Board of Education to discuss State Superintendent Michael Sentance’s contract
The Alabama State Board of Education has scheduled a meeting to discuss the superintendent’s contract weeks after board members gave him a low marks during a performance review. The board is scheduled to meet Aug. 23. On Friday morning the previously released agenda was modified to include an item to discuss superintendent Michael Sentance’s contract under the “New Business” section of the agenda. A spokeswoman for the Department of Education said she has no further details about the updated agenda item.
Shenanigans afoot at State Ed Board?
With less than a full year under his belt as the State Superintendent, Michael Sentance has found himself on the firing line as the Alabama Board of Education decides the fate of his future in the position. Sentance, who oversees nearly 900 employees at the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE), will be under review Tuesday in a special-called meeting by the board. There, they will decide whether or not Sentance stays in the position. Ahead of Tuesday’s meeting, board members were asked to submit evaluations of the superintendent months ahead his scheduled December review. The request came as a surprise to many members, who said there was no mention of the early evaluation at their July 11 board meeting. “I believe it is a move to try to unseat him. I believe that this was demanded of us after the last board meeting,” Board member Mary Scott Hunter told WHNT News 19. “If this was so urgent we could have discussed it at the last board meeting, it was not discussed, it was not voted upon.” Despite his lack of time in the position, Sentance has made great strides to turn Alabama’s failing school systems around. Since he beat out five other educators from across the country for the position last August, he’s: Created a new advisory group of educators, which will provide a direct avenue of communication with the state superintendent to discuss important issues regarding education; Taken over the 27 failing public schools in Montgomery; Received permission from the federal government to allow for standardized testing flexibility as the state drops the ACT Aspire test for its students in favor of an alternative test; Currently, Sentance’s contract runs through Dec. 31, 2018, but with a simple majority vote the board may terminate his contract at any time. If he were to be let go, he would receive any remaining salary for the balance of his contract for that specific calendar year. When Yellowhammer News asked Sentance if he believes there’s an effort to get rid of him, he said, “Yes, it is true that some people are working very hard to try to remove me from the position.” Sentance did not respond to Alabama Today’s request for comment.
7 Alabama schools chosen to pilot early education program
Alabama is launching a pilot program to help improve student success by aligning effective teaching strategies and improving collaboration among educators , Governor Kay Ivey announced on Monday. “A strong start in the early years of a child’s education ensures a strong finish in their later educational endeavors. Whether a student will find success in school and the workforce is traditionally evidenced in their performance by third grade,” Ivey said. Five Alabama school systems, with a total of seven individual schools, will serve as pilots for the Alabama Pre-K-through-Third-Grade Integrated Approach to Early Learning program. The selected schools are: Barkley Bridge Elementary School (Morgan County) Kinston Elementary School (Coffee County) New Brockton Elementary School (Coffee County) Pleasant Grove Elementary School (Cleburne County) Skyline School (Jackson County) Wetumpka Elementary School (Elmore County) Zion Chapel School (Coffee County) The new program is a joint partnership between the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education and the Alabama State Department of Education. Each participating school will receive a $15,000 grant for each classroom to purchase age-appropriate classroom materials and improve early learning experiences. Based on research from Harvard University, the University of Washington and others, the program creates a structure for aligning and coordinating academic standards, instructional practices, professional development and developmentally appropriate classroom assessments from pre-k to the third grade. “Children have the most potential for growth from pre-K to third grade, and we are delighted to partner with the Alabama State Department of Education to create new opportunities for local schools to support students during their critical early years of learnings,” commented Jeana Ross, Secretary of the Department of Early Childhood Education. “This approach to early learning combines best practices from our programs to better support strong teaching, student achievement and student success for all students.” Schools participating in the program will also gain access to early childhood education specialists who will help pre-k to third grade teachers implement evidence-based instructional practices. “If we haven’t given our students a strong learning foothold by the third grade, they will be fighting an uphill battle for the rest of their educational careers; this program addresses that truth head-on,” Ivey concluded.
