[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,86],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6427681,"mediaKeyId","5885972-df997ea719b00c5746e6cf5174a1ae12","parentId",5885972,"title","Panel recommends 233 cut score for Pearson Foundations of Reading test; board told standard-setting aligns with science of reading","audioSeconds",373,"startMs",7711000,"endMs",8084000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5885972-df997ea719b00c5746e6cf5174a1ae12&start=7711&end=8084","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5885972-df997ea719b00c5746e6cf5174a1ae12/thumbnail_7711000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6427681/Alabama/Panel-recommends-233-cut-score-for-Pearson-Foundations-of-Reading-test-board-told-standard-setting-aligns-with-science-of-reading","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6427681-f61aa7dd37c4060cc70babbaf8ff6308/orig.mp4?Expires=1771058773&Signature=G9HopuhFZVdznLcHcpMzph8Ms7beLVA~1czMyq4n1surrKxUCCbQxuJQkkioXtXtgZ8rb3MlYwRLxgsiFBMWb10WkNEue4OrqM1cO~OyYvidlS3yY2c20ExwyoTd-4PLobXrhA4LfUJM5JSYmh5TeAcn7mKdbsb1QIllHo-b2ZcipZmWk2TZ2eHge9bct2RgaJHZix24kpbwk0M7O0EqoxuiD93m8eL1AqUqtpcBWnLBKcm5TCDaoDcNrmKeWJvbG2JfgTXdSBZmRAmnyqU6JuTbsPfe9-ilPJ8eEEdybrkDWzrepwSriSIDZI1YCXVICgc4JNowoPl86uYNQ8kqqw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Alabama State Department of Education","date","2025-10-01T23:43:01Z","article","At a work session of the Alabama State Board of Education, department staff presented results from a December standard-setting study and recommended that the state adopt a passing score of 233 for the Pearson Foundations of Reading (Form 190) exam.

The recommendation comes after a one-day standard-setting panel held Dec. 13 that included classroom teachers, district administrators and higher-education faculty, the department said. Denise Peacock, who led the presentation, said the panel recommended 233 on the test’s 100–300 scale and explained what that score represents: \"That 233 equals 55 out of a possible 85 on the multiple choice questions ... and 8 out of 16 possible on the open ended response,\" she said.

Board members were told the change is tied to Alabama’s move to align teacher preparation and licensure with the science of reading. Peacock said the Pearson test is a newer version of a Massachusetts assessment other states use and that panelists believed it mapped more closely to foundational reading skills than the Praxis test the state previously used.

The presentation outlined how other states are handling the Pearson benchmark. Peacock noted that several states—Arkansas, Connecticut, Mississippi and North Carolina—have adopted 233, while Massachusetts and some states use a 240 benchmark, and some states (including Utah) have temporarily delayed a higher benchmark because of COVID-related adjustments.

Board members asked operational questions about the test’s delivery and reporting. Peacock said candidates may retake the test and that institutions will have access to diagnostic reports; the department plans to make implementation details available to higher-education partners. She also said the state’s requirement tied to the literacy act remains in place: early-childhood, elementary and certain special-education candidates must meet a foundations-of-reading requirement.

The department staff told the board it will present recommended rule language and an implementation timeline at upcoming meetings; staff discussed using the administrative rule process together with an emergency rule if the board wants changes to apply to the coming academic year.

Ending: The board did not vote at the work session. Staff said they expect to bring rule language and a formal adoption timeline to a future board meeting so the board can consider the recommendation through the agency’s rulemaking process.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Alabama Board of Education Work Session 3 10 22","oneSentenceSummary","At a work session of the Alabama State Board of Education, department staff presented results from a December standard-setting study and recommended that the state adopt a passing score of 233 for the Pearson Foundations of Reading (Form 190) exam.","taxTitle","Alabama State Department of Education, State Agencies, Executive, Alabama","taxId",80275,"location","Alabama","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":44,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":50,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6427674,"Work group proposes suspending Praxis content tests for preparation-program graduates and easing edTPA requirement for alternate-route hires",1555,9266000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5885972-df997ea719b00c5746e6cf5174a1ae12&start=7711&end=9266","/articles/6427674/Alabama/Work-group-proposes-suspending-Praxis-content-tests-for-preparation-program-graduates-and-easing-edTPA-requirement-for-alternate-route-hires","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6427674-2a9ea1c68d91394476ea4feb33a6806f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771058773&Signature=SIbRnQxQ5VEJgadq9vo7i1Q2nz0nEc4y-LE8BeVz9xH~iBMZlPG1InB1M9EQnqhCj9aE-BiYL~j6CnTR0vkfpKZYapJpwTnOYLZSueBvNGscwkUNEG9308txQJyHK~yRkVCSVlHC0aAOXq5gxPLfIcvHsI9scTQ0SEdf4wqU1GeDQoAESoxJfUUJQbqulDx8q2n0oGP0Rbm66fSsKVGNDLVNtLxBrSU9EH8thS3ZtUNunQyI3-Jhc9c4p5J1-XUGRzrOwih-2kh1vEw~BA5Dte6xZVVbCOOgJuIgbNjPylBOnTSdWvwVvhgnniKKnlXSjGZ6yTzO~bdIMRWfkr-qnA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At the Alabama State Board of Education work session, the teacher preparation and certification work group presented a set of recommendations intended to increase the number of certified teachers while preserving instructional quality.

