ALABAMA

NEWS AND ISSUES IN ALABAMA PUBLIC EDUCATION, K-12 SEPTEMBER 2000

he state Board of Education started discussing recommendations in August that may lead to creation of astate policy on how students are promoted by the 2001-2002school year.

Board members heard a status report from a committee ofabout 30 educators at its August work session. The committeebegan researching social promotion and retention practices inDecember 1999. Social promotion is the practice wherestudents are allowed to pass through school with their peerswithout satisfying academic requirements or meetingperformance goals at key grades.

The committee’s report recommended benchmark grades beestablished at the end of grades 3 and 7. The report also statedthat final plan should combine high expectations withintervention strategies for poorly-performing students, and that aplan should include remediation programs and support systems.

The board will spend the next few months discussing howbest to develop and implement a statewide policy to end socialpromotion. The board will continue working with thecommittee to iron out a final recommendation. A new policycould begin as a pilot program in a handful of schools or as afull grade phase-in program, but no decision or start date hasbeen set.

Just under 100,000 of the state’s 462,655 students taking theStanford Achievement Test read one or more grades below gradelevel. Those students are the ones most likely to be affected bysocial promotion or retention, and could benefit the most fromalternative programs aimed at keeping them on grade level.

Alabama is among the first wave of states to tackle socialpromotion. In 1999, at least nine states adopted policies againstsocial promotion. Most education experts believe policies needto provide specialized instruction for at-risk students and staffdevelopment for teachers in order to be effective. Recommen-dations to the state Board of Education will include suchprograms in Alabama’s plan to end social promotion.

SOCIAL PROMOTION

COMMITTEE FINDINGSNeither social promotion nor retention servesstudents well.

Ending social promotion requires combining highexpectations and intervention.

Programs and support to ensure success for allstudents are essential.

Reforms must occur in educator training, parentalinvolvement, and funding.

A plan to end social promotion must:call for all students to learn at high levels;

set benchmarks as a foundation for future learning;

require frequent and ongoing assessments;

virtually eliminate “passing students along;” and

refuse to accept failure as the norm.

STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION TAKES ON

SocialPromotion

“Quick fixes and easy answersdo not work. Current systemsfor preventing school failure andsocial promotion will requirecomprehensive reform.”

—Social Promotion/Retention Committee report

tarting with this back-to-school edition, Alabama Education News

features a new look and some changes in the way it conveys information to

readers. Our changes are in response to a readership survey conducted last spring.

Your responses were positive. For instance, you graded us more than

80 percent good or excellent overall. We appreciate the favorable

opinions, and we remain committed to provide you with timely,

accurate, and informative articles about the latest statewide issues

affecting K-12 education.

With this edition, we will make some changes in appearance,

style, and content in an effort to better serve you. The writing

style will be more concise, the layout more visual, and the articles

geared toward the topics you asked for in your survey responses. We

hope you will be pleased with the changes. Here’s what you told us in your

survey responses:

• 65 percent read all or almost all of every edition of Alabama Education News;• 88 percent find Alabama Education News useful and relevant more often

than not; and• 35 percent rely on Alabama Education News as a primary source of

education news, followed by local newspapers, television news, andother education publications.

You also told us you wanted to see more articles on professional

development, legislative issues, curriculum, school funding, and student

discipline. We will try to bring you articles on those topics, as well as

other topics that made your “most wanted” list, such as parental

involvement, technology, intervention, and special education.

2 Alabama Education News

A NEW ALABAMA EDUCATION NEWS FOR 2000-2001

HOW DO YOU RATE ALABAMA EDUCATION NEWS IN THESE AREAS?

OW THOROUGHLY

DO YOU READ EACH ISSUE?

OW OFTEN DO YOU FIND

ARTICLES USEFUL OR RELEVANT?

ALABAMA EDUCATION NEWS TOP 10 LISTTopics you want to read about in upcoming issues

1. Professional development 6. Instructional methods2. Education-related legislative issues 7. Parental involvement3. Curriculum 8. State standards4. School funding 9. Instructional leadership5. Student discipline 10. School safety

S H

H

SURVEY RESULTS

September 2000 3

tanford Achievement Test results last spring lifted

many schools and school systems from the threat of

state intervention. It was a sigh of relief for many.

