Birmingham-Area Schools Account for One-Third of State’s “Failing” List
Roughly a third of this year’s list of “failing” schools as defined by the Alabama Accountability Act are in the Birmingham-metro area. The 76 public schools named February 10 include 18 Birmingham City Schools, four Bessemer City Schools and one each from Fairfield, Midfield and Tarrant.
Three Birmingham schools – Bush K-8, Wylam K-8, and Ossie Ware Mitchell — were removed from the failing schools list this year.
The list is based on students’ 2014-2015 results on the ACT Aspire test, given in elementary and middle schools, and on the ACT Plan test, given to tenth-graders. Schools with results in the bottom six percent are considered failing. This definition was set in 2014 by the Alabama Legislature.
The Alabama State Department of Education takes some issue with these metrics. “This definition was not set by the Department of Education. We collect the data and present it,” said Malissa Valdes-Hubert, an ALSDE spokesperson.
The assessment under the Alabama Accountability Act is based on a school’s performance compared to other public schools in the state, she said.
“These assessments are not the only indicator of success for a school,” Valdes-Hubert said. “If you look at schools, I’m sure you’ll see what some are doing to make it better.”
“I am very concerned that our school district has 18 schools identified as ‘failing,’,” said Dr. Kelly Castlin-Gacutan, superintendent of Birmingham City Schools. “I want to assure our parents that the district is taking this matter seriously and that we will continue our efforts to promote student achievement through the various initiatives that we have put in place since the beginning of the 2015-2016 school year … We believe that these proven best practices will assist us in achieving better learning outcomes for our students,” she said.
Alabama AAA Failing School List 2016 by WBHM News
Photo by brianc 
U.S. egg prices fall for the first time in months but remain near record highs
The average price for a dozen Grade A eggs declined to $5.12 last month after reaching a record $6.23 in March. It was the first month-to-month drop in egg prices since October 2024.
ESPN’s new streaming app could replace cable for some but may end up costing them more
ESPN says its long-anticipated subscription plan will cost $29.99 a month. An analyst says that, combined with subscriptions to other stream services, could drive the cost up to the price of cable packages.
Rapper Tory Lanez is hospitalized after being stabbed in a California prison
The rapper's Instagram account says his lungs collapsed after he was stabbed 14 times, but he is "in good spirits." Lanez is serving a 10-year sentence for shooting Megan Thee Stallion in 2020.
The ‘Oscar’ of food prizes goes to a Brazilian who harnessed the power of bacteria
This year's $500,000 World Food Prize, for advances in agriculture and nutrition, goes to Mariangela Hungria, who boosted Brazil's farming revolution, turning the country into a soybean superpower.
FDA moves to ban fluoride supplements for kids, removing a key tool for dentists
The agency is taking steps to remove prescription fluoride treatments that children swallow.
So far at Cannes: De Niro gets a Palme d’or, Trump gets criticized, nudity gets banned
The updated dress code prohibits nudity on the Red Carpet and in other areas of the festival. The new rules surprised one jury member, who had to make a last-minute outfit change.
