Alabama Education Department Issues School Report Cards
The Alabama Department of Education released school system report cards Thursday, issuing letter grades that assess school performance. Those grades factor in things like test results, graduation rates and attendance.
Grades varied for Birmingham-area school systems. City school systems in Birmingham, Bessemer, Tarrant, Midfield and Fairfield all received Ds. Shelby County received a B, and Jefferson County scored a C. The Homewood, Hoover, Mountain Brook, Vestavia Hills and Mountain Brook systems all received As.
All of the local school systems with low report card grades had chronic absenteeism. In Bessemer, 21 percent of the students were absent at least 15 days during the school year. In Homewood, a similar-sized system, only 7.6 percent of the students had chronic absenteeism.
Birmingham Superintendent Lisa Herring discussed the report cards at a morning press conference, joined by Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, the school board and system leaders.
“We have strategic, intentional work to do to drive achievement for every school and every child in our organization,” she said. The grades are a benchmark, she said. “It is not an indicator of where we will remain.”
The ACT Aspire test, used last spring to help determine whether Alabama schools made the grade, will no longer be the measuring stick to determine the state’s grading system.
In July, the state board of education ended its contract with Aspire for testing students in 10th grade, elementary and middle school. The change came after the U.S. Department of Education said the Aspire test was not aligned with Alabama’s education standards.
Alabama law requires that school systems test K-12 students to help gauge the level and quality of education.
This school year, the state department of education is using a test called the “Scantron” to test mathematics and reading in grades 3-8. It measures science achievement in grades 5 and 7. State education officials say the Scantron tests more of what students study and learn in school. High schools will use the ACT college entrance exam in 11th grade for assessment.
State education officials say the Scantron was administered in the fall and will be administered again in the spring.
Alexis Herman, the first Black secretary of labor in U.S. history, dies at age 77
Civil rights groups, labor organizations and politicians praised Alexis Herman as a "trailblazer" who fought for the rights of women, Black people and American workers over the course of decades.
Finally! Shedeur Sanders gets picked by the Cleveland Browns in the NFL draft 5th round
He had to wait until the fifth round, but Shedeur Sanders, son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders — his coach at the University of Colorado — has finally been drafted by the NFL.
U.S. judge says 2-year-old apparently deported to Honduras ‘with no meaningful process’
The toddler, a U.S. citizen, was apparently sent to Honduras with her mother and 11-year-old sister, even as a federal judge tried to contact an attorney representing the government.
Iran says 4 people are dead and hundreds injured in a massive port explosion
A massive explosion and fire at a port in southern Iran has killed four people, authorities said Saturday. More than 500 others have been injured in the blast at the Shahid Rajaei port.
Built on a rich coffee history, Yemeni cafes find U.S. success and new challenges, too
Yemen is an ancient birthplace of the coffee trade, and immigrants fleeing its civil war have brought their culture here in the form of cafes. Hundreds of Yemeni coffee shops have opened in the U.S.
Trump meets Zelenskyy during visit to Pope Francis’ funeral
The White House says it will release more details of the meeting, which it described as "a very productive discussion."
