The Alabama State Board of Education (SBOE) held its regular meeting and work session Thursday, discussing and/or approving the following items:  

1. Approval of K-3 ELA Textbooks

The State Board of Education voted 7-1 for a resolution approving the recommendations of the State Textbook Committee for K-3 English Language Arts (ELA) textbooks, with Stephanie Bell (District 3) voting against. The vote followed a lengthy public comment period with seven people expressing opposition to the resolution and one person speaking in favor.

• Opponents voiced concerns about at least one of the textbook recommendations ranging from "too much black history" to the materials being "designed to indoctrinate our children with DEI, woke agenda and grooming our little ones."
• Mark Dixon, president of the A+ Education Partnership, urged the board to approve the reading materials, saying the core reading programs are high-quality and are aligned to the science of reading. Dixon stressed that local schools have been waiting on this decision.
• Prior to the vote, State Superintendent of Education Dr. Eric Mackey explained the state does not require teachers to teach every single story in a textbook; however, teachers are required to follow their local board curriculum and plan. 
• Jackie Zeigler (District 1), a former teacher and principal, acknowledged several constituents from her district who traveled to speak against approval of the textbook recommendations. Stories in textbooks are "stepping stones on the journey to reading" and can be replaced by many other forms of worthy literature, Zeigler said. 

Why it matters: The SBOE's approval of the K-3 ELA textbook recommendations means there are now two state-approved core reading curricula options that meet requirements of the Alabama Literacy Act available to school systems.

The bottom line: Local systems can now begin the process of local textbook review and adoption. 

2. First Grade Readiness Administrative Code Rule

In a 6-2 vote with Jackie Zeigler (District 1) and Stephanie Bell (District 3) voting no, the SBOE adopted a new Alabama Administrative Code Rule 290-3-1-.04 pertaining to first grade readiness, which requires local boards to adopt and implement policies that ensure students being enrolled in or promoted to the first grade can demonstrate first-grade readiness. Bell questioned whether the language in the rule adoption will solve all the problems related to students moving on to first grade if they are not ready.

Why it matters: Specifically, the rule states that each local board's policy shall provide:

• First-grade readiness may be demonstrated by successful completion of kindergarten or otherwise demonstrating first-grade entry readiness on an assessment of essential development and physical skills
• Immediate interventions for students who are unable to demonstrate first-grade readiness, but otherwise required to be enrolled in first grade
• Wide dissemination and advertisement of local educational programs to inform parents and guardians of first-grade readiness strategies and resources to help prepare students

The bottom line: Mackey said while the ALSDE will provide a model assessment to be used to determine first-grade readiness, local boards will not be required to use that assessment and will be able to develop their own at the local level. 

3. Alternative Teacher Preparation Organizations Administrative Code Rule

In a 7-1 vote with Bell voting no, the SBOE adopted a new Alabama Administrative Code Rule 290-3-3-.60 pertaining to alternative teacher preparation organizations. The Board was required to adopt a policy on Alternative Teacher Preparation Organizations after the passage of HB307 in the 2022 Alabama legislative session. =

4. Other Board Meeting Action

In other board meeting action, the SBOE approved:

• The State Superintendent's recommendation to hire current Bessemer City Schools Superintendent Dr. Autumm Jeter as assistant state superintendent of Student Support Services  
• A resolution in recognition of March 6-10, 2023, as "National School Breakfast Week" in Alabama schools.
• A resolution proclaiming March 12-18, 2023, as Child and Adult Care Food Program Week in Alabama.

5. Work Session News

The Board Work Session featured a presentation in honor of Arts Education Month by Ashley Lucier, state director of Amped Up Arts. The presentation highlighted collaborative efforts underway with the Departments of Early Childhood, Mental Health and Human Resources to integrate fine arts into academics, which research has shown to improve math and reading achievement. Arts education has been included as a major component of Gov. Kay Ivey's Turnaround Schools Initiative. 

Board Questions included:

• Jackie Zeigler (District 1) and several other board members said they have heard concerns about summer reading camps required as part of the Alabama Literacy Act. Those concerns include transportation costs, attendance declining after the first weeks, difficulty finding teachers to staff the camps and worries about funding once current federal funding runs out. Mackey said most summer reading camps are being funded by federal COVID relief funds, but those funds expire in Sept. 2024. The ALSDE requested additional funding from the Legislature to cover summer reading and math camps in FY24. Discussion about potential solutions addressing summer camp concerns included paying teachers at their regular daily rate, exploring options for teacher candidates to staff camps and offering teachers contracts that extend beyond the typical nine-month contracts. 
• Work Session discussion also included concerns about administering the ACT to all students since the discontinuation of the graduation exit exam. Zeigler said she has heard from many constituents in her district who don't believe the ACT is a good measure of students' learning during high school. Mackey added the ACT is not aligned to state standards and reminded the board they have the ability to vote to switch from the ACT and back to a graduation exam by developing a new test. The board will continue discussions about this issue in future work sessions. 

6. Next SBOE Meeting

The board’s next meeting is April 13, 2023, at 10 a.m. in Montgomery with a work session immediately following.