Alabama State Department of Education
Does a charter need a new contract to expand? Alabama commission plans to ask feds
The Alabama Public School Charter Commission Monday looked at ways to allow state charter schools to grow following a request from a Birmingham school. i3 Academy, a Birmingham-based charter school, has said they need another building with all of the benefits of a “cost center,” including state allocation, to house ninth grade and later grades […]
How Russellville City Schools saw a significant jump in reading proficiency
Teachers across Alabama teach students how to decode words every day. In Russellville City Schools, learners excel because of their teachers’ instruction. Under the Literacy Act, fully implemented for the first time this year, students must read on grade level by the end of third grade or risk being retained. The Alabama Reading Initiative awards […]
Two Alabama Board of Education incumbents not seeking re-election
Two incumbents on the Alabama State Board of Education will not seek re-election next year. Republicans Stephanie Bell, who represents the 3rd District and has sat on the board for nearly 30 years, and Belinda McRae, the 7th District candidate in her first term in office, are not listed on the ballot next year. Bell, […]
State: Seven Alabama teacher prep programs improve literacy instruction curriculum
Seven teacher preparatory programs in Alabama have come in compliance with the Alabama Literacy Act a year after being found outside of it, an official told the Alabama State Board of Education Thursday. The Barksdale Reading Institute, an organization dedicated to improving literacy in Mississippi, found last year that many of Alabama’s teacher preparatory programs […]
Alabama Department of Education wants to give stipends for special ed teachers
Jennifer Church, the lead special education teacher at Pelham Ridge Elementary School in Pelham, knows how much her colleagues do before stepping into a classroom. “The referral meetings, eligibility meetings, IEP (individualized educational plan) meetings, the parent contacts just to organize all of that,” she said. “Writing the IEPS … providing the services to the […]
Alabama Public Charter School Commission approves first budget request
The Alabama Public Charter School Commission approved their first budget request at a meeting on Thursday. The commission will seek $1.1 million from state lawmakers, said Ryan Kendall, a member of the commission who presented the proposal to his colleagues. The commission is particularly looking to fill staff positions with people who know charter schools. […]
Implementation a hurdle in new Alabama reading instruction plans, say educators
BIRMINGHAM — Training remains a major challenge for implementing new state literacy guidelines, educators said at a meeting of a state task force on Thursday. Members of the Alabama Literacy Task Force also discussed implementing a “continuum” of training on the new standards and expressed concerns about not reaching all children. “As long as we […]
Summer reading camps are helping students, says Alabama Reading Initiative director
Summer reading camps are helping students make gains in literacy, the director of the Alabama Reading Initiative told members of the Alabama State Board of Education on Thursday. Bonnie Short, the director of the Alabama Reading Initiative, said that students who have been attending the Alabama summer reading camps have improved their reading, and not […]
College, university application fees waived for Alabama high school seniors next week
Dozens of colleges and universities will waive application fees for applications for colleges for Alabama students from Oct. 16 to Oct. 20. “During this event, local high schools will be hosting special college application celebrations with students submitting applications to colleges nationwide,” Alabama College Application Campaign Coordinator Monica P. Mack said in a release from […]
Fewer than half of Alabama school buses have air conditioning
The Alabama State Board of Education may ask the Alabama Legislature for money to add air conditioning to state school buses, most of which lack it. At the September 14 Board meeting, members of the state Board considered asking for a one-time supplemental bill to add buses to districts most in need. “One of the […]
Federal government shutdown could affect Alabama Department of Public Health
The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) could feel impacts from a federal government shutdown. Dr. Scott Harris, state health officer for the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH), said at the monthly State Committee of Public Health meeting Thursday a shutdown could make it harder for the department to spend federal dollars. “Not sure […]
Alabama State Department of Education mulls additional literacy funding, loss of federal dollars
The Alabama State Department of Education could ask for money from lawmakers next year for reading support beyond third grade, to help with achievement and address an upcoming loss of federal funding. Members of the State Board of Education said during a presentation on the fiscal year 2025 budget Thursday that the department should be […]