Board replaces certification exam and adopts vetted early-reading assessment list for summer programs
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Summary
The board voted to discontinue practice 5205 certification assessments and adopt the Foundations of Reading (190) test as a replacement, and it approved a vetted list of formative K–3 reading assessments that districts may use in summer reading camps using state funds.
The Alabama State Board of Education voted to discontinue the use of practice 5205 as a certification assessment in elementary, early childhood and special education areas and to adopt the Foundations of Reading (190) assessment as the replacement. The board also adopted a vetted list of formative K–3 reading assessments authorized for use in the summer reading camp program under the Alabama Literacy Act.
Board members moved and seconded the resolution to discontinue practice 5205 and adopt the Foundations of Reading 190; the motion carried unanimously on roll call. Several agenda items later, the board voted unanimously to adopt the state superintendent’s vetted early-reading assessment list for use at the beginning and end of state-funded summer reading camps.
During discussion on the vetted list, board member Stephanie Bell asked for clarification about what the adoption meant for students and districts. Dr. Mackey clarified the department’s interpretation: the assessments on the vetted list are formative, will not be used for grades or promotion decisions, and districts may continue to use alternate formative assessments but may not spend the specific legislative funding line for the per-pupil assessment allotment unless the assessment is on the vetted list.
Dr. Mackey told the board the legislature provided funds in the budget allowing the department to allocate $6 per child in grades K–3 for reading and $6 per child for math to purchase formative assessments that appear on the vetted list. He said districts that purchased other formative tools may continue to use them, but the state allocation for the vetted assessment list can only be used for approved products. He also noted that the list is stable for the coming year but may be revised in future years.
On the certification assessment change, the board recorded a unanimous vote to replace practice 5205 with Foundations of Reading 190 for the specified certification purposes.
