A+ in the News

“A+ Education Partnership President Mark Dixon says the governor’s goals are just what the state needs. “We like a bold vision for where our students need to be and where our schools need to support them,” Dixon said.

Dixon says focusing on teachers and continuing to fund initiatives like the Literacy Act and Numeracy Act will also help meet those goals. “We need to make sure that our teachers are trained, that they have all the support they need. We also need to be creative about ways that we recruit them in the profession and then making sure that teachers are supported so that they stay in the classroom."

-Mark Dixon, President of A+ Education Partnership

Read the full article here.

“Our students’ math skills simply aren’t where they need to be,” Melson said Thursday.

Information on the potential cost of the measures outlined in the bill was not immediately available. Because the requirements will be phased in over several years, Orr said the cost will be manageable.

“With over 75% of our students not proficient in math, we have a crisis in Alabama,” said Mark Dixon, president of A+ Education Partnership. “We need a comprehensive, statewide commitment to drastically improve student success in math. This means more teacher training and coaching support, high-quality instructional materials in every classroom, and interventions for struggling students.”

The bill also mandates that university education programs teach the same approved math curriculum to new teachers before they enter the classroom."

-Mary Sell of Alabama Daily News

Read the full article here.

"The legislation states that starting in 2025, the state will have a “system of assistance and support for schools not showing specified levels of academic progress in mathematics, reading or both.” 

While the bill is being compared to the 2019 Literacy Act, it does not have the requirement that poor-performing students be held back in any grade.

“The science does not support retention in this bill,” Mark Dixon, president of A+ Education Partnership and an advocate for the bill, told the Senate education budget committee on Tuesday afternoon.

The bill does allow “intensive school turnaround programs” for low-performing schools that aren’t making progress on student achievement.

If after four years on such a plan the school does not progress, the local board of education has to either “mandate a complete reconstitution of the school” including removing all personnel and hiring new educators or apply to turn the schools into a charter school.

“You’re saying that the game plan is to turn these schools into charter schools?” State Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, asked Dixon. 

“That’s just an option,” Dixon said.

The bill was given a favorable report in committee on a 10-0 vote. Smitherman abstained, saying he hadn’t had time to read the 52-page substitute bill given to the committee Tuesday."

-Mary Sell of Alabama Daily News

Read the full article here.

"Only 22% of Alabama students were proficient in math on the 2021 ACAP state assessment, including only 11% of low-income students and 7% of Black students.  This puts us dead last nationally. In addition, there are currently 28 K-5 schools that have 0% of students proficient in math.

Our students deserve better. In fact, they need better if they are to be prepared for the real world. The Alabama Legislature is considering a bill, the Alabama Numeracy Act (SB 171), to address this challenge with intensive teacher and student support. It is awaiting final passage in the House of Representatives today.

The Alabama Numeracy Act creates a comprehensive statewide plan to improve math achievement. The bill adds intensive support and funding for teachers and schools including: K-5 math coaches in every elementary school, training for teachers and principals, high-quality instructional materials and curricula for teachers to use in the classroom, intensive interventions for struggling students, and accountability to ensure schools are making progress. Although it is very similar to the Literacy Act, there is no student retention included.

Alabama voters care about getting this right for students. The most recent Alabama Daily News poll reported that about 56% of Republican voters support the Numeracy Act’s plan to modernize math education. Only 15% oppose it."

-Corinn O'Brien, VP of Policy at A+ Education Partnership

Read the full article here.

"Alabama’s public K-12 schools have received more than $3 billion in federal COVID-19 relief since 2020 and a new website is tracking how each school system plans to spend their money.

The A+ Education Partnership on Tuesday launched the detailed money tracker and an “advocate toolkit” for effective spending of the federal money.

“This is $3.14 billion for public education in Alabama and it’s a huge opportunity for us to invest in our students, especially those of color and those from low-income families,” said Charity Gardner, A+ policy manager and project lead for the tracker. “We have to be able to say that this money had an impact on our students after these three years are up. And so we want to make sure that this money is invested well.”

The site breaks down per-system funding by the three tranches of money that have been allocated to schools during the pandemic: Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief I; Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief II; and American Rescue Plan Act Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief. Each allocation has different spending guidelines and the latter allocation was the largest at nearly $2 billion. "

                                                                                                                                   -Mary Sell of Alabama Daily News 

Read the full article here.

