Board seeks standards and vendors to develop foundational mathematics test; adopts emergency rule

The Alabama State Board of Education on June 13 announced its intent and adopted an emergency rule for Alabama Administrative Code Rule 290-3-3-.063, a regulation that would set standards for numeracy coursework and establish the basis for a ‘‘foundations of mathematics’’ assessment for prospective teachers.

Doctor Mackey told the board there is an existing foundations of reading test that other states have adopted, but no comparable foundations of mathematics test exists. The department intends to publish standards derived from the Numeracy Act and the higher‑education task force recommendations, then solicit vendors to develop a new assessment based on those standards. The assessment will require field testing in state institutions before the department sets a passing score for teacher certification.

‘‘We’re gonna have to go to vendors and ask for them to develop a test from scratch,’’ Mackey said, adding the department expects field testing and several years of development before the test is in routine use. He said the department hopes to have a field‑tested instrument by 2026 but emphasized that an administered test would not become a certification requirement until field testing, standard‑setting and board review are complete.

The board recorded a unanimous vote to announce the intent and to adopt the rule as an emergency measure to allow the department to begin the request‑for‑proposal process and field testing. The department said it will return to the board with field‑test results and a recommended cut score before making the assessment a certification requirement.