Training Academy

About the Academy

AASB's “school” for school board members provides ongoing training on important education, legal and governance issues. School board members are automatically enrolled in the School Board Member Academy and notified of face-to-face and online leadership development opportunities.

Academy participants can strive for four achievement levels (expand "Academy Level Requirements" below). Upon completing the academy, school board members who continue to develop their boardsmanship skills annually can attain the distinction of Master School Board Member and ultimately have their names added to the Master Honor Roll.

Video: All About the School Board Member Academy

Academy Level Requirements

• Level 1
  25 hours | Receives a certificate sent to local board for presentation.
• Level 2
  50 hours | Receives a certificate sent to local board for presentation.
• Level 3
  75 hours | Receives a certificate sent to local board for presentation.
• Level 4
  100 hours, plus all 8 core courses | Receives a plaque.

Special Recognitions

• Master
  Level 4, plus 15 hours, including one additional core course | Receives a plaque that can be updated each year Master status is earned.
• Master Honor Roll
  Earns Master status for five consecutive years and participates in one Poverty Simulation and one Advocacy Day experience by fifth year (effective 2017-18 training year) | Receives a gold name badge and a Master Honor Roll plate for the Master plaque.

To earn the various awards, school board members attend academy conferences worth a specified number of training “hours” and participate in core curriculum courses. Awards (visit our awards page) are based on hours earned each academy year, which begins July 1 and ends June 30.

Board Member Academy Record

AASB maintains a record of each member's participation in academy courses, online courses, whole board workshops and other training. Hours are awarded for that training.

The Board Member Academy Record (BMA) is an electronic record of those hours and is stored in eMEMBERSHIP, the Alabama Association of School Boards' member database. The BMA also includes the academy level attained, links to a detailed “training report” and a list of core courses taken.

The number of hours earned in the current academy year can also be viewed when members take or review online courses through the AASB School Board U portal.

Members log in to eMEMBERSHIP with a username and password. School board  administrative assistants have access to the database and maintain their board's information in eMEMBERSHIP.

Twice each year, AASB mails a hard copy of each member's BMA record for the academy year. Levels and awards are tallied at the end of each academy year, and those achieving new levels are recognized at AASB's annual summer conference.

For training forms, go here.