"To support COVID-19 recovery, Alabama schools are receiving $3.14 billion from the federal government. In some districts, this is over $10,000 per student, with the most money going to districts that need the most support. This is a once-in-a-lifetime investment in our schools. Think about the possible impact this amount of money could have. Do you know how your local school district is spending this money and if it is having an impact on Alabama’s last-in-the-nation achievement?

As the statewide advocate for great schools for every child, A+ Education Partnership believes it’s important that Alabama takes full advantage of this moonshot moment to drastically improve outcomes for our students. This is especially critical for students of color and from low-income families who were disproportionately affected by the pandemic and were already behind before it began.

Only 22% of Alabama students were proficient in math on the 2021 ACAP state assessment, including only 11% of economically-disadvantaged students and 7% of Black students. Only 32% of economically-disadvantaged students were reading on grade-level.

If we fumble this opportunity and aren’t able to demonstrate its impact on student success, many will feel like we wasted it. And, our students deserve every opportunity to not only recover, but flourish.  If we want our state leaders to continue investing money in schools, we need to show them that we are using it effectively. That is why our team has created the A+ COVID Spending Tracker, an easy-to-use online tool that helps you see how every school district in Alabama is spending their share of the funds. "

                                                                                                 -Corinn O'Brien, VP of Policy at A+ Education Partnership

Read the full article here.

View the episode here.

  "Schools in Alabama have received an unprecedented amount of money to combat learning loss and other impacts of the pandemic over the past two years. The state got roughly $3.14 billion through three rounds of federal funding.

“That’s an enormous amount of money. That’s about 12 times the amount of Title I federal funding a school would get in a year,” A+ Education Partnership President Mark Dixon said. Dixon is tracking how the schools are spending that money. The website organizes data on districts’ spending proposals.

“Every district had to submit a plan, and I think some are talking about their plans more publicly than others, and that’s part of the purpose of the tracker is to make this very easy to understand,” Dixon said."

                                                                                                                                                       -Maddie Biertempfel, CBS 42

Read the full article here.

"Through partnerships with the Alabama Community College System to expand dual enrollment options and credentialing options, partnerships with the Alabama Office of Apprenticeship to expand work-based learning options such as apprenticeship, and partnerships with A+ Education Partnership to expand access to Advanced Placement courses, we are doing the work to expand access to college and career readiness indicators that will truly prepare our students for the next step.

The ability for the State Board of Education to add additional indicators will help close any remaining gaps as we prepare for implementation in 2028. However, we hope that most of our schools will work to reach 100 percent college and career readiness prior to 2028.

We already have several shining examples of 100 percent college and career readiness, such as Piedmont City Schools with a graduation rate and college and career readiness rate of 100 percent for the Class of 2021 and Coffee County Schools with a graduation rate and college and career readiness rate of 99 percent, that should be emulated. "

                                                                                                                  -Tim McCartney and Joe Morton, Alabama Daily News

Read the full article here.

  "In terms of the NAEP rankings, Alabama is now 39th in 4th grade reading, up from 49th. We were one of only three states that made any gains at all, with all other states dropping significantly. This is a big deal. When we discuss education data, sometimes it’s easy to forget that these numbers represent actual students and teachers who have been working incredibly hard during these unimaginably challenging years. These results will have a lasting impact on the trajectory of our students for years to come.

These reading scores show that our statewide commitment and investment in early literacy is working. The Alabama Literacy Act that was passed pre-pandemic led to historic investments in teacher training in the science of reading, coaching, and effective tools in the classroom. Maintaining our momentum as our state leaders and educators fully implement this law is critical to ensuring that these small gains turn into big wins for our students and set them on a path for success."

                                                                                                 -Corinn O'Brien, VP of Policy at A+ Education Partnership

Read the full article here.

"There has never been a more important moment to commit to sound, evidence-based education policy efforts and investments. Public education is at an inflection point. The decisions we make today can close educational and equity gaps within our state. Now is the time to act."

A+ VP of Policy, Dr. Matt L. Smith

To read more about important policy investments for the 2021 Legislative Session, check out our latest op-ed in the Alabama Daily News.

"Gov. Kay Ivey’s proposed 2021 budget, currently under consideration by the legislature, includes an additional investment of $24.4 million in First-Class Pre-K, for a total of nearly $150 million. That would increase the number of staff and sites available, and allow an estimated 3,000 children on waiting lists to enroll, bumping access up to 44% of Alabama 4-year-olds.