Kay Ivey signs bill requiring emergency notification system for schools
On Thursday, Governor Kay Ivey announced she recently signed has signed a bill requiring the Alabama Department of Education (ALSDE) to develop and implement an electronic notification system that will share emergency information between schools and the state. House Bill 89, requires ALSDE to implement the system by October 1, 2017, which would allow emergency information to be shared with local schools, local school systems, the department, and the Governor. “As a former school teacher, I know the importance of keeping everyone informed of what is going on in our schools. This notification system is a much needed source of information to clarify the sometimes murky communications in times of emergency,” Ivey said in a press release. “I appreciate Representative Alan Baker for his hard work and leadership sponsoring this legislation.” Sponsored by Brewton-Republican Rep. Alan Baker, the bill saw overwhelming support in both chambers and passed unanimously in the Alabama Senate. “As students are engaged in the educational process, whether attending school or in transport by bus, their safety is of utmost importance. I applaud Governor Ivey for her strong support of education with an emphasis on school safety,” Baker said. The intent of the bill is that all local schools and local school systems use the electronic notification system as a means to input specific information relating to school delays, early releases, shelter-in-place information, and other emergency-related information to improve communications on all levels.
Mary Scott Hunter: Tests are a part of life
No one likes standardized tests. My kids don’t. But the truth is, just like in life, tests are a necessary part of school. In a couple of months your child and his or her classmates will take the ACT Aspire. It’s a scene that will repeat itself in classrooms and gymnasiums across the state. My children will be among those sitting for the exam. My youngest is in the third grade. This will be his first major test. My other children are old pros at this point. In fact, my eldest has taken the exam every year it has been offered. At this point, I know what to expect on test day. My children will beg me to let them call in sick, but my husband and I will remain resolute. We will make sure that all three of our kids are well rested for the several nights before the test, eat a good dinner and breakfast and are on time to school. Tests are hard, but so is life. Sometimes you just have to buck up and do things that scare you. While I am the only member of the Alabama State Board of Education that currently has children in public school taking the test, several of my colleagues have grandchildren. All of us want a good test. Every single year, we seem to have a big debate right before testing time about whether it is a good idea or not. I shudder at this conversation every time. It’s terrible to second-guess yourself. Especially right before a big event like a test. We replaced the state’s previous end-of-year exam, the Alabama Reading and Math Test, because we believed that the ACT Aspire would more accurately tell us how our children are learning in school. We wanted an assessment that would help teachers identify students who need additional help to get on the right track toward college and career readiness before it becomes too late. There are rumors, of course, that Alabama may be moving away from the ACT Aspire next year. And, the truth is, that’s a possibility over the next couple of years. Nevertheless, the ACT Aspire will be administered this Spring as planned. The goal of every school is to prepare children for success after they graduate from high school. Regardless of what the State Board of Education decides in the future about the ACT Aspire, there will be an end-of-year assessment given to students to provide parents with feedback on how our schools are preparing our children. This is true in every state in the nation. Earning an education in Alabama schools should mean something, and, just like in life, tests help make sure we stay on track. Otherwise, a diploma in Alabama will be nothing more than the equivalent of a participation trophy in little league baseball. We deserve more than that. And, I won’t let it happen on my watch. ••• Mary Scott Hunter represents the 8th District on the Alabama State Board of Education. She and her husband Jon live in Huntsville where their children attend public school.