School Assistance Teams from the state Department of

Education have worked hard during the past three years to

help Alert schools

make improvements.

Teachers and

administrators have

worked hard to

implement school

improvement plans and

to ensure students

achieve higher

standards.

The work

is paying off.

The number of

Clear schools reached 1,122 in 2000, an increase of 177

schools since the state’s accountability measures started in

1996. The overall number of Alert schools decreased from 91

in 1999 to 68 in 2000. Also during the past year, 23 Alert

schools moved to Clear (including 11 Alert 2 schools), 30

Alert schools moved to Caution (including 18 Alert 2

schools), and 38 Caution schools moved to Clear.

STILL ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENTFrom that point, there’s good news and bad news.

First, the bad news. Six schools start the 2000-2001 school

year under state intervention. Those schools are Jess Lanier

High School in Bessemer, Cobb Elementary in A n n i s t o n ,

Russell County High School, Lowndes County Middle

School, Cloverdale Junior High School in Montgomery,

and Litchfield High School in Gadsden. Chief

administrative officers, chief academic officers, special

service teachers will work with those schools toward

meeting their improvement goals.

Aseventh school – Louisville High School in Barbour

County – avoided intervention because it merged with Clayton

High School to become Barbour County High School. The new

school is on Alert 2 status, and chief administrative and chief

academic officers have been assigned.

ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURES WORKING

SCHOOLS PRODUCE ‘INCREDIBLE ’ RESULTS ON STANFORD 9

Alert Schools

S

“The number of Alert 1 and Alert 2 schoolsis declining.”

– Ed Richardson, State Superintendent of Education

– Continued on Page 11 –

Ed Richardson

The good news is that state Department of Education

prevention and intervention efforts are working. Litchfield

High School is in its second year of intervention, but it made

two-thirds of the improvement it needed during the first year

of targeted assistance.

“I am pleased to see significant gains in Litchfield’s

scores,” says State Superintendent of Education EdRichardson. “Teachers, administrators, students, and parents

have moved this school closer to where it needs to be

academically. More work still needs to be done, and I am

hopeful by this time next year that

Litchfield will be Clear.”

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUEAnother source of good news was that Stanford

Achievement Test scores improved in the five school systems

on Alert 2 status in 1999. Four of those systems returned to

either Clear or Caution status. Lowndes County improved

enough to be classified as Caution.

4 Alabama Education News

Alabama high school seniors taking the ACT college

entrance exam continue to prove that higher standards

directly affect college readiness and work force preparation.

For the fifth consecutive year, Alabama seniors

outscored seniors in neighboring states with a statewide

average of 20.2. That score remains the highest in the state’s

history. The southeastern regional average was 20.0. The

national average was 21.0. The ACT tests English, math,

reading, and science reasoning. The score range is 1 to 36.

Perhaps the biggest surprise is that the statewide average

held steady even though record numbers of Alabama seniors –

30,422 – took the test. That number represents 68 percent of

the class of 2000, up three percent over the class of 1999.

“Our test scores, especially given the overall increase in

seniors taking the A C T, reflect the significance of A l a b a m a ’s

requirement of a 4x4 curriculum,” says State Superintendent of

Education Ed Richardson. “We have held steady at 20.2,

which is the highest average A C T score in A l a b a m a ’s history.

Since 1996, we have had an increase of almost 20 percent more

seniors who are obviously preparing for college.”

Alabama seniors completing the core curriculum or more

– defined by the ACT program as four years of English and

three years each of math, social studies and science – scored

21.1. The southern regional average was 20.9. The national

average was 22.0.

One of the most significant conclusions from ACT data

over the past decade is that more Alabama seniors are

preparing for college while posting increases on average

ACT scores. The trend of record numbers of college-bound

students taking the ACT in Alabama is mirrored nationwide,

with more than 1.06 million taking the exam in 2000.

Another significant trend in Alabama is an increase in

seniors taking the A C T-defined core or more. The overall

number of seniors completing the core or more increased

from 19,195 (65 percent) in 1999 to 21,780 (72 percent)

in 2000.

