At Thursday’s K-12 state Board of Education work session, state Superintendent Dr. Joe Morton and Deputy state Superintendent Dr. Ruth Ash attempted to address concerns regarding the proposed graduation requirement changes.

Member Randy McKinney asked for the top concerns that have been communicated to the board, which fellow members Dr. Mary Jane Caylor and Stephanie Bell outlined as:

• Not having enough time to implement the changes or recruit and hire foreign language teachers — Transition time is built in, Ash said. School systems could implement the proposal voluntarily this fall and test-drive it before implementation is required in fall ’09. Schools facing extenuating circumstances could apply for a one-year waiver and implement the options in 2010. When implemented, students would automatically work toward the Alabama High School Diploma with the advanced academic endorsement unless there is an individualized education program committee recommendation not to or parents/guardians opt their children out. Students now must opt into earning an advanced academic endorsement, which requires two years of a foreign language and Algebra II with trigonometry. Ash said German, French, Spanish, Latin and Mandarin Chinese, as well as advanced placement courses and other subjects aligned with the state courses of study are offered through Alabama’s distance learning program, ACCESS. When a school system can’t afford or recruit a foreign language teacher, the state Department of Education officials said, online coursework is an option.
  
• Watering down standards — Not the case, said Morton. Already, about 92 percent of graduates pass all sections of the state’s graduation exam. About 8 percent do not. The proposal would allow that small group of students to work toward the proposed credit-based endorsement to the Alabama High School Diploma, which still requires 24 credits but only calls for students to pass the reading, math and one other section of the five-section graduation exam. The endorsement would replace the Alternate Adult Diploma now awarded to eligible students who pass the GED.
  
• Concern that the distance learning requirement is unworkable since all high schools don’t have labs — The proposal would require students to complete at least one distance-learning course, beginning with the 2008-09 freshman class unless an exception is necessary. Dr. Melinda Maddox, the SDE’s director of technology initiatives, said an interactive videoconferencing lab is just one component of distance learning. All high schools in the state have a high-speed connection to the Alabama Supercomputer and can still provide access to online courses. A trained facilitator onsite ensures students stay on task. A cost savings, Maddox said, is that most courses don’t require printed textbooks, and courses can be scheduled to fit a student’s needs. Reba Davis of Troy, who trains online educators, said she has no trouble recruiting foreign language teachers for ACCESS programs and even has two advanced statistics teachers onboard. Perry County Superintendent John Heard and Tarrant Superintendent Dr. Martha Rizzuto praised the distance learning initiative as a way to offer higher level courses to disadvantaged students in systems with few resources.

Morton recommended that a committee made up of school board members, superintendents, principals, teachers, parents, community members and SDE staff be formed to examine other components of the proposal, including credit recovery and academic flexibility. The committee would develop policies, guidelines and sample schedules school systems could use to help students who have a course segment to master that segment and to allow students to demonstrate mastery of a particular skill or subject.

The committee’s guidance and recommendations would be expected in December and put in place for systems in January as they plan to implement them in fall 2009. Morton stressed that credit recovery and flexible alternatives to the traditional 140 hours of in-class seat time are not mandatory but are simply tools school systems could voluntarily use.

The board is expected to vote on the proposal at its May 8 K-12 meeting. The board's next regular K-12 meeting is April 10.

CONGRATUALTIONS WINNER OF FREE CONFERENCE REGISTRATION

Congratulations to Wanda Bain of Russellville whose name was chosen from those who completed and returned AASB evaluation forms at AASB’s March conference. Bain wins free registration for either the upcoming October 2008 or March 2009 AASB School Board Member Academy conferences.

Ready for AASB's July 27-30 Summer Conference? Book Your Room Now at the Discounted Price!!!