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Alabama’s PLAN 2020 – The Actual Document

We hear a lot about PLAN 2020, the Alabama State Board of Education’s strategic plan for education. Here’s a look at it. Measures were updated on January 26, 2016. Alabama PLAN 2020 – updated 1/26/2016
Posted On Mar 07 2016
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Toward a Common Definition of College-Readiness and the Need for Remediation

At Tuesday’s State Board of Education work session, State Superintendent Dr. Tommy Bice shared his plans for helping Alabama’s high school graduates avoid unnecessary remedial classes in college. While Alabama’s high school graduation rate has soared from 72% in...
Posted On Jul 15 2015
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Input Needed! Alabama’s Draft of ESEA Waiver Renewal Ready to Read

Alabama’s waiver from No Child Left Behind accountability measures is up for renewal. The Alabama State Department of Education has posted it online and given the public until March 31, 2015, to comment on the proposed changes. A 3-page document outlining the changes from...
Posted On Mar 17 2015
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ACT Aspire and PLAN Results: Disaggregated

Here they are. The numbers. The spreadsheet. The graphs. The Alabama State Department of Education quietly posted the results in a new section of their web site. District-level results began leaking out late last year, sparking conversations in an erratic manner, not really...
Posted On Jan 21 2015
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The Future of Public Education Tour – Make Plans to Attend

Here is your chance to engage with the state superintendent of education. Alabama’s State Superintendent Dr. Tommy Bice kicks off a 12-stop tour across the state to share information about public education initiatives on Tuesday, August 26, at 6 p.m. at Lee High School in...
Posted On Aug 25 2014
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Opting Out of Standardized Tests – What You Need to Know

I continue to be asked how children can opt out from standardized testing. Here’s what I found: If you don’t want your child to take state-mandated standardized tests, your only guaranteed method is to keep them home from school during testing. I am not advocating for...
Posted On Apr 23 2014
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Remediation Rates by District and School – Class of 2012

All this talk of College and Career Ready Standards (CCRS) and Common Core State Standards (CCSS) made me stop to remember why somebody decided creating new standards was necessary in the first place. Every source consulted agrees that one reason was to produce high school...
Posted On Mar 12 2014
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Testing – How Much and What’s It Used For?

Much of the criticism of Alabama’s College and Career Ready Standards (CCRS) and the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), which are contained within the CCRS, has centered around standardized testing: how much testing and how the results will be used. So let’s look at...
Posted On Mar 10 2014
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So Who Is Sponsoring the Senate Takeover of K-12 Public Education?

Three bills have been introduced to usurp the power granted to the State Board of Education (SBOE) and State Superintendent: SB380 – Provides for termination of English Language Arts and Math courses of study and revert to prior courses of study. SB438 – Calls for...
Posted On Mar 09 2014
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Senate’s Attempt to Takeover K-12 Education: Public Hearing Tuesday, March 11

Thirteen members of the Alabama Senate have come together to attempt what can only be called a takeover of K-12 public education. They all are sponsors of SB443. A public hearing has been called for Tuesday, March 11, at 10:00 a.m. in Montgomery in Room 304 (which does not have...
Posted On Mar 06 2014
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Where to Get Daily News About K-12 Education in Alabama

Where do you get your daily news for K-12 public education in Alabama? Do you wait for it to come across your internet feed? Hunt for it on al.com or your local newspaper or digital news site? Check your Twitter feed? Coverage of K-12 education news is inconsistent in Alabama,...
Posted On Dec 22 2013
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School District Happenings: Learn What’s Going On

Change in public education continues to come at a fast and furious pace here in Alabama. From the new requirements for a high school diploma to Plan 2020 to the waiver from No Child Left Behind to the flexibility plans to the wave of technology many school districts are...
Posted On Sep 18 2013
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ACT with Writing Is Back On Again

Proving once again it’s who you know, the ACT with Writing has been un-uninstated, or re-instated, for the 2013-2014 school year. It will be administered to all Alabama public school 11th graders on April 23, 2014. Makeup tests will be administered on May 7, 2014. In a memo...
Posted On Aug 07 2013
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High School Student Achievement Tests Change Again – Blamed on Budget