Alabama ACT College Entrance Exam ResultsComposite Scores

Year Total Percent Completed Completed AllStudents Completing Core or Less than Students

Core More Core

1996 25,481 63 21.4 17.8 20.11997 27,631 63 21.5 17.7 20.21998 28,708 65 21.4 17.7 20.11999 29,308 65 21.4 17.7 20.22000 30,422 72 21.1 17.8 20.2

Following the first fall administration of the AlabamaHigh School Graduation Exam in the senior year, seniorsnot passing all subjects of the exam may be eligible forthe alternate diploma.Students must be working toward completion of all 4X4course requirements.Parents must submit a written request for their child toparticipate in the program.Students who wish to participate must:- Take the Official GED Practice Test.- Attend AHSGE remediation classes.- Participate in other preparation activities such as

GED on TV (Alabama Public Television).They may not receive their high school diploma prior tothe graduation of their respective graduating class.They must earn standard scores established by theAmerican Council on Education GED Testing Service.Prior to graduation of their class, eligible students willcontinue to attempt passing the AHSGE even if theyhave already passed the GED Test.To graduate from high school, students must pass allcourse requirements of the state and local boards ofeducation, and either the AHSGE or the GED Test.

■ See related story on page 5.

ACT SCORES STEADY; MORE STUDENTS PREPARE FOR COLLEGE

RECORD NUMBERS TAKE ACT COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAM

THE ALTERNATE ADULT HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA OPTION – HOW DOES IT WORK?

September 2000 5

The first administration has come and gone. Results are

in. The train is still on its track.

Most members of the class of 2001 have already

passed the subtests of the new Alabama High School

Graduation Exam required for them to graduate next

spring. Only the reading and language subtests are required

for this year’s seniors.

Findings show that more than three-quarters of students

taking the reading and language subtests of the exam have

already passed the necessary requirements set for the class of

2001. The state Board of Education set the passing scores for

reading and language in June. Scores for all five sections of

the exam will be based on a scale ranging from 0 to 999.

MEETING HIGHER STANDARDSThe scaled passing score for reading is 563; the scaled

passing score for language is 560. Of the approximately

47,000 students in the class of 2001 who took the reading

and language subtests, 83 percent passed reading and 76

percent passed language by the end of the eleventh grade.

The reading and language results from last year’s

tenth graders are further indication that students are rising

to the higher challenges of the new exam. Of the

approximately 45,000 tenth graders who took the reading

and language pre-tests, 74 percent passed reading and 70

percent passed language.

In addition to the reading and language subtests, the

class of 2002 must pass the math and science subtests to

graduate. Based on passing scores adopted in July for math

and science, more than half of the tenth graders who took the

math and science tests last spring as a pre-test passed on

their first attempt. The math scaled score is 477; the science

scaled score is 491. Based on those numbers, 55 percent of

those students – the class of 2002 – already passed the math

subtest prior to their junior year; 64 percent already passed

the science subtest.

Students have up to six scheduled opportunities to pass

the exam before the end of their senior year. In addition,

students will have one additional opportunity to take the

mathematics subtest if they successfully complete Algebra I

before the tenth grade. Students who successfully complete

biology before the tenth grade will also have an additional

opportunity to take the science subtest.

THE NEW GRADUATION EXAMSTATEWIDE RESULTS ARE NO ‘TRAIN WRECK ’

In approving the passing scores, the state Board of

Education made it clear that passing scores will likely be

ratcheted up in the future to hold students to higher

standards. No time table has been set for raising the scores.

Sophomores and juniors arepreparing for the spring 2001administration of the AlabamaHigh School Graduation Exam.

Upcoming AHSGE Testing Dates

• Sept. 25-29, 2000

• Dec. 5-8, 2000

• March 12-16, 2001

– Continued on Page 11 –

6 Alabama Education News

COMMUNICATION IS KEY IN RAY’S SERVICE

District 7 state Board of Education member

Sandra Ray hears from her constituents pretty

regularly. “I take pride in the fact that residents

throughout my district stop me by name to

express concerns, but to also tell me what is

good about Alabama education,” Ray says.

