Education News in Alabama

March 9 , 2007 (archive)

By Sallie Owen

(Editor's note: In the wake of last week's deadly tornadoes, all of us at A+ send our thoughts and prayers to everyone affected, especially the families of Enterprise High School and Hillcrest Elementary. Financial donations to support recovery efforts in Enterprise may be made through www.cbt-alabama.com.)

U.S. OFFICIALS TOUT SUCCESS OF ALABAMA'S READING PROGRAMS

A new publication from the U.S. Department of Education celebrates Alabama's reading programs, focusing on how the homegrown Alabama Reading Initiative primed the state to maximize the federal Reading First program. No other states have been singled out in this way.

"In short, while Alabama was ahead of the game nationally in bringing scientifically based reading instruction to its schools, Reading First has helped the state set its sights higher," the booklet states, noting that more Alabama students are reading at grade level with Reading First.

The 24-page booklet brims with grinning faces of Alabama children and quotes like this one from Alabama educators, "I've been a teacher for 32 years in this state. This is the best thing I've ever done." A PDF version (883K) of the booklet is available here http://www.aplusala.org/pdfs/al_readingfirst.pdf.

The Alabama Reading Initiative started with 16 schools in the summer of 1999. Reading First, part of the No Child Left Behind Act, came along four years later. Building on the ARI's success, state leaders quickly developed an implementation plan for Reading First and in 2002 the state was among the first to get these federal reading dollars.

Reading First poured additional resources into schools with the greatest needs, and it carried with it firm guidelines about how money should be used. Schools were required to adopt a scientifically based reading program, an expensive packaged curriculum that is highly structured. The power lies not in which program a school chose, but in the sequencing and ongoing coaching, Alabama leaders said.

Alabama's education officials made the most of Reading First, which now reaches 93 schools. They also took effective strategies from Reading First and applied them to the ARI. This is the first school year that ARI has been fully funded for all K-3 classrooms in the state.

RILEY PUSHES WAYS TO STRENGTHEN TEACHING

During his annual State of the State Address this week, Gov. Bob Riley promoted several programs to boost student learning through more effective teaching. Mentoring and performance pay proposals came from the work of the Governor's Commission on Quality Teaching.

The governor told legislators that mentoring could cut the number of new teachers leaving the profession by two-thirds, so he has recommended creating a two-year mentoring program to pair new teachers with trained mentors.

After saying that his budget recommendation calls for a 7 percent pay raise for all teachers, Riley explained why he wants to invest in a pilot of performance pay.

"It has never made any sense to me that teaching is the one profession that does not reward superior performance," Riley said. The prepared speech text is available at http://snipurl.com/Rileysostext.

He recalled the excitement when he and the rest of the Alabama State Board of Education presented performance bonuses to schools. The Legislature funded those rewards, Riley said, and the idea should be extended to individual teachers.

"Teachers who do more, who achieve more, deserve more, and it's time to make the teaching profession one that rewards superior performance," he said.

Additional information about the Governor's Commission on Quality Teaching is available here http://snipurl.com/gcqt1

Riley also announced that he wants to increase funding so that the Alabama Math, Science and Technology Initiative can reach more classrooms. AMSTI provides teachers with professional development about the best ways to teach these subjects, and the program also gives them lab equipment and other tools for different class projects.

The Alabama Reading Initiative is also due an increase, part of which will start an expansion into the upper grades, he said. At present ARI is funded statewide for K-3 classrooms only.

'MORE COMMON SENSE THAN MAGIC,' HAYCOCK SAYS

Kati Haycock of The Education Trust is one of the most influential voices in U.S. education policy. She recently gave Congress a status report on student learning in America's public schools and how to improve student achievement. Her testimony manages to be both deep and relatively concise considering the broad topic.

Here are a few highlights from Kati Haycock's recent testimony about K-12 success patterns before a U.S. House subcommittee:

"We can summarize national achievement patterns like this — while we're making progress in educating our youngest students, we are actually falling behind in preparing the students who are closest to entering the world of college and work."

"It turns out that most of what works to help low-income students learn is more common sense than magic. Throughout their education, low-income and minority students need what our most affluent children get — rigorous curricula, taught by expert teachers, in adequately equipped buildings — and more. Real-time diagnosis of student needs and highly focused extra instruction for children who are behind — like that provided by the KIPP schools — really helps as well."

"But we face increasing challenges in our classrooms, and increasing competition from abroad. Now is not the time to back down from those challenges or, as some have suggested, to ratchet down the goals. Rather we need to ramp up both what we ask of schools and the amount and quality of the help we give them."

Her full remarks are available at http://snipurl.com/Haycock0207.