Alabama’s high school students’ standardized tests just changed. Again. Appears money is to blame. The first change involves the ACT. Instead of requiring 11th graders to take the ACT plus writing in the spring of 2014, only the ACT will be given. No writing. (UPDATE:...
Posted On Jul 15 2013
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Notes from the State Board of Education Meeting and Work Session – July 9

Here is the full writeup on the Tales from the Meeting blog. We have a new head of the State Board of Education: Dr. Charles Elliott. Even though Governor Bentley is technically the President, he rarely attends. Ella Bell was re-elected as President pro Tem. Calhoun County got...
Posted On Jul 10 2013
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Alabama’s Not the Only One Implementing Achievement Measures by Subgroups

By now, you’ve most likely learned of the approval of Alabama’s waiver from simplistic pass/fail measures under No Child Left Behind (NCLB). You’ve probably also caught wind of the controversy surrounding setting performance measures and benchmarks, known as...
Posted On Jul 08 2013
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What You Need to Know About Alabama’s Waiver and How Student Achievement Will Now Be Measured

As the news spreads about Alabama’s Plan 2020 and the pieces contained within, it has become painfully obvious that very few Alabamians, even those in education, understood what was actually in the Plan and the details of how student achievement would be measured…the...
Posted On Jul 03 2013
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Math Standards and Other Tidbits from the State Board of Education Work Session

I must apologize, but there is just simply no way for me to write up all that transpired at the 3-hour-plus work session last Thursday. There is just too much to share. Check out the Tales from the Meeting blog for the Storify (all tweets compiled in one easy viewing) version of...
Posted On Jul 02 2013
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Alabama’s High School Graduation Rates 2011-2012

Alabama’s overall graduation rate went up to 75% from 72% last year. While that is something to celebrate, it still means that 25%, or 1 in 4, students that enter high school do not graduate four years later. It is important to understand how the graduation rate is...
Posted On Jun 18 2013
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The State Board of Education Work Session: Tell Us How You Really Feel

C’mon, y’all. Tell us how you really feel. If you want to know how State Board of Education (SBOE) members really feel about the recently-concluded 2013 legislative session, look no further than the video of the May 23 Work Session. Here are my notes on the meeting,...
Posted On Jun 03 2013
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The Alabama Accountability Act – Part 1 – Flexibility Option

UPDATE: Changes were made to the AAA in June 2015, but the Flexibility Option did not change. The Alabama Accountability Act, or AAA (“triple-A”) to which it is now being referred, was originally passed on February 28, signed by the Governor on March 14, amended and...
Posted On May 27 2013
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How Do You Define and Measure Success in Your Neighborhood Schools?

It’s simple to measure success on a football or baseball field. The higher the number of wins, the more successful the team, right? You win a trophy or a championship at the end of the season, and you know you’re successful. But how do you measure success in your...
Posted On May 10 2013
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Standardized Testing Time Is Here – Why Do We Bother With Testing Anyway?

My children’s introduction to standardized testing was in the spring of 2002. I recall being asked by my youngsters why they had to take “those” (standardized) tests in elementary school. They didn’t receive any grades for the tests, so what was the point?...
Posted On May 07 2013
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The “New” Alabama High School Diploma

UPDATE: April 26, 2016 – Latest Chart Showing Graduation Requirements UPDATE: May 11, 2014 – Multiple Pathways Lead to One Alabama Diploma The only thing you can really count on is change, right?  Well, Alabama’s high school diploma requirements are changing...
Posted On Apr 18 2013
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New Tests for Our Children in Alabama’s K-12 Public Schools

UPDATE 9/6/14: Tests have been updated again. Go here to see the latest. UPDATE 3/9/14: Found the most recent updated list, revised November 15, 2013, of all standardized tests for Alabama’s children. Here’s a link to the PDF and the image is displayed below. Two new...
Posted On Apr 16 2013
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