For Your Information

Vol. 21, No. 14
August 4, 2009

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86 Percent of Alabama's Schools
Make AYP

Of Alabama's 1,376 schools, more than 86 percent made adequate yearly progress under the federal No Child Left Behind law. In all, 1,190 schools achieved 100 percent of their goals, up 3 percent over the 2008 AYP results, even in a year when measurable objectives rose and the education budget was prorated at 12.5 percent.

According to the 2009-10 AYP status report presented at Thursday's K-12 state Board of Education meeting, 70 non-Title I schools along with 52 of the state's 866 high-poverty Title I schools were identified for school improvement. Overall, there was a 29 percent decrease statewide over last year in Title I schools that need improvement.

State Superintendent of Education Dr. Joe Morton said the national recession and drop in state education funding has done little to change Alabama educators' collective resolve not to let students down.

"Our teachers, principals, superintendents and local board members are beginning to have a sense that we can do this," Morton said.

In a news conference following Thursday's meeting, Riley called Morton modest and sang the praises of Alabama's education progress. In 2006, there were 458 schools in need of improvement, which compares to 122 for 2009. Riley gave much credit to such statewide initiatives as the Alabama Reading Initiative now in every elementary school (K-3), the Alabama Math, Science and Technology Initiative in 47 percent of all schools, the state's distance learning program in every high school and the expanded advanced placement program.

Riley wants AMSTI in every school and to expand ARI to reach striving readers in the middle grades. That, he said, will mean tough decisions.

"As long as we make sure that these (state initiatives) are a priority, then we can keep funding them," Riley said. "There are ways that we can stretch money. What we have tried to do that a lot of states haven't is to move most of our stimulus money forward into the 2010 and 2011 budget. We still have about 50 percent of our money, about half a billion dollars, left. We had to try to live within our means in order to be able to do that."

Morton co-chairs a National Council of Chief State School Officers committee looking at the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind. The committee is mulling such issues as student progress over time rather than year to year and recognition of schools' continuous growth under NCLB. In Alabama, 119 schools missed making AYP by only one goal this year.

Morton said he predicts the state board's recent moves to enhance graduation options and to raise the graduation rate are in line with where the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind is headed.

"Are we getting all of our students who are entering high school out with a diploma and does that diploma have some worth and does it prepare them for additional education and work? That's going to be the new standard," Morton said.

The state board has recently made and is considering additional changes to Alabama's student testing structure. This year, school systems will test students in reading and math using the 10th edition Stanford Achievement Test as part of the Alabama Reading and Math Test. Other subtests previously used for state accountability purpose under NCLB -- language, science and social science -- as well as the OLSAT will be optional.

The plan is to ultimately replace a patchwork of the ARMT and the SAT-10 with the state's own criterion-referenced test. The change could result in earlier availability of statewide testing results. Morton said at Thursday's meeting that next year's AYP results could come a week earlier than this year.

With the 2008-09 school year came an annual climb in measurable statewide objectives toward NCLB's 2014 goal of having every student up to grade-level in reading and math.

For school-by-school accountability and assessment results, choose "accountability reporting" at the state Department of Education's Web site, www.alsde.edu.

In other business, the state board adopted a new chapter on teacher education/professional services. Public comments included support and opposition, particularly regarding increased internship requirements from 300 to 600 clock hours. Nine of the 12 higher education institutions with school counselor programs already meet the new internship requirements. The new chapter aligns with the Alabama Courses of Study, Alabama Quality Teaching Standards, the Alabama Reading Initiative and the Alabama Math, Science and Technology Initiative. The effective date is Oct. 1.

The state board's K-12 work session is scheduled for Aug. 27.

Federal No Child Left Behind
Guidelines Announced

Announced in a news release at Thursday's state Board of Education meeting for K-12 were new federal guidelines for the 2009-2010 school year, including requirements for local school systems to:

• Notify parents of a child's eligibility for public school choice no later than 14 calendar days before the start of the school year;
• To post on its Web site certain information on supplemental educational services, such as tutoring.
• To display on its Web site, beginning with 2007-2008 data and for each subsequent school year, the number of students who were eligible for and who participated in the public school choice option; and
• To list on its Web site for the current school year (2009-2010), available schools to which students eligible to participate in public school choice may transfer.

To learn more, see the NCLB Public School Choice Non-Regulatory Guidance and the NCLB Supplemental Educational Services Non-Regulatory Guidance.

Register Now for Sept. 14-Oct. 5
Fall District Meetings

Achieve results by becoming a data-driven decision maker at the AASB Fall District Meetings. Learn how you can use data to improve student achievement in your school systems at AASB's Sept. 14-Oct. 5 Fall District Meetings.