In a virtual press conference, some advocates also expressed support for Rep. Pebblin Warren, D-Tuskeegee, who has again introduced a bill for universal kindergarten. It still allows pathways for parents to enroll their children in private kindergarten programs or homeschool, but will encourage more children to be prepared for first grade, they said.

“We think this is a positive step in supporting our missing students and their return to school,” said Matt Smith, vice president of policy at A+ Education Partnership, referencing an estimated 3,000 children who are not in kindergarten this school year

Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur, said she supports the additional funding, as well as some form of universal kindergarten. Warren’s bill was tweaked in committee and is now before the full House."

-Ruth Serven Smith, al.com

Read the full article here.

"A bill to require Alabama public school students to attend kindergarten or take an assessment to go directly to first grade received its first vote of approval, passing the House Education Policy Committee Wednesday.

Mark Dixon, president of the A+ Education Partnership, called the policy change important for education outcomes, especially in light of the challenges stemming from the pandemic.

“If a child enters first grade without the foundational skills learned in kindergarten, it immediately sets them back and can have a lasting impact on their success in school,” Dixon said. “With more than 3,000 kindergarten-age children not enrolled in school due to COVID-19, the need for a strong foundation is more important than ever.”

Nineteen states and the District of Columbia require that children attend kindergarten, according to the Education Commission of the United States."

-Mary Sell of Alabama Daily News

Read the full article here.

  "As a former high school teacher, principal, and administrator, I have witnessed firsthand how federal, state, and local policy decisions reverberate through our schools and impact the job we do everyday. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, these decisions have never been more important.

Over $3 billion of federal stimulus has been allocated to Alabama schools, and the Alabama Legislature is considering a historic $7.67 billion Education Trust Fund budget. It is critical that we balance the one-time federal dollars with ongoing state investments to solve the challenge of unfinished learning from COVID-19.

There has never been a more important moment to commit to sound, evidence-based education policy and investments that ensure students are supported and prepared. Public education is at an inflection point. The decisions we make today can begin to close educational and equity gaps within our state. Now is the time to act."

-Matt Smith, former VP of Policy at A+ Education Partnership

Read the full article here.

"The impact of the pandemic on students requires us to focus even more on literacy right now, not delay urgent action. Students need every support the Alabama Literacy Act provides. It assesses where students are. It provides interventions to help struggling readers as early as problems are identified. It trains teachers in the science of reading. It gives parents clear guidance on where their children have needs and how those needs are being addressed. Finally, it stops the practice of passing students along without the basic skills they need to succeed in school and the workforce. The Literacy Act is so much more than retention as a last resort - it’s all about ensuring every child can read.

Research shows that students who cannot read on grade level by fourth grade have little to no chance of graduating. Socially promoting students sets them up to fall further behind in other subjects, like math, which requires more word problems as students advance. A 2017 Harvard study showed students retained in third grade under a similar Florida law performed better than their peers in middle school, had higher GPAs in high school, and took fewer remedial courses.

Alabama is at a critical juncture in our efforts to improve literacy. With this veto, Governor Ivey sends a strong, clear message that full implementation of the Literacy Act is the commitment that is needed to ensure a bright future for all Alabama students."

-Mark Dixon, President of A+ Education Partnership

Read the full article here.

  "Alabama has ramped up summer learning efforts, a spokesman for the Alabama State Department of Education said. From reading camps and free books to online math and science challenges, the state is encouraging parents and caregivers to take advantage of more summer resources being offered than ever before.

The Alabama Legislature considered adding a line item to the Education Trust Fund budget specifically funding after school and summer learning programs, but ultimately did not, with budget leaders saying federal money would be available for such purposes. Most summer school programs are still being coordinated by the local school district. In Montgomery, for example, more than 12,000 of the school system’s 28,000 students signed up before the June 1 deadline. Typically about 2,500 go to summer school.

However, not all summer programs offer a full day or full week of school, potentially creating problems for working parents.

Even before the pandemic, the state had been working to set up reading camps designed to reach early grade students who need help catching up. In addition to regional literacy specialists and greater teacher training, the Alabama Literacy Act, passed in 2019, provided summer reading camps to all K-3 students identified with a reading deficiency.

Mark Dixon, president of the A Plus Education Partnership, was a lead advocate for that law.

