The Alabama State Board of Education reviewed staff's proposal to adopt the Alabama Core Teaching Standards into the administrative code section that governs teacher professional development and evaluation.

Staff explained the standards were previously adopted and are already used in educator preparation; the proposal would formally add the same standards into the administrative code provision that governs professional learning and evaluation so the department can roll out a new observation/evaluation tool tied to those standards. Department staff said the intent would be announced in December, with a recommendation for formal adoption in February and an effective date of April 13, 2021 under standard administrative timing; the new observation instrument would be used for teacher evaluation beginning August 2021 following pilot testing.

Why it matters: Placing the Alabama Core Teaching Standards in the professional development/evaluation portion of the code aligns preparation and evaluation expectations and enables the department to implement the new observation tool across districts.

Board next steps: Board members asked for a brief executive summary of pilot results before the final action and for training plans for administrators who will use the new instrument; staff agreed to provide a pilot summary and to include training details in future briefings.

Ending: Staff said they would post the intent to adopt and bring the final rule to the board in February, with training and implementation to follow in the spring and summer.