Across the Board July: Key Takeaways from the ALBOE Meeting

Recapping important State Board of Education policy decisions for you

Here are our key takeaways from the July 14th State Board of Education board meeting and work session. All board members were present. Click here to see the agenda for the full meeting and work session. 

During the board meeting, Kelly Mooney was elected as the Vice President of the SBOE, and Dr. Long was elected as the President Pro Tem for the 2026-2027 term.

Top 5 Takeaways

1. Alabama’s Federal Waiver Submitted to the U.S. Department of Education

During the work session, Dr. Mackey stated that Alabama’s Ed-Flex waiver was submitted to the U.S. Department of Education at the end of June. Dr. Mackey has not received a response from the USED at this time. This waiver had two public comment periods between September and April 2026, and he did not share whether the draft had been edited before submission.

Alabama’s waiver request, according to the most recent published draft, seeks approval from the federal Department of Education to change several education policies. Many of the changes could provide helpful funding flexibility, however the waiver would also incorporate the WorkKeys Assessment into Alabama’s state report card. If approved by the federal Department of Education, the request would allow Alabama to merge students’ ACT scores with their WorkKeys scores, and base school and district accountability on the combined scores. Unfortunately, WorkKeys is far less rigorous than the ACT. For example, the math skills that WorkKeys assesses are directly aligned with Alabama’s elementary and middle school standards.

While A+ Education Partnership supports the seven sections of the waiver that request funding flexibility, we oppose including WorkKeys in the state’s proposed measurement of achievement because it would lower the bar significantly for students. For more information, check out our overview of the ALSDE’s request.

2. Apportionment of RAISE Act funds and the Foundation Program

During the meeting, the board unanimously voted to announce their intent to adopt the rules for the education budget. This process now includes both the Foundation Program (rule 290-2-1-.01) and the RAISE Act funds (rule 290-2-1-.06) that are distributed to districts. 

The RAISE Act funding for FY27 will support student needs for the 2026-2027 school year. This year, $191 million will flow to districts to support students in poverty, special education students, English learners, gifted students, and charter school students. Districts can move up to 10% of RAISE funds between student groups, and apply for permission from Dr. Mackey for additional flexibility. During the meeting, Dr. Mackey shared his gratitude for the legislature for passing the RAISE Act, and sending hundreds of millions of dollars to school districts.

For more information on the RAISE Act, check out our recent webinar series. Funding levels for each district for the 2026-2027 school year can be found here.

3. Annual Student ACAP Testing Data Released

During the work session, the board shared the new ACAP data from the 2025-2026 school year. This year, Alabama saw gains in many grade’s assessments scores across multiple subjects. Dr. Mackey shared that he is happy with the increases, and attributed them to the Alabama Reading Initiative, the Alabama Literacy Act, the Alabama Numeracy Act, and the RAISE Act. Dr. Mackey said that “we saw this growth in level four, the only real difference that I can attribute that to is the beginning of the investment of those RAISE Act funds.”

Each year, students in grades 2-8 take the ACAP summative assessment to measure their progress and inform the state report card. Dr. Mackey and Mrs. Maggie Hicks, student assessment coordinator, shared the preliminary state-level ACAP scores and their comparisons to last year.

Students made large gains in science in particular. This year was the first year that the new Science Course of Study was fully implemented and assessed. Last year this exam was optional, while this year it was mandatory, and had a new cut score. Alabama students showed large gains in science scores, and Dr. Mackey shared that he was positively surprised by these results. 

English Learners are assessed by the ACCESS exam rather than the ACAP while they receive ELL services. While Alabama’s ELL population is increasing, the number of students succeeding on the ACCESS exam and exiting EL services has also increased. In 2026, 6.45% of the 49,680 students identified as EL from across the state tested out, and will take the ACAP next year. This is an increase from 4.6% in 2024 and 5.29% in 2025.

While there are gains in many areas, there is still significant growth needed for Alabama students. 50-75% of students are still below proficient in math, and 30-45% are still below proficient in English. District level data will be available soon, and those scores will be included in the annual state report card.

4. Annual State ACT with Writing and WorkKeys Data

During the work session, the board received the preliminary data for ACT and Workkeys data for 2026. All 11th grade students are required to take the ACT with Writing in school as a part of our state’s accountability system. District level data will be available in the fall, and these scores will be included in the state report card.

This year, Alabama’s state composite ACT score was 17.63. This is an increase from the composite score of 17.31 in 2025. There were gains in ACT proficiency scores across subjects:

The WorkKeys is a separate test that students can use to fulfill their college and career readiness indicator requirement. This year, 47.5% of Alabama test takers received a passing score of silver, gold, or platinum.

5. Educator Prep Programs Approved

During the meeting, the board voted unanimously to approve seven educator prep programs from across the state. Universities must receive authorization from the board to begin their programs with students that lead to teacher certifications.

The colleges and universities approved included Athens State University, the University of Mobile, the University of Montevallo, Troy University, Tuskegee University, the University of Alabama, Auburn University at Montgomery, and Faulkner University.

The next Board meeting will be on Thursday, August 13, 2026, at 10 am at the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering in Huntsville, Alabama. The work session will be held at the same location at 11 a.m. or immediately following the State Board Meeting.

The August Board Retreat will be on Friday August 14, 2026, beginning at 9am at the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering in Huntsville, Alabama.

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.