Ray has represented District 7, consisting

mainly of northwest Alabama, since 1995. Her

district, while not the largest, contains 11

counties, 22 school systems, and three

community colleges.

“I make every effort to be accessible,” Ray

says. “I try to attend activities throughout the

district, and I have a cell phone, voice mail, e-mail, fax, and an in-state toll-free

telephone number. I return all phone calls, e-mails, and letters.”

Ray is a Tuscaloosa real estate broker who served on the Tuscaloosa

County board of education. She said she believes setting higher standards and

developing programs to help students achieve them is one of the most

important goals facing Alabama – and it’s a goal that is being met.

Despite recent accomplishments, Ray says our education system’s biggest

obstacle is still public perception. “Alabama educators have had to do everything

so much better than other states to garner credit for any achievements,” she says.

“What is finally obvious is that we are doing many things better with higher

standards and with more consistent success than other states. However, we have a

longer road to travel and we must maintain our high standards as we travel it.”

But as long as the road is, Ray believes we’re making progress. She gives much

of the credit to the contributions of teachers, enthusiasm of students, and the support

of parents. “ I hope educators and the public are viewing A l a b a m a ’s educational

system as improving,” Ray says. “I believe we can expect continued improvements. The best way to realize how far we have

come is to look back 10 or 15 years.”

This is part three of a series that will profile each member of the state Board of Education.

Sandra Ray

Dr. Ethel Hall was unanimously elected vice president of the state Board of

Education at the board’s annual meeting on July 11. The board is required by law to

meet annually to elect a vice president to preside over meetings in the absence of

the governor, who serves as president of the board.

Hall, who represents District 4, is serving her sixth consecutive term as the

board’s vice president. Hall is a retired public school educator and college

professor. She has served on the state Board of Education since 1987.

HALL SERVES SIXTH TERM AS BOARD VP

Dr. Ethel H. Hall

secondary teacher are

selected from each of the

eight state Board of

Education districts. A state

selection committee then

chooses four of the 16

district finalists to be

interviewed to determine Alabama’s Teacher of the Year and

an alternate.

The Teacher of the Year is Alabama’s nominee for

National Teacher of the Year.

PRESIDENT HONORS OUTGOING TOP TEACHER

Ann Dominick Hardin, A l a b a m a ’s outgoing Teacher of

the Ye a r, represented Alabama at the White House on May 11 .

President Bill

Clinton and

Secretary of

Education Richard

Riley honored

Hardin and other

state teachers of

the year in an Oval

O ffice ceremony.

Hardin

teaches fourth

grade at South

Shades Crest

Elementary in

Hoover.

September 2000 7

It is a year of firsts, and seconds, in Alabama’s Teacher

of the year program.

The first: it’s the first time the Teacher of the Year and

Alternate Teacher of the Year are National Board Certified.

The seconds: it’s the second year in a row the top teacher

was from the Hoover city school system, and the second time

the two top teachers are from the same school system (the first

time was 1997-98 when both were from Baldwin County).

Berry Middle School teacher Tonya Perry is Alabama’s

Teacher of the Year and Secondary Teacher of the Year. Trace

Crossings Elementary

first grade teacher

Tami Puchta is the

Elementary Teacher

of the Year and

alternate State

Teacher of the Year.

Perry and Puchta

were among the four

finalists considered by

a state selection

committee. The others

were Carolyn D.Green from Lee County and Sandra Russell from Baldwin

County. The four finalists were among 16 district teachers of

the year selected in April.

The selection process for Alabama’s State Teacher of the

Year begins again late this fall at the school level. School

honorees are nominated to the school system level, and each

school system can nominate an elementary and a secondary

teacher to the district level. One elementary and one

TWO HOOVER TEACHERS ARE

TOPS FOR 2000-2001

Tonya Perry

Tami Puchta

Photo credit: David Scull, White House photo

Tonya Perry is congratulated by Dr. Jack Farr, superintendent ofHoover City Schools.

8 Alabama Education News

Four Alabama educators were among 172 nationwide

honored in June with one of America’s most prestigious

private education awards.

The four educators received the Milken Family Foundation’s

National Educator Award. The award

carries with it a $25,000 unrestricted

financial award. Recipients are selected

on the basis of numerous criteria,

including classroom, school and

community educational practices;

creativity and originality in their

teaching; instilling confidence and

character in students; and a commitment

to professional development.

