Education News in Alabama

September 3, 2008 (archive)

By Sallie Owen

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1. More Alabama students take AP exams – and succeed!
2. A+ College Ready schools increase AP enrollment 134 percent
3. Law enforcement says pre-k will help combat violent crime
4. National reformers call for more time for learning, performance pay and expanded public school choice
5. State's positive trends continue on ACT
6. Research Finding: Reshape teacher pay to boost student learning
7. State Board of Education Update

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1. MORE ALABAMA STUDENTS TAKE AP* EXAMS – AND SUCCEED!

New information from the College Board shows that more Alabama students are taking college-level Advanced Placement exams, and they are making good scores. A score of 3 or better is generally required for college credit.

Rigorous AP courses build the academic muscles students will need to succeed in college.

For the class of 2008:

• The number of AP test takers in Alabama jumped 24.3 percent, compared to a national increase of 8.6 percent.
• Scores of 3 or better increased 7.8 percent in Alabama, compared to a national increase of 5.7 percent.
• African-American students, who have typically been underrepresented in AP courses, led Alabama's gains.

Gov. Bob Riley called these results "absolutely incredible." He and State Superintendent Joe Morton attributed the progress to the state's Advanced Placement Initiative, which has paid for training, supplies and test fees.

These trends are likely to continue with ACCESS distance learning, A+ College Ready and continued state funding for the AP initiative.

*Advanced Placement Programs is a registered trademark of the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this product.

2. A+ COLLEGE READY SCHOOLS INCREASE AP ENROLLMENT 134 PERCENT

A+ College Ready is a statewide initiative to foster the next generation of scientists and engineers, and it does that by supporting Advanced Placement programs in math, science and English.

For the 2008-09 school year, A+ College Ready is working with 12 program schools in two school districts. Here are some early results:

• Course enrollments are up 1,602 – an increase of 134 percent.
• These 12 high schools have added 30 additional AP courses in math, science and English.

"This shows without a doubt that our students will take on more rigorous work if the courses are made available and they are encouraged to take on the challenge," said Mary Boehm, president of A+ College Ready, a division of the A+ Education Partnership.

Brewbaker Technology Magnet High School in Montgomery now offers five of these key courses, up from just one last year. Enrollment went from 10 to 117.

In Jefferson County, Pinson Valley High made the biggest gains. Enrollment increased from 33 last year to 325 this year.

To view an interview with a student and teacher from Shades Valley High School, please visit
http://snipurl.com/apshadesvalley  [www_nbc13_com]

To learn more about A+ College Ready, please visit www.aplusala.org <http://www.aplusala.org> and look for these articles:

"Record numbers sign up for rigorous courses in Jefferson County high schools" and "Record numbers sign up for rigorous courses in Montgomery high schools."

3. LAW ENFORCEMENT SAYS PRE-K WILL HELP COMBAT VIOLENT CRIME

Birmingham Police Chief A.C. Roper, Jefferson County Sheriff Mike Hale, and Jefferson County District Attorneys David Barber and Brandon Falls called on the state to fully fund pre-kindergarten and Head Start to ultimately cut the crime rate.

"Law enforcement chiefs say high dropout rates contribute to greater number of violent crimes"

The Birmingham News
http://snipurl.com/prekcops  [www_al_com]

4. NATIONAL REFORMERS CALL FOR MORE TIME FOR LEARNING, PERFORMANCE PAY AND EXPANDED PUBLIC SCHOOL CHOICE

A "who's who" of national education reformers gathered at the Democratic National Convention in Denver to announce their priorities for federal education policy.

"An entrepreneurial explosion has occurred over the last few years in public education," said Joe Williams, Executive Director of Democrats for Education Reform, the organization responsible for conceiving the Ed Challenge for Change. "The creativity exhibited by this new group of educators is helping raise student achievement, empower teachers, close the minority learning gap, and bring hope to places where it's been in very short supply."

Read more at http://snipurl.com/denverreform  [www_streetinsider_com]

5. STATE'S POSITIVE TRENDS CONTINUE ON ACT

The ACT college entrance exam recently released stats about Alabama's Class of 2008.

The good news:

• Alabama's number of test-takers grew again, for at least the 5th straight year. This means more students aspire to continue education after high school.
• The average score inched up a tenth of a point to 20.4 (out of a possible 36), busting the myth that greater participation will hurt scores.
• Alabama's minority students continued to outperform their peers nationally.

Next steps:

Focus on helping more Alabama students meet the benchmark scores that indicate college readiness. Our students are least prepared in science and best prepared in English.

6. RESEARCH FINDING:
Reshape teacher pay to boost student learning

To strengthen recruitment and retention of quality teachers in public education, use the money currently spent rewarding teachers for extra credentials (i.e. advanced degrees) to give all beginning teachers higher salaries and larger raises in the first years of teaching. That way teachers will be rewarded for the strong improvement they make early in their career. So proposes Duke University economist Jacob Vigdor in the fall issue of Education Next.

Get the article:
"Scrap the Sacrosanct Salary Schedule" from Education Next
http://www.hoover.org/publications/ednext/27100089.html

7. STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION UPDATE

The Alabama State Board of Education met Aug. 28 for a work session. All members were present except the governor and Ella Bell.

Board members heard a briefing on a Library Media Plan for the 21st Century Learner. The plan sets high standards for schools and calls for maintaining the quantity of printed materials while increasing the amount of electronic materials available.

There was also a discussion of the budget situation. To date, the Education Trust Fund's receipts have grown 1.2 percent compared to the previous year, but the budget was built on projections of 4 percent growth. This will likely impact both the new budget year that begins Oct. 1, and the process of writing the following year's budget.

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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.

Past editions can be found at www.aplusala.org/ednews/index.asp

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