The Alabama State Board of Education met Tuesday to discuss the following:

Alabama students demonstrated overall improvement in student proficiency on the Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program (ACAP) in English Language Arts (ELA), math and science at every grade level (grades 2-8) for the second consecutive year.

• ALSDE Coordinator of Student Assessment Maggie Hicks presented an overview of state assessment scores, comparing them to the 2022 spring assessment. State Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey informed board members that the numbers are moving in the right direction.
• All grade levels saw gains in math and science, and five of seven grade levels saw gains in English Language Arts (ELA). While Mackey and board members expressed satisfaction with the gains achieved, they also acknowledged the need for further growth and increased support for students with low proficiency levels.

Key takeaways from the 2023 ACAP Proficiency Highlights Compared to 2022: Grades 2 – 8 in Math and ELA

• ELA: Five of the seven grade levels demonstrated proficiency gains in ELA ranging from 1 to 5%.
• ELA: 3rd grade students increased from 49% as 2nd graders to 54%
• ELA: 8th grade students increased from 45% as 7th graders to 50%
  
  
• Math: All grade levels demonstrated proficiency gains in math ranging from 1 to 4%.
• Math: 2nd graders increased from 44% to 48%
• Math: 3rd graders increased from 40% to 44%

2023 ACAP Proficiency Highlights Compared to 2022: Grades 4, 6 and 8 in Science

• Science: All grade levels demonstrated proficiency gains in science
• Science: 4th graders increased by 2%, from 39% to 41%.
• Science: 6th graders increased by 2%, from 28% to 30%
• Science: 8th graders increased by 1%, from 40% to 41%

ACT with Writing (11th graders)

• Alabama 11th graders saw another slight improvement in the ACT composite score from 17.3 to 17.4, up from 17.2 in 2021.

Alabama Literacy Act and 3rd Grade Retention

The board's Q&A session included discussion about the number of 3rd grade students who would have been subject to being retained this year if student retention component of the Alabama Literacy Act had not been delayed.

• Mackey said 12,843 students would have faced retention but explained this number does not include good cause exemptions or supplemental options to demonstrate proficiency. He also reported approximately 11,000 upcoming third graders could face retention next year based on their second-grade reading assessments.
• When including supplemental options for students to reach proficiency, Mackey believes this number is closer to a range of 4,000 to 5,000 based on Mississippi's experience that will be retained.

When questioned about communicating this information to parents, Mackey said local school systems, particularly principals, will handle communication to parents.

• Board members raised concerns about effectively reaching parents and urged Mackey to require superintendents to ensure discussions are taking place with local board members about the potential number of students who could be retained. They also stressed the importance of informing parents about the consequences of students not meeting grade level reading. Beginning in the 2023-24 school year, third-grade students failing to meet reading level requirements will be retained.

Board Meeting Updates

• State Board Member Tracie West (District 2) was elected vice president for the 2023-24 school year. West is a former member of the Auburn City Board of Education. Dr. Tonya Chestnut (District 5), retired teacher and administrator, was elected president pro tem and will preside over the SBOE in the absence of the vice-president. By virtue of her office, Gov. Kay Ivey serves as president of the Board.
• In an update to the Board, Mackey delivered news that Alabama's special education program had been successfully removed from the federal needs assistance list, having met all requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

In other action, the board:

• Approved a resolution honoring Dr. Karen Anderson, director of the Office of Mathematics Improvement, for being selected as the “Barbara Fannin Memorial Employee of the Quarter” for July-September 2023
• Approved Jacksonville State University’s Innovative Educator Preparation Program resolution.
• Approved revision of the 2022 Career and Technical Education State Course of Study career clusters: Architecture and Construction and Transportation, Distribution and Logistics.

Next State Board of Education Meeting

The board’s next meeting will take place Thursday, August 10, 2023, at 10 a.m. in Montgomery with a work session immediately following.