“High-quality summer learning is a real opportunity to accelerate our academic recovery from COVID-19,” Dixon said. “This is not traditional ‘summer school.’ Effective programs should be full-day with strong academics, but they also need engaging enrichment activities that keep students interested and coming back. Partnerships between local school districts and community organizations will be critical to making this work.”

-Carolyn Thompson of AP News

Read the full article here.

  "Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey told state Board of Education members this week that she is supportive of developing a math counterpart to the Alabama Literacy Act.

-Kim Chandler of AP News

Read the full article here.

  “I am really passionate about acting and I hope to be able to do it as a career in the future,” she said. “I am very proud to have had the opportunity to share mine and others’ stories through something I am passionate about and bring light to the issues many students have faced this year.”

She created a video about what it was like to do the majority of her classes and schoolwork online over the past year. More teachers and students need to be aware of the pressure stress and isolation can place on mental health, she said."

Beavers is a member of the Student VOICES project, which helped the Ed Lab identify some students for this project. To find out more about A+ Education Partnership’s A+ Student VOICES Team, please visit its website.

-Mckinley Beavers, al.com

Read the full article here.

“Students learning remotely now have, for the most part, been learning remotely for a year,” said Mark Dixon, president of A+ Education Partnership. “This is only going to exacerbate some existing concerns for our students.”

Dixon said he believes federal CARES money and data collected from state assessment tests will help direct ways for funding to plug gaps, especially for low-income, minority and rural students.

Some national studies have shown learning gaps for students of color and low-income students, particularly in remote-only districts. However, data and surveys also have shown that, when given the chance to return in-person, many Black families are more hesitant than white families, citing concerns about inadequate safety measures and general distrust of officials.

“The focus has to be on getting most, if not all, students back in-person as quickly as possible,” Dixon said. “And we have to work with districts to plan on how to do that safely, and how best to make up for lost ground.”

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         -Ruth Serven Smith, al.com

Read the full article here.

Though general enrollment has increased, Alabama has seen a decrease in student enrollment for kindergarten programs statewide. This drop in enrollment is greatly fueled by the current pandemic and concerns about the safety of in-person learning. Since online instruction raises unique challenges for young learners, and kindergarten is not mandatory in Alabama, many parents have opted not to enroll their children this academic year. This change in enrollment raises many concerns for school leaders and officials, from budget restrictions and teacher lay-offs to instructional challenges and oversized student cohorts.

"Mark Dixon, president of A+ Education Partnership said that when the fuller drop off picture is known, more attention should be paid to the effect on student learning, not just budgets.

'While budgets are important, they can be fixed by the Legislature in the short-term,' Dixon said. 'The larger equity concern is for the long-term impact on our most vulnerable students, particularly those that don’t yet have access to high-quality pre-K.'"

–Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

To read more about the statewide kindergarten enrollment decrease, check out this Alabama Daily News article.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s back-to-school planning looks starkly different than ever before. School and district leaders are faced with difficult decisions regarding which modes of instruction will be most beneficial to students. Along with maintaining students’ health and safety, ensuring the high-quality instruction of those in underserved communities is a top priority.

Read A+ Education Partnership President Mark Dixon’s op-ed in the Alabama Daily News here.

"Alabama will soon require that all third-graders be able to read on grade level before they graduate, but state educators have yet to decide how to measure reading level or to how to best prepare young students for the coming hurdle.

This year’s first-graders will be the first to have to meet the new standard or risk being held back after they finish the third grade. And recent test scores suggest about half of students could struggle, as just over half of Alabama’s third-graders last year did not test as proficient in reading."

              -Trisha Powell Crain, Al.com

Read the full article, featuring comments from A+ Education Partnership President Mark Dixon, at Al.com.

After just two months of instruction at the new Dothan Preparatory Academy, the school's administration is prepared to implement several operational changes. Perhaps the greatest change is the plan to provide each individual grade level within the academy with its own assistant principal. Though many have adjusted well, this change will be implemented in an effort to assist teachers who have struggled with applying the academy’s new A+ College Ready curriculum.

To read more about the exciting changes underway at Dothan Prep, check out this WTVY story.

"West Limestone and East Limestone high schools were recently named A+ College Ready Schools of Distinction, with Ardmore High School earning its first title as a School of Excellence.