State board votes to intervene in Montgomery County schools
The state school board voted unanimously Thursday to intervene in the Montgomery County school system because of concerns about academic and financial performance. Superintendent Michael Sentance said in a press conference after the vote that too many of the system’s schools were “at a low level and staying at a low level.” “It’s my personal belief that a capital city school system should be a shining example of what public education should be in the state. It should be a model,” Sentance said. State law allows the Alabama Department of Education to take over school systems because of problems with academics or fiscal management. Sentance said Thursday said there were concerns with both aspects of the Montgomery system. The state has intervened in several school systems in the past, including Selma and Birmingham. What state intervention might look like depends on the school system and reason for the intervention. In Selma, the state placed the school superintendent on leave and assigned someone to assume his duties. Sentance, said he didn’t know what all would happen in Montgomery, but said he envisions a collaborative process. One issue he said they will address is making sure classroom teachers have adequate knowledge in their subjects. “We have to raise the understanding of content with a lot of teachers in schools, starting with elementary on up. We would be coming in with some ideas how to do that,” Sentance said. Intervention does not automatically bring more money. The state could help the system with grants and will provide additional personnel. Montgomery County is a large school system that included a mixture of high-performing magnet schools — which skim off the best students and boast some of the highest test scores in the country — and high-poverty schools with low test scores. Sentance said the state will only get involved in schools that are struggling. The system had 10 schools labeled as “failing” for being in the bottom 6 percent of standardized test scores. Sentance said many more are chronically struggling, enough to trigger the state intervention option. The state board vote is the first step in the intervention process and sends a notice to the local system about the board’s intent to intervene. The local system has 21 days to respond to the intervention notice and could propose its own plan to address the problem. The state board will vote in February on whether to proceed. Some Montgomery school officials said Thursday that they welcome the move. Montgomery County Board of Education President Robert Porterfield said the state can bring needed resources to help do what is “best for children.” “There is a great heart here to improve schools,” Sentance said. State Board member Ella Bell, who represents much of Montgomery, said she thought the county schools had been suffered from “historic neglect” and a chronic underfunding because of the county’s low tax support for schools. “This is the first time the state has ever, ever reached out to bring children of color, our poor white children, up to a level of prominence with all the other school children in this state,” she said. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Alabama announces failing schools across state
A whopping 75 schools across the Yellowhammer State have been classified as “failing” according to a long-awaited report by the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) that was released Thursday morning. The list is released under the state’s new Alabama Accountability Act, which requires the ALSDE to designate schools in the bottom 6 percent of standardized test scores as failing. Students in failing schools have the option to transfer to other public schools if those schools will accept them. Families are eligible for a tax credit, and taxpayer-backed scholarships, to help pay for private education as well. Families in the failing schools also have priority for the scholarships, but others may also obtain them. Below is the full list of the 2017 failing schools:
Presidential mock election to give Alabama students opportunity to vote, learn
The Secretary of State’s office, in collaboration with the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE), the American Village and the Alabama Independent Schools Association (AISA), will host an “Alabama Votes” Student Mock Election October 25. The program is open to Alabama students in fourth through twelfth grades. “One of the most fundamental rights we as Americans are afforded is our right to vote,” Secretary of State John Merrill said in a press release. “Our students in the state of Alabama have the opportunity to be a powerful voice in the electoral process, and we must do everything we can to educate them on the importance of their right to vote.” The event gives students an early opportunity to become familiar with the electoral process and will generate awareness among Alabama’s student population. Ballots will be distributed to all of Alabama’s 1,500 schools, as well as various home school networks, via the ALSDE and AISA, the data from which will then be forwarded to the central office and on to the Secretary of State’s Office. “The ‘Alabama Votes’ Mock Election is a great way to generate interest and spur excitement among Alabama’s student population about civic responsibility, democratic principles, and the upcoming presidential election,” said ALSDE Superintendent Tommy Bice. “This opportunity gives students a platform to discuss their individual viewpoints on everything from social and domestic issues to foreign policy and economics. The Mock Election will focus squarely on getting young people engaged in the voting process as they simulate voting for a real-life presidential candidate.” The American Village will host a Student Mock election Convention July 12 through 14 for students in ninth through twelfth grade in any of Alabama’s public, private, parochial or home schools. The last day to register for the event is April 22 and can be done from the American Village website.