Opelika teacher Suzanne Culbreth,

Walker County teacher RobertYoungblood, Huntsville teacher ErnieMeinecke, and Birmingham principal

Gloria Jemison joined four other

Alabama educators as Alabama’s only

Milken honorees. They attended the Milken

Family Foundation outstanding educator conference June 26-

29 in Los Angeles, Calif., to receive their awards. All four

were informed of the honor last fall by surprise visits from

State Superintendent of Education Ed Richardson and

representatives of the Milken Family Foundation.

EXCELLENCE PAYS OFF

MILKEN FOUNDATION HONORS ALABAMA EDUCATORS

The outstanding educator conference focused on a strategy

for assuring high caliber teachers and the growing shortage

of quality teachers. Educators at the conference heard that

barely one in 10 college-bound high school students

expressed a strong interest in teaching, according to a

Milken survey.

MILKEN FOUNDATION INVESTSBIG IN ALABAMA

The Milken Family Foundation is investing in the

future of Alabama through school partnerships and

honoring educators with the prestigious National Educator

Awards. The foundation’s goal is to encourage the state’s

best and brightest high school students to enter the

teaching profession.

The foundation’s most recent boost to education comes

in the form of a $6,000 grant to help Harrand Creek

Elementary in Enterprise open an outdoor classroom. The

classroom was dedicated last spring. Other donors to the

project were the Choctawhatchee, Pea and Yellow River

Watershed Management Authority ($4,200), Alabama Power

Co. ($1,000), the Harrand Creek PTA ($750).

Support for the outdoor classroom comes in addition to

more than $100,000 annually since 1998 to honor

outstanding educators in Alabama.

Private sector donations have made it possible for students at Enterprise’s HarrandCreek Elementary to learn about nature and wildlife in an outdoor classroom.

Robert Youngblood, right, an agriculture teacher at Oakman HighSchool in Walker County, accepts a $25,000 check from LowellMilken, co-founder of the Milken Family Foundation’s NationalEducator Award. He was one of four recipients.

September 2000 9

The U.S. Department of Education has selected

Mountain Brook Junior High School as a National

Blue Ribbon School. It is one of only 198 schools

chosen nationwide.

The Blue Ribbon Schools Program was

established by the Secretary of Education in 1982.

The program has three purposes:

• to identify and give public recognition tooutstanding public and private schools;

• to make available a comprehensiveframework of key criteria for schooleffectiveness that can serve as a basis forparticipatory self-assessment and planning inschools; and

• to facilitate communication and sharing ofbest practices within and among schoolsbased on a common understanding of criteriarelated to success.Elementary and secondary schools (middle,

junior high and high schools) are eligible to participate in

alternate years. A special awards ceremony is scheduled for

Sept. 22-23 in Washington, D.C.

Teresa D. Zimmer, a gifted

enrichment teacher at Carlisle

Park Middle School in

Guntersville, was selected by a

state committee as this year’s

Christa McAuliffe Fellow. The

Christa McAuliffe Fellowship is

a federally funded program

honoring the late Sharon Christa

McAuliffee, the teacher-

astronaut who died in the 1986

explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger.

This annual state-based program provides fellowships to

outstanding teachers to enable and encourage them to

continue their education, develop innovative programs,

consult with or assist local education agencies, or to improve

the skills of teachers and the education of students.

Zimmer has receive $26,457 to fund her project.

Zimmer will use the grant to establish a model of

professional development to equip teachers with the tools to

MOUNTAIN BROOK JUNIOR HIGH EARNS BLUE RIBBON

GUNTERSVILLE TEACHER IS CHRISTA MCAULIFFE FELLOW

Teresa D. Zimmer

“I touch the future,I teach.”

integrate technology in the curriculum. The overall goal is to

use technology to increase student achievement.

Applications for the future Christa McAuliffe

Fellowships are available from the state Department of

Education’s Communications Office, (334) 242-9950.

10 Alabama Education News

A new CD-ROM containingimportant curriculum resources isin Alabama schools in time forthe new school year.

