The State Board of Education met for a blended in-person and virtual board meeting and work session Thursday. Board actions included the approval of seven educator preparation programs with a caveat. The board has requested confirmation that all teacher education programs up for approval meet not only the ALSDE's requirements but also those requirements outlined in the Alabama Literacy Act. Upon its review, the ALSDE identified three of the seven programs had not yet met Alabama Literacy Act requirements. State Superintendent of Education Dr. Eric Mackey recommended the board provide a one-year renewal to ensure those programs don't lose their accreditation while they work to provide the additional verification. He said he is confident the requirements will be met and that full approval can likely be extended at next month's board meeting. Dr. Cynthia McCarty (District 6) said she looks forward to an independent, comprehensive and high-level review of existing teacher preparatory requirements. She emphasized that all teacher graduates should be prepared to teach the science of reading and said the ALSDE review process should incorporate steps to ensure full compliance with the goals in the Alabama Literacy Act.

In other action, the board additionally approved:

• Recommendations for 30 people to be appointed to the Dyslexia Advisory Council;
• Appointment of the board subcommittee to develop a new superintendent evaluation tool. Subcommittee members include Gov. Kay Ivey, Dr. Yvette Richardson (District 4) and Dr. Cynthia McCarty (District 6); and
• Appointment of Dr. Jimmy Hull (Elmore County) as Assistant State Superintendent for Career and Technical Education.

During the board work session, Deputy State Superintendent Dr. Daniel Boyd provided a review of the Alabama Achieves strategic plan which was developed in collaboration with a stakeholder committee chaired by former Auburn City Schools Superintendent Karen Delano. A public survey with 20,000 responses also contributed to the plan's development. Boyd said Mackey will release weekly videos to publicly share the plan's goals. He also will present the strategic plan to school superintendents this month at their summer conference and to the Alabama Workforce Council. Mackey said the strategic plan will be a living, breathing document that incorporates and aligns with ESSA efforts and reflects the work of the ALSDE's upcoming reorganization. 

ALSDE Communications Director Dr. Michael Sibley shared a preview of AlabamaAchieves.org, the new, mobile-friendly ALSDE website expected to launch in the coming months. The ALSDE originally hoped to complete the website by July 1; however, decisions still are being made to determine what content will be carried over from the current website.

Board members had several questions about the availability of the state's 2019 graduation rate data. Dr. Tommie Stewart (District 5) asked why the data was not yet available after more than one year, as many other states published their 2019 graduation rates by the end of last year. Boyd said collecting the data and having it verified by local superintendents was complicated, particularly because some seniors graduate at different times.

Public Consulting Group (PCG) representatives provided an update about its second phase of work to help implement recommendations from its organizational and efficiency review of the ALSDE. Collaboration has begun between PCG and state board members as well as weekly Friday morning meetings with ALSDE staff. Mackey said this work does not replace the strategic plan and explained that PCG is not coming in to "run things." He said the work being completed with PCG will underpin the goals of the Alabama Achieves plan. 

In other discussion, state board members addressed the math textbook adoption process. Board member Tracie West (District 2) sought assurance that textbooks closely align to the new math standards and that classical math would be taught in early grades. Board Vice Chair Jeff Newman (District 7) asked about math alignment to the NAEP tests. Mackey said the course of study is aligned to NAEP and textbooks should reflect those standards. Textbook recommendations will be on the November work session agenda and be voted on at the December board meeting. The timeline should allow local school systems to begin their textbook adoption process in January.

Board members also asked about the ALSDE effort to provide a statewide virtual option for school systems. The department is reviewing proposals submitted by nine vendors in response to the ALSDE's RFP. Boyd said the plan is to provide a central platform to deliver content statewide and that each school system will have access to deliver virtual learning locally. When asked about who is responsible for managing the virtual program, Boyd said the ALSDE will manage and be accountable for the virtual platform, but the day-to-day operations will be conducted at the school system level. Mackey said in response to local school system surveys, he was surprised by the large number of parents who plan to use the virtual option. He said the virtual piece is the biggest challenge other than addressing health and safety precautions associated with reopening schools. 

Mackey also responded to board member questions about progress on the Lean Frog teacher certification review which recommended a complete overhaul of the department's certification process. Part of the change was to move the paper application process online with consultants returning to facilitate the change. Boyd said the ALSDE is opting to make those changes in-house rather than engaging outside consultants. Board members requested regular updates about progress to implement those changes.

The State Board of Education's annual business meeting during which new officers are elected will be held Tuesday, July 14, with a work session to follow.