.htm.
(Source: PEN Weekly NEWSBLAST)

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