Attend, so you can understand and target your students' learning needs for the greatest impact; take action with confidence by aligning actions with achievable, yet challenging goals; and use data to make timely, appropriate and measurable decisions.

Networking begins at 6 p.m. in every district except District 5, where the meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. The program is 45 minutes long and is a membership service. Dinner is your only cost. The meetings will be:

• District 1 - Sept. 15
• District 2 - Sept. 14        
• District 3 - Oct. 5          
• District 4 - Oct. 1          
• District 5 - Sept. 17
• District 6 - Sept. 29
• District 7 - Sept. 24
• District 8 - Sept. 21
• District 9 - Sept. 22                        

Attendees earn one hour of School Board Member Academy credit. Go online to register or download a district meeting brochure, or contact AASB at 800/562-0601.

Nominations for District Directors
Due Sept. 1

AASB is accepting nominations or self-nominations of active members interested in serving as director in Districts 2, 4, 6, 8 and 9. Nomination forms are due to AASB's executive director by Sept. 1. Ballots listing eligible nominees will be mailed to district members by Oct. 1.

Each board within a district gets one vote. The board president will certify that action was taken at an October board meeting to choose a candidate, and the ballot must be returned to AASB by Oct. 31.  If only one person is nominated, he or she automatically becomes district director.

Current District Directors Bill Minor of District 2 and Pam Doyle of District 8 are eligible for re-election under AASB bylaws. Katy Smith Campbell of District 4 will not seek re-election, and Sue Jones of District 6 is no longer on her board. A special election is necessary in District 9 since Dr. Shelia Nash-Stevenson is no longer serving on a local board.

Bylaws & Resolutions Due Aug. 17

Do you have a recommendation to change AASB's bylaws, or is there a resolution you would like the association's Delegate Assembly to consider in December? By Aug. 17, please e-mail suggestions or fax them to 334/270-0000 or mail to P.O. Box 230488, Montgomery, AL 36123-0488.

AASB All-State Award Nominations
Due Oct. 1

AASB is once again bestowing its highest award upon current or past board members who have shown exemplary boardmanship. AASB's coveted All-State School Board Member recognition award will be presented at the association's annual convention in December. Superintendents and board presidents should check their mail soon for nomination materials which must be postmarked and returned by Oct. 1. For details, contact us.

The AASB Officer Nominees Are...

The AASB Nominating Committee put forth two names this year for AASB officers. They are Steve Foster of Lowndes County for president-elect and Katy Smith Campbell of Macon County for vice president. The final decision will be made Dec. 3 at AASB's annual business meeting in Birmingham.

Congrats to Winners of Free
Conference Registration

Congratulations to Delbra Adams of Cherokee County and Betsy Gardiner of Tuscumbia, who won a free AASB conference registration. Their names were chosen randomly from summer conference attendees who completed evaluations. They may choose between the October 2009 or March 2010 conferences. 

Magna Nominations Due Oct. 31

Applications are being accepted online at www.asbj.com/magna through Oct. 31 for the 2010 Magna Awards, American School Board Journal and Sodexo School Services' annual program that honors best practices in school systems. To enter, your board must be in good standing with the Alabama Association of School Boards. Three $3,500 grand prize winners and honorable mention recipients will be recognized in the April issue of American School Board Journal and at the School Leaders Luncheon during the NSBA Annual Conference in Chicago in April 2010. 

Race to the Top Webinar Aug. 5 

The U.S. Department of Education will host a conference call at 1:30 p.m. (2:30 p.m. ET) Aug. 5, regarding the Race to the Top grants and Investing in Innovation Fund that was funded through the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The call-in number is 800/369-2127, and the passcode is "education."

NSBA Offers H1N1 Flu Resources, Urges Schools to Report Dismissals

School Health Programs at the National School Boards Association is helping school leaders better prepare for the H1N1 flu pandemic. The division posts new information and resources about the virus on its Web site. There is also a survey for school superintendents to share their views on having their schools serve as H1N1 vaccination locations.

NSBA also reports that this month the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U. S. Department of Education launched a School Dismissal Monitoring System for the 2009-10 school year in anticipation of the continued and perhaps increasing presence of H1N1 in the school-age population. So far, the CDC does not recommend dismissing students from school in response to H1N1. To report a school closing, go to www.cdc.gov/FluSchoolDismissal.

— Denise L. Berkhalter,
publicrelations@AlabamaSchoolBoards.org

Alabama Association of School Boards:
Celebrating 60 years of developing excellent school board leaders through quality training, advocacy and services.