It contains the newly-developed K-6 Pathways forLearning documents. The K-6Pathways material, like its 7-12companion, is a supplement to theAlabama Courses of Study toprovide resources and lessonplans to help keep students ontrack toward graduation.

A CD-ROM released duringthe 1999-2000 school yearcontained the 7-12 Pathways forLearning documents, theAlabama Courses of Study, aCourses of Study A s s e s s m e n tCorrelation, and the Counselingand Guidance guidelines.

These CDs, produced by thestate Department of Education’sClassroom Improvement section,make it easy to access severalimportant instructional resourcedocuments. One CD is providedfor each school system’s centralo ffice and two additional CDswill be provided for each K-6school.

NEW CD-ROM

CONTAINS

IMPORTANT

INSTRUCTIONAL

RESOURCES

ALFA PROGRAM HONORS

TEACHERS AND PRINCIPALSUse this schedule and watch for information mailed to

school offices to meet application deadlines.

In 1998 Alfa Farmers Federation and Alfa Insurance Companies partnered

with the Alabama Department of Education to create the Alfa Teacher of the

Month Awards. The program honors outstanding public or private school teachers

and principals with $1,000 cash awards (not grant awards) and $1,000 to their

schools. The state Department of Education coordinates the application process.

The state superintendent of education sends a written request for applications to

principals of public and private schools and to public school superintendents prior

to each award period. Each call for applications specifies a deadline date for

applications to be returned. Alfa honors one outstanding public school teacher from

each of Alabama’s eight state school board districts, two private school teachers, and

two principals from public and private schools during the 12 months of the year.

Alfa notifies each honoree of his or her selection.

SCHEDULE FOR MAKING AWARDS✒January – Board District 8

✒February - Board District 7

✒March - Board District 6

✒April - Board District 5

✒May - Board District 4

✒June – Private school teacher

✒July – Private school teacher

✒August – Principal

✒September – Principal

✒October - Board District 3

✒November - Board District 2

✒December - Board District 1

DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTING APPLICATIONS✒Board Districts 3, 2 and 1, Sept. 1, 2000

✒Board Districts 8 and 7, Oct. 25, 2000

✒Board Districts 6, 5 and 4, Feb. 1, 2001

✒Private School Teachers, March 28, 2001

✒Principals, May 11, 2001

For more information about the Alfa Teacher of the Month Program, contact Tony Harris at the Alabama Department of Education,

(334) 242-9950 or tharris@alsde.edu.

September 2000 11

THE STANFORD 9 IN 2000:• 462,655 students took the Stanford 9,

up 524 over 1999

• All subject areas are at or above thenational average

• Total Battery is six percentile pointsabove the national average

• Alabama now has 177 more Clearschools than in 1996

FROM 1999 TO 2000:• 23 Alert school moved to Clear

• 38 Caution schools move to Clear

• 30 alert schools moved to Caution

• Of the Alert 2 schools in 1999:• 11 are Clear• 19 improved to Caution• 18 are still on Alert• 29 schools are on Alert 2 status for

2000, down by 18 schools

SCHOOLS PRODUCE ‘INCREDIBLE ’RESULTS ON STANFORD 9Continued from Page 3

State Superintendent of Education Ed Richardson announces Stanford Achievement Testresults at a June press conference. Six schools are on Alert 3 status, but a record 1,122schools are on Clear status.

Social studies becomes the fifth

and final subtest on the new Alabama

High School Graduation Exam

starting with the class of 2003.

AHSGE HISTORYThe first edition of the exam,

initially administered in 1983 to the

class of 1985, was on a sixth grade

level and tested basic reading,

language, and mathematics. The second

edition, administered for the first time

in 1991, was the result of a 1988 Board

resolution that a more difficult test be

required of all graduates beginning with

the class of 1993. The second edition

also included reading, language, and

mathematics, and increased to an eighth

and ninth grade level of difficulty

ON THE WEBFor more information about the

Alabama High School Graduation

Exam, including results from each

school, go to www.alsde.edu. Look

under Education News; or click

Sections Within SDE, then click

Classroom Improvement, and then click

Alabama High School Graduation

Exam-Pathways for Learning.