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RESEARCH FINDING
HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS ILL-PREPARED FOR FUTURE

Most high school seniors in the United States cannot read as well as their peers could a few years ago, despite earning more credits and higher grades, according to a pair of recently released reports.

The Class of 2005 did not make a strong showing in math either. Only one in four scored at least proficient in math, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as the Nation's Report Card. It is a nationally representative measurement using rigorous standards of what students should have learned.

These results caused some leading advocates to renew calls for improvements in high schools, which have not received as much attention in recent years as the early grades.

Here's a Washington Post article about the studies http://snipurl.com/WPonHS, and the reports are available at http://nationsreportcard.gov/.

STATE TAKES STEP TOWARD EFFECTIVE TEACHING FOR EVERY CHILD

The Alabama State Board of Education on March 7 finished setting passing scores for subject tests required of prospective teachers. The board has set minimum scores for tests in 43 different subjects, and the minimum scores will go into effect June 1.

State officials have been working to reinstate teacher testing since an earlier program was discontinued in 1988 after a court challenge. Everyone who applied for a teaching license in Alabama has been required to take a test on the subject they would like to teach since April 14, 2005.

These subject assessments, called Praxis II tests, are part of a comprehensive teacher testing program.

State Superintendent Dr. Joe Morton said finalizing the scores was a "monumental step" for Alabama schools. The federal court continues to oversee this issue. Detailed information for prospective teachers can be found at http://snipurl.com/apttp or by calling 334-242-9935.

STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION UPDATE

The Alabama State Board of Education met March 8 in Montgomery. All board members were present except Sandra Ray and the governor.

The board completed the final step to adopt the Alabama Quality Teaching Standards proposed by the Governor's Commission on Quality Teaching. (Additional information about the standards is available here http://snipurl.com/gcqt1.)

A resolution supporting the Enterprise City School System was approved unanimously. It expressed the board's condolences and commended school leaders, saying, "The Enterprise administration and faculty members did everything within their power to protect every student from the wrath of the oncoming storm."

The board honored several students and the town of Sylacauga (see Examples of Excellence below), set passing scores for three teacher tests (see above), approved teacher education programs at Troy University, and selected board member Ella Bell to serve on the Alabama Teacher of the Year committee.

EXAMPLES OF EXCELLENCE

*Alabama's top youth volunteers have been named by the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards (www.prudential.com/spirit).

State honoree Zachary Wooley, a sophomore at Oak Mountain High (Shelby County schools) has cerebral palsy and helped raise more than $10,000 for United Cerebral Palsy. Through his fundraising he learned of a 10-year-old Polish girl living with the disease, and Zachary raised money to buy her a wheelchair and bathing chair. Here's The Birmingham News' story about Zachary http://snipurl.com/zw_award.

State honoree Lindsey Jones, a fifth-grader at Central School in Huntsville (Madison County schools), is a cancer survivor who helped her local American Cancer Society raise $313,00 through its annual Relay for Life. Here's a Huntsville Times piece on Lindsey http://snipurl.com/lj_award.

Also recognized were Paris Davis, Shades Valley High (Jefferson County schools); Shannon Edsall, Thompson High (Shelby County schools); Joy Lampkin, Homewood High (Homewood City schools); and Gregory Stanhope, Florence High (Florence City schools).

• Jessica Farquhar won a national Award of Excellence in the Parent Teacher Association's Reflections art contest with her photo "No Need to Hate." (See it here http://snipurl.com/jf_photo.) She is a student at Booker T. Washington Magnet High (Montgomery County schools), and her photography teacher is Andy Meadows.
• For the second year in a row, Sylacauga was named one of 100 Best Communities for Young People by America's Promise. The town was honored because its successful after school program was expanded to a local county high school and includes weekend and summer opportunities. Communities in 38 states were recognized, according to an interactive map at http://snipurl.com/Best100.

GRANT OPPORTUNITY FOR SCHOOL LIBRARIES

At least 80 school systems in Alabama are eligible for the Improving Literacy through School Libraries Grant Program from the U.S. Department of Education. The program seeks to improve student reading skills and overall academic achievement by supporting school libraries in three specific areas. The program wants to increase student access to up-to-date library materials, technologically advanced media centers, and library media specialists who are well trained and professionally certified.

The deadline to apply is April 2. More information is available from http://snipurl.com/lgrant or by contacting Michelle Tims in U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions' office. Her e-mail is michelle_tims@sessions.senate.gov, and her phone number is 205-731-1500.

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The A+ Education Partnership, based in Montgomery, publishes Education News in Alabama twice a month. A+ is a nonprofit organization that advances policies, programs and initiatives in Alabama's K-12 education system that result in high achievement by every child.

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