By Bart Reeves
AASB Associate Executive Director for Governmental Relations

State Superintendent of Education Dr. Eric Mackey Thursday called on staff to seek long term solutions to address the teacher shortage after considerable discussion and board member requests in last month’s board meeting. Chief of Staff Chuck Marcum and Deputy Superintendent Angela Martin presented a proposal outlining multiple options for students pursuing a Professional Educator Certificate who do not pass the Praxis content area assessment.  

Lowering the Praxis Standard Error of Measurement (SEM) by one, increasing the minimum grade point average to 2.75 and requiring 100 hours of ALSDE approved high-quality professional learning were listed among three options being considered.  

“There is not a silver bullet that will fix it, but this is one proposal we believe will help,” said Marcum, who added lowering the Praxis SEM by one would have provided Alabama with an additional 1,194 teachers in the last three years. 

“We don’t want to lower quality but create opportunity for students who are close and may have test anxiety which could impact their score,” Mackey explained.  

Dr. Tonya Chestnut (District 5), who appeared to favor the proposal, asked Mackey to consider a fourth option, stating her district is struggling to fill positions. Chestnut said she would rather have an individual who passed the edTPA and failed the Praxis fill a position than to place a long-term substitute with a high school diploma, a practice she says is taking place in her district.  

Mackey said the teacher shortage is an extremely complex issue, and he has received calls from superintendents asking if something will be done this summer to help alleviate the shortage.  By approving these recommendations in July, he estimates roughly 200 teachers will qualify to teach this fall.  

Mackey also said he believes measures such as an increase in the salary matrix and passage of theTEAMS Act already are working to address the teacher shortage. 

“We had the fewest number of teachers since 2014 retire this year,” Mackey said. 

To receive a Professional Educator Certificate according to the three options in the proposal, students would have to meet one of the following: 

Option One: Pass the Alabama-approved Praxis subject area test, Foundations of Reading test (where applicable), have a GPA of at least 2.5, pass the edTPA and meet all other Alabama state-approved program requirements. 

Option Two: Earn a score within one standard error of measure of the Alabama-approved Praxis subject area assessment, pass the edTPA and Foundations of Reading (where applicable) and hold an increased teaching field GPA of at least 2.75. 

Option Three: Score within one standard error of measure of the Alabama-approved Praxis subject area assessment, pass the edTPA and Foundations of Reading (where applicable), without  meeting an increased teaching field GPA of at least 2.75.  The individual would not initially be eligible for a Professional Educator Certificate but an employment option would become available if an individual has completed all other Alabama state-approved requirements and graduated from an Alabama college/university.  An LEA may request up to three one-year Non-Professional Temporary Certificates to facilitate employment of the individual. To progress to the Professional Educator Certificate, the individual must complete the following: (1) Earn current required score on Praxis subject area test; and (2) Successfully complete 100 hours of ALSDE approved high-quality professional learning or microcredentials. 

Mackey said he expects to have additional conversations with board members in the coming days about the proposals, which could appear for a vote on the board’s July meeting agenda. 

In Other Work Session News

Dr. Kelley Butler, a Barksdale Reading Institute representative contracted by the ALSDE, presented a report to determine if teacher preparation programs in 25 Alabama institutions were aligned to the Science of Reading (SOR). Mackey said Butler shared the report with college deans last week, and he wanted to share it with the board prior to approving Teacher Education Preparation Programs next month.

The report’s criteria were based on the following categories: aligned; inconsistently aligned; not aligned; and insufficient information to determine alignment. Data collected from 133 faculty syllabi within these institutions indicated 23% align with the SOR based on evidence-based practices. Fifty percent of the syllabi were considered inconsistently aligned, and 16% were not aligned, calling for programs in this category to require reconstruction of courses. Another 9% of programs lacked sufficient information to make a determination.

The report also reviewed SOR alignment with 93 textbooks being used in Alabama literacy courses and determined 62% were not sufficiently aligned to SOR. Butler explained the effort was not a review of the quality of the textbooks but whether evidence of SOR alignment existed. Based on the report, Mackey said some textbooks should not have been used to teach reading.

Mackey said a great deal of work remains for all institutions moving forward with SOR compliance. He indicated recommendation and approval of future Teacher Preparation Programs will be subject to state compliance.

Institutions operating a teacher preparation program that fails to meet state compliance are subject to budgetary penalties. The Education Trust Fund (ETF) budget calls for all universities and colleges operating teacher preparations program leading to certification to comply with literacy requirements including the Science of Reading.  Institutions not in compliance by January 2023 are subject to up to a $1 million penalty.

Butler is expected to be invited back at a later date to address the board in more detail and answer questions.

Also in the work session, Mackey presented an updated Alabama Course of Study Standards and State Textbook Adoption Cycle.  Science standards will be developed in 2023 (textbook adoption 2024) and Social Studies standards will be developed in 2024 (textbook adoption 2025).  

Board Meeting Updates

During its regular meeting preceding the work session, the SBOE:

• Approved a resolution to modify certain passing scores as a precondition for initial certification and program admission. Two Praxis assessments approved by the SBOE are set to be discontinued by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) in August: Mathematics: Content Knowledge; and Middle School Mathematics. Mathematics: Content Knowledge (5161), with a passing score of 160, will be replaced by Mathematics (5165) and a passing score of 159. Middle School Mathematics (5169), with a passing score of 165, will be replaced by Middle School Mathematics (5164) and a passing score of 157. 
• Approved a resolution commending school administrators, counselors, and the career coach of Andalusia High School on being designated by ACT as a 2021 American College Application Campaign School of Excellence.  
• Approved a resolution to name Alabama’s Science of Reading Spotlight Schools.
• Approved a resolution to appoint the 2022-23 State Textbook Committee for Career and Technical Education Clusters: Architecture and Construction; Information Technology; and Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics. 
• Announced intent to adopt amended Alabama Administrative Code Rule 290-2-2-.01, pertaining to school facilities: approval of construction as a permanent rule.  As required, this rule must be tabled for 45 days and will be considered in the August board meeting.  The rule change is needed to align the code with a bill passed last year and recently amended this legislative session allowing school systems to bypass the Division of Construction Management for projects costing less than $750,000, including roofing or HVAC improvements. The law will become effective Oct 1, 2022. 

Next SBOE Meeting

The board’s next meeting will take place Tuesday, July 12 at 10 a.m. in Montgomery with a work session immediately following.