STATEWIDE RESULTSContinued from Page 5

“These improvements are

significant,” Richardson says. “We

should be proud of the teachers,

administrators, staff, and parents in our

state. It is incredible that we continue

to improve, and that we have reached

and exceeded the national average on

the Stanford 9 while our schools

continue to be funded well below the

national average.”

Alabama’s statewide average for

2000 is 56 on a percentile scale, six

percentile points above the national

average of 50.

Four Alabama teachers are among 200 selected to

receive Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics

and Science Teaching, the nation’s highest commendation for

K-12 math and science teachers.

The awards recognize sustained and exemplary work

by math and science educators. The state award winners are

Gail Ford Garner, elementary math, Bluff Park

E l e m e n t a r y, Hoover City; Nancy Moody Chilton,

secondary math, Pizitz Middle, Vestavia Hills City;

M a rtha I. Mackay, elementary science, Pinson

E l e m e n t a r y, Jefferson County; and Lynne M. McElhaney,

secondary science, LeFlore High, Mobile County.

HOW CAN YOU APPLY?Applications are being accepted for the next round of

Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and

Science Teaching. To apply, contact Dr. Frank Heatherly at

the state Department of Education, (334) 242-8059, or

frankh@alsde.edu. Or download an application from the

National Science Foundation homepage at www.nsf.gov/pa.

ALABAMA MATH , SCIENCE TEACHERS RECEIVE PRESIDENTIAL AWARDS

Alabama State Board of Education Members

Gov. Don Siegelman, President

Dist. 1 - Bradley Byrne MobileDist. 2 - G. J. “Dutch” Higginbotham AuburnDist. 3 - Stephanie W. Bell MontgomeryDist. 4 - Ethel H. Hall, Vice Pres. FairfieldDist. 5 - Willie J. Paul MontgomeryDist. 6 - David F. Byers Jr. BirminghamDist. 7 - Sandra Ray TuscaloosaDist. 8 - Mary Jane Caylor Scottsboro

Ed Richardson, State Superintendent of Education and Secretary andExecutive Officer of the Alabama State Board of Education

Editorial StaffManaging Editor - Mitch Edwards 242-9950Editor - Tony Harris 242-9950Contributing Editor - Ann Starks 242-9950Contributing Editor - Tom Salter 242-9950Contributing Editor - Rebecca Leigh Hobbs 242-8059Graphic Artist - Mary Nell Shaw 242-9957

______________The Alabama State Department of Education publishes Alabama Education News (USPS387-290) monthly except for June, July, and December. Editorial offices are located in theGordon Persons Building, Montgomery, 36130-2101. Alabama Education News is composedby the Department of Education’s Communications Section and printed by Alabama PressInc. of Birmingham. Periodicals postage paid in Montgomery and at an additional mailingoffice.

This publication, authorized by Section 16-2-4 of the code of Alabama, as recompiled in1975, is a public service of the Alabama State Department of Education designed to informcitizens and educators about programs and goals of public education in Alabama.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Alabama Press Inc., attention Ken Williams, 2823Central Avenue, Homewood, AL35209.

It is the official policy of the Alabama State Department of Education that no person inAlabama shall, on the grounds of race, color, disability, sex, religion, national origin, or age,be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discriminationunder any program, activity, or employment.

Copies available in Braille or other forms upon request.

VOL 24 • NO 1SEPT. 2000

State Superintendent of Education Ed Richardsonbelieves Alabama’s education system turned the cornerduring the past year.

He will discuss recent improvements on an AlabamaPublic Television special in September. The program, “TheState of Our Schools,” will focus on how the AlabamaReading Initiative, career/technical education standards,quality teachers, and accountability programs – with specialemphasis on safety and discipline – are helping improve theoverall state of education.

Richardson will narrate the 30-minute show. It willfeature interviews with state Board of Education members,teachers and principals, and leaders in efforts to improveeducation.

‘TURNING THE CORNER’

APT PROGRAM EXPLORES ‘S TATE OF OUR SCHOOLS ’

“The State of Our Schools”• 12:30 p.m., 6 p.m., and 11:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28• 10:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29• 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1

The program will also be available for viewing at www.aptv.org.