Denise Peacock and members of the work group told the board the central goal is twofold: increase the quantity of certified educators available to school systems and retain a level of quality for new teachers. Key recommendations presented were:

- Suspend the Praxis content knowledge assessment for individuals who complete an Alabama-approved educator preparation program in a teaching field (the department’s slides treated this suspension as statewide across teaching fields). Staff said edTPA (the performance portfolio) would remain a requirement for candidates from preparation programs.

- For early-childhood P–3, elementary K–6 and collaborative special-education K–6 candidates, continue to require the foundations-of-reading assessment (mandated by the state literacy law) and edTPA as part of preparation-program requirements.

- For individuals seeking certification through an alternate route (for example, a provisional hire with a bachelor’s degree in another field who will teach while completing credentialing), require verification of content knowledge by one of two options: passing the Praxis content test or an official transcript showing an academic major or equivalent in the teaching field. The work group recommended not requiring edTPA or the PLT for alternate-route candidates who serve as the teacher of record during their provisional period and complete at least one year of supervised classroom teaching.

Work group co-chairs and several superintendents and higher-education deans explained the rationale: many institutions deliver course sequences that cover subject matter, and alternate-route candidates gain pedagogy experience while serving as classroom teachers under mentor supervision. Several higher-education deans objected to any steps that would lower quality, citing program rigor and field hours; deans and K–12 leaders said the group’s recommendations aim to balance quality with the need to expand the pool of available teachers.

Superintendent Shavon Smiley of Perry County described shortages in rural districts and urged the board to act: \"In August, the teacher shortage really hit us ... we did not have teachers at all,\" she said, describing multiple long-term vacancies the district had to cover without certified teachers.

Deans noted Praxis has been a barrier for some candidates who otherwise complete degree requirements; one dean told the board the state knows of “two to three hundred students” who might enter the teacher pool if Praxis were not blocking certification.

Staff described next steps: the department plans to present administrative rule language at the next board meeting and discussed using the agency’s permanent-rule timeline together with an emergency rule so changes could apply to candidates for the coming academic year. The board did not take a vote at the work session.

Ending: Staff said they will return with proposed rule language, outreach materials for higher-education partners and districts, and recommended timelines for adoption and implementation.","A multi-stakeholder work group recommended changes to Alabama teacher certification rules to address the statewide teacher shortage: suspend Praxis content tests for graduates of approved preparation programs, keep edTPA for traditional preparation candidates, and remove the edTPA/PLT requirement for certain alternate-route teachers who have at",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6427659,"Pending numeracy bill could force Alabama to produce two report cards and cost the department about $500,000 annually, staff say",279,821000,1100000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5885972-df997ea719b00c5746e6cf5174a1ae12&start=821&end=1100","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5885972-df997ea719b00c5746e6cf5174a1ae12/thumbnail_821000.jpg","/articles/6427659/Alabama/Pending-numeracy-bill-could-force-Alabama-to-produce-two-report-cards-and-cost-the-department-about-500000-annually-staff-say","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6427659-4f4ade923b4f6c0d8cc91a4746b10ac1/orig.mp4?Expires=1771058773&Signature=k8YNp1hf0efEgdgg8efWQFhi-QK0vT~RS-swJVBIRFR4FdoZk3q5QIF84kihlpW2B4krMu9U4pCikO73RtKU20qlbnC4hhgBid~69ts~tGRUo1pnkf~uhyCep2TVi6g9ZiucVT4fCJ7ea6rp9rU5WyPco~qSBY0sGWpVgodxnL7zKPyrFqOMViNRI2CocyZRRqHVFJVVU6H1t4pzh-U5VlPIKzWfiAdGpYiAs1aemSLNtW5rIwWl8FsDSgh4coBfAw~H-iQ78YQXUjT7kEEfJxaksfGSRZhV4u9g9rxtn8uRTRmf1huUFu5CeOhUkBuJeeUqcKyYLURuyG3tQD~reA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At the Alabama State Board of Education work session, staff described a pending House measure related to numeracy and told the board it could require the department to produce a separate state report card calculation that excludes English-language learners (ELs).

Staff explained that if the legislature requires the department to calculate some accountability measures without EL students, the state would still have to comply with federal ESSA report-card requirements. That would likely mean publishing: (1) a federally compliant report card that follows federal law and (2) a state report card that follows the legislative formula. Staff warned that producing and maintaining two parallel report cards would introduce public confusion and annual costs for system maintenance.

When asked whether the department had performed a cost analysis, staff said no specific, line-item cost study had been done but based on prior experience the department estimated it would cost \"upwards of probably half a million dollars\" annually to maintain two report cards and the underlying data systems. Staff also noted earlier efforts to produce a single state/federal report card had been a priority for previous boards and administrators, and that returning to dual reporting would be confusing to parents and schools.

Board members asked operational questions about web presentation and public communication; one member suggested placing a prominent link or ‘‘mini report card’’ on the department home page to make multiple report cards easier for parents to find.

Ending: Staff said they are monitoring the legislature’s calendar and will bring a timeline and options to the board if the bill moves forward.","Board staff warned that draft legislation about numeracy could require a separate state report card calculation that excludes English-language learners, forcing the department to publish two report cards — one aligned to federal law and one to state legislative guidance — and to maintain both annually at added expense.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Panel recommends 233 cut score for Pearson Foundations of Reading test; board told standard-setting aligns with science of reading

Work group proposes suspending Praxis content tests for preparation-program graduates and easing edTPA requirement for alternate-route hires

Pending numeracy bill could force Alabama to produce two report cards and cost the department about $500,000 annually, staff say