Across the Board August 2024: Key Takeaways from the ALBOE Meeting & Work Session

Recapping important State Board of Education policy decisions for you

Here are our key takeaways from the August 8th State Board of Education meeting and work session – and what they mean for Alabama’s students. Belinda McRae was absent.

Top 4 Takeaways

1. Summer 3rd Grade Reading Scores

With the first year of full implementation of the Literacy Act complete, Dr. Mackey shared an update on 3rd grade reading. Now that summer reading camps, the second administration of the reading test, summer reading portfolios, and good cause exemptions for the 2023-2024 school year are complete, the ALSDE has released updated scores and retention numbers.

As a reminder, the Alabama Literacy Act includes training for every K-3 teacher in the science of reading, reading coaches in every K-3 school, curriculum aligned to the science of reading, assessments to identify struggling readers early, and intervention programs to catch them up. This law, designed to ensure every child can read on grade level by the end of 3rd grade, has introduced a last-resort retention provision this year. Under this provision, 3rd graders who do not make a sufficient score on the ACAP assessment may be retained for a year to get additional support before advancing to 4th grade. These struggling readers are also given the opportunity to attend summer reading camps, take a second reading test, and complete a student reading portfolio to show that they are able to advance to the fourth grade.

This year, the spring ACAP reading test identified 4,808 third-graders who scored below grade level and were flagged to attend summer reading camps to receive additional reading intervention. At the end of the summer reading camps, 3,003 of these third-grade students took the summer supplemental reading test, of which 1,666 scored below grade level. There were 1,805 students who did not take the summer supplemental reading test. These updated numbers bring the total percentage of students who tested on or above grade level to 93.5% (50,021 students) and the total percentage of students who are below grade level to 6.5% (3,471 students).

After good cause exemptions were granted and reading portfolios were examined, ultimately, 1,832 third-grade students will be retained statewide, which is 3.1% of all Alabama third graders. Dr. Mackey also shared updated numbers of students who were retained across grades K-3, with the highest number in first grade at 3,760. The total amount of students retained for reading are:

• K –  3,448 (out of 60,245)
• 1st – 3,760 (out of 62,239)
• 2nd – 2,154 (out of 61,525)
• 3rd –  1,832 (out of 58,236)

2. Struggling Readers Beyond Grade 3

Dr. Mackey gave Board Members an update on the state’s efforts to support struggling readers beyond grade 3. Last year, the Legislature appropriated $5 million in the Supplemental budget to support these students. Today, we received a breakdown of how this money has been spent:

• $150,000 – ALSDE Education Specialist
• $650,000 – Universal literacy assessments at $6 per child to 4th & 5th graders
• $1.5 million – Grant opportunity for intervention programs coherent with K-3 intervention programs
• $2.4 million – Grant opportunity for summer learning &/or tutoring for 4th & 5th graders
• $300,000 – Grant opportunity to have participants in peer coaching model with release time for professional learning and coaching practices 

Bonnie Short, ARI Director, also shared that PK-12 teachers have access to Neuhaus Structured Literacy Modules, which are short, online modules on the science of reading and aligned to LETRS training.

3. Bessemer City School Takeover

The board voted unanimously to take over Bessemer City Schools, which will begin immediately after today’s vote. Dr. Mackey shared that this will be a multi-year process and Dr. Daniel Boyd will be the Chief Administrative Officer. To learn more about the takeover, read this article from al.com.

3. Administrative Code Adopted for New Computer Science Graduation Requirements

The Alabama State Board voted unanimously to adopt a code change that would make computer science a graduation requirement. The proposed code adds completion of an ALSDE-approved computer science course to the College and Career Readiness (CCR) Indicators. This aligns computer science with other CCR indicators, such as dual enrollment courses and AP exams. Starting in 2025-2026, earning at least one CCR indicator becomes a graduation requirement. Additionally, freshmen entering high school in 2028-29 must complete either a unit of computer science or a course with embedded computer science skills. Each computer science credit earned counts toward college and career readiness and fulfills specific credit requirements. To read the code change, click here.

To see the full August Board Meeting and Work Session agendas, click here and here.

The Alabama State Board of Education usually meets on the second Thursday of each month, with the exception of the July meeting, to discuss important policies, procedures, and changes for Alabama’s K-12 public schools. The Board takes official action during their monthly meeting and then follows up with a Work Session to get updates and discuss future action that will be voted on at the next board meeting. You can watch them live and see old meetings here.

Contact Your Board Member:

Have feedback on any of the above items – or anything else? Contact your state school board member using the resources below:

-To contact your State Board of Education Member, click here.

-To find out which district you live and/or teach in, click here. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and enter your address in the “Polling Place Search” box. Once entered, it will take you to a page that shows your polling place and the districts you live in.

-To view a map of the state school board districts, click here.