Latest news with #ALSDE
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Alabama third grade reading scores show growth
Tracie West, the Alabama State Board of Education District 2 representative, looks at a bar graph as State Superintendent Eric Mackey presents the 2024 Alabama Comprehensive Assessment of Progress reading scores at the board's June work session in the Gordon Persons Building in Montgomery, Alabama on June 12, 2025. The scores revealed that Alabama's third graders have improved since the 2023-2024 school year. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector) Alabama third grade students appeared to improve on a test of reading comprehension last year despite a slight increase in testing standards, according to numbers released by the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) on Thursday. According to the department, a smaller percentage of students who took the Alabama Comprehensive Assessment of Progress (ACAP) fell below the score considered 'sufficient' for grade-level reading. The ALSDE said 13.7% of third graders fell below the mark, known as the cut-off score, in the 2024-25 school year. That was an improvement over the 2023-24 year, when 20.8% of third graders tested fell below the cut score. The state increased the cut score from 435 to 444 in October. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX According to a Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama (PARCA) report, a student can score between 270 and 740 on the exam. 473 is the grade level score, but the lowered cut score allows for more statistical confidence that the correct students will be retained. According to the data, 6,470 third-graders scored below 444 out of the 55,930 that were tested (11.57%). 'If we take the current cut score and then apply it to last year's data and the data before, you see that we would have seen growth,' Alabama State Schools Superintendent Eric Mackey said during a meeting of the Alabama State Board of Education on Thursday. 'So that tells me that not only do we have 11.6% below grade level, but we are seeing growth across the board.' The 2019 Alabama Literacy Act requires students reading on grade level by the end of third grade. Students who fall short on the test and don't meet an alternative requirement can be held back. The cut score will increase to 454 for the 2026-27 school year. The data also showed that 44 schools around the state had no students score below the 444 cut off on the test. Mackey said only two school systems had no students score below a 444. 'So we're excited to see that,' he said. 'A lot of them tested around the mid 90s, but we do have some districts that are around 70% still, and so we're working on that.' One of those systems was Orange Beach City Schools in Baldwin County. Randy Wilkes, the superintendent of the system, said in a statement the score reflects the dedication of the system's teachers and leadership. This is the second year in a row the system had 100% of students scoring above the cut off, even with the increased cut score. 'It's a signal that every child in our district is being prepared for long-term academic success,' Wilkes said. 'We believe that strong readers become strong learners. Our goal is not only to meet the standard but to set it.' Satsuma City Schools in Mobile County was the other system to record all students reading at a sufficient level or higher. A message seeking comment from Superintendent Dana Price was left Thursday afternoon. Although the number of students scoring above 'sufficient' reading improved, Mackey said that the students between the cut score and grade-level scores are not necessarily proficient in reading. 'They're reading on grade level statistically, but they are so close that they could easily slip below grade level the next year. So we want parents to know that,' Mackey said. 'We don't want them to think that because their students were promoted to the fourth grade, that they're in the clear.' Montgomery County's Chisholm Elementary School had the highest percentage of third grade students scoring below a 444 at 47.25%. The school reported testing 91 students, so 43 of those scored below the cut score. Huntsville City's McDonnell Elementary School is the second lowest, with only 75 students tested, at 41.33% of students scoring below a 444. Bessemer City's Charles F Hard Elementary School tested 55 students with 22 scoring below a 444, the third lowest percentage. Bessemer City Schools has been under state intervention for almost a year.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Yahoo
Blount County district attorney discusses arrests of Jefferson County School employees
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ala. (WIAT) — According to the Blount County Sheriff's Office, two Jefferson County Schools employees have been arrested since December in child sex stings. The arrests have raised questions about the hiring process for those who work closely with children. CBS 42 News spoke with Blount County District Attorney Pamela Casey, who is prosecuting these cases. She said that when it comes to these kinds of crimes, it's nearly impossible to identify those who will commit them before they do. 'I hate to say it like this, but you can't fix stupid,' Casey said. 'If people are going to make stupid decisions, sometimes there's things you can't do to fix stupid.' According to the BCSO, Christopher Thompson and James Mitchell were trying to pay who they believed were minors for sexual activity. There arrests were caught on the camera by 'TakeDown with Chris Hansen' on TruBlu. Hansen said he believes the district should implement stricter hiring policies. 'Clearly two in a matter of two sting operations back-to-back indicates more needs to be done,' Hansen said. WATCH: Former 'To Catch a Predator' host talks recent Alabama sting operation 'We find people all the time who have never been caught before, and I find it hard to believe this is their first time acting out in our sting,' Hansen continued. 'So it happens. Men get away with it. Predators get away with it, so I think there needs to be more done in terms of psychological screening.' CBS 42 reached out to Jefferson County Schools about its hiring process and received the following statement: All potential candidates for employment are required to submit to a criminal history background check through the ALSDE, which includes a fingerprint check by the Alabama Bureau of Investigation (ABI) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The district does not recommend individuals for hire unless their background status on the ALSDE portal at the time of recommendation is suitable for the position in which they are being recommended for. If an appropriate background status is not available through the ALSDE portal, the individual will not be recommended for hire. Jefferson County Schools According to Casey, these two men are out on bond. Mitchell's case has been reviewed by a grand jury and is proceeding to circuit court. Thompson's case is pending a first call hearing. 'The number one priority we have is keeping children safe and keeping family safe, and that's what we are going to do in all our cases, especially in these two situations,' Casey said. Jefferson County Schools stated Mitchell is on administrative leave, while Christopher Thompson has resigned from his position with the school system. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alabama State Superintendent releases statement regarding ICE and federal funding
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — State Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey released a statement Thursday regarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement and federal funding. Protests supporting immigrant community underway in Albertville His statement reads as the following: Immigration and Customs Enforcement Many local education leaders have inquired about how possible actions to locate and detain certain illegal alien individuals might affect Alabama schools. First and foremost, to our knowledge, none of our schools have experienced any disruptions whatsoever on the part of federal or state law enforcement related to this issue. We (ALSDE) remain in constant contact with law enforcement agencies and will notify local superintendents should any new guidance or directives be issued by law enforcement. For now, schools should carry on with normal activities. Parents should be encouraged to send children to school, ever mindful of the importance of school attendance on academic and social development. Schools should follow enrollment and attendance policies currently in place, as nothing has changed. As always, If anyone shows up to your office or a school, purporting to be a law enforcement agent, verify identity before admitting them to campus. Nevertheless, after verifying identity, badged law enforcement should always be welcomed onto our campuses. (There is some concern, albeit pure speculation, about potential mal-actors taking advantage of the confusion to attempt kidnapping or other unlawful entry) Please communicate the importance of being at school to all students and families. Drawdown of Federal Funds At this time, we do not believe yesterday's memorandum from the Office of Management and Budget affects formula-driven programs like Title I and IDEA. We are working closely with other state and federal agencies to secure any funds necessary to continue normal daily operations without interruption. Some discretionary grant funds will be affected. In short, just keep having school. Let's stay focused on teaching and learning. I assure you that we are staying on top of the situation and will pass along information as we get updates. I know the flurry of activity makes some of our educators uneasy, which is natural because we all like consistency. Nevertheless, we must keep our eye on the ball and focus on teaching and learning. Dr. Eric Mackey Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