As of this year, all six Limestone County high schools are part of the A+ College Ready program, which provides training for educators, stipends for Advanced Placement teachers and incentives for students. Limestone County Schools Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction Brad Lewis said East Limestone and West Limestone high schools each increased the number of students who took AP exams and earned qualifying scores of 3 or better on a 5-point scale.

The schools have also been named Schools of Excellence for multiple years in a row, which earned them each the title of 'School of Distinction.' This is the first year Ardmore has earned the 'School of Excellence' title."

–Jessica Barnett, The News Courier

Read more about these high schools' earned distinctions in this News Courier article.

"Decatur High students Lucy Sedlak, Kate Bouchillon and Neelie Miller started their college plans two years ago when Decatur City Schools became part of the A+ College Ready network.

–Deangelo McDaniel, Decatur Daily 

"A four-day program held at Thompson High School June 18-21 brought together educators from all over the state to participate in training sessions aimed at helping them provide students with more enriching and engaging academic experiences.

The program, offered by A+ College Ready, allowed 475 math, science, English, social studies and computer science teachers in sixth through 12^th grade to participate in the training sessions at no cost to them. Mark Dixon, president of A+ Education Partnership, said the goal of A+ College Ready is to increase access to advanced placement courses in high school.

'With this training session, we’re training up teachers at the middle school level so the students can excel at the high school level,' he said. 'They start learning analytical and critical thinking skills in sixth grade and continue using and building upon these skills on up through high school.'"

–Briana Harris, Shelby County Reporter

To learn more about how A+ College Ready prepares educators throughout Alabama to provide students with exceptional educational opportunities, check out this Shelby County Reporter article.

"Last week, the Alabama House of Representatives voted 92-3 to pass the Alabama Literacy Act (HB 388) with bipartisan support. The Senate will consider HB 388 bill this week.

Every child deserves the opportunity and support to become an excellent reader. As a result, we support the core tenets of this bill:

• Renewed focus on pre-k to third grade reading
• Targeted funding and resources to improve reading instruction
• Stronger teacher preparation in college to ensure new teachers are prepared for science-based reading instruction
• Early identification and additional support for students with dyslexia and other specific needs

The bottom line is that children who cannot read on grade level by the fourth grade are unlikely to graduate."

–Mark Dixon, President of A+ Education Partnership

To read more about why A+ supports the core tenets of the Alabama Literacy Act, read Mark Dixon's article in the Alabama Daily News.

"On the evening of March 5, Gov. Ivey stood in the Old House Chamber of the State Capitol and outlined her plan for the coming legislative session in her State of the State Address. Much of her address focused on issues like the gas tax and prisons, but education issues also played an important role.

Since taking office, Gov. Ivey and her staff have worked to implement her Strong Start. Strong Finish. education agenda. As she begins her first full term, we’re pleased that education continues to be an important focus of her administration."

–Thomas Rains, A+ Education Partnership, Vice President of Policy and Operations

The following three education items mentioned by Gov. Ivey stood out to us at A+ Education Partnership: expansion of first class pre-k, support for computer science education, and pay raises for teachers.

To read more about why we believe these actions are critical to improving Alabama's education system, check out this article in the Alabama Daily News.

"An education-focused nonprofit has a new leader with a strong political background.

Birmingham native Mark Dixon will succeed A+ Education Partnership’s current president Caroline Novak, who co-founded the organization in 1991.

Home of the Alabama Best Practices Center and A+ College Ready, A+ was created to unite business, civic, government and education leaders in improving opportunity and achievement for Alabama students. The organization works to pair best policies with best practices, advocating for advancements in public education statewide."

–Hanno van der Bijl, Birmingham Business Journal

Read more about Mark Dixon, the newly named president of A+ Education Partnership, in this Birmingham Business Journal article.

"The A+ Education Partnership has hired Mark Dixon as its new president.

A native of Birmingham, Dixon works as a senior manager with General Electric based in Washington, D.C. Before moving to Washington, Dixon served as education policy adviser to former Alabama Gov. Bob Riley.

Dixon succeeds Caroline Novak, who co-founded A+ in 1991 and built the organization to become a driver for improving student performance and a key influencer of education reform policies. A+ is home to the Alabama Best Practices Center, which helps teachers develop core competencies, and A+ College Ready, which aims to drive student performance through promoting rigorous coursework, including Advanced Placement."

–Todd Stacy, Alabama NewsCenter

Learn more about Mark Dixon's background and what he will bring to the table at A+ Education Partnership in this Alabama NewsCenter article.