Presenters tell Ways and Means Education committee that intersession attendance is associated with higher ACAP gains

Presenters to the Ways and Means Education committee said students who attended more intersession (intersession/intercession) weeks registered larger score gains on the Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program (ACAP) than peers who attended fewer of those voluntary sessions.

Committee members were shown attendance figures and comparative score charts. One presenter summarized attendance patterns: “In the early grades, almost 70% of the kids attend these extra voluntary weeks of school,” and said “14% of the third graders attended all 3 intersessions.” The presenter added that by middle school “over half the students are getting at least 1 intersession exposure.”

The presenters emphasized patterns in score gains by exposure level. “Keep your eye on the green. The green are higher test scores, and they are also those students who attended intercession more,” one presenter said while reviewing charts comparing 2023 to 2024 outcomes. Another presenter described the relationship cautiously: “We don't know if that's because the students are more engaged necessarily, and so are thus more inclined to go. But it does show that more school seems to produce better results academically.” The same pattern was reported for both math and English language arts.

District-level results were offered as additional context. One speaker said the district’s third-grade proficiency rate on the ACAP rose from 81% to 86% after summer efforts, representing “over 700 students” who improved to a sufficient score. The speaker also said the district reduced the number of schools graded F on the state report card from 15 to 7 and increased the number of A and B schools, and noted national attention on the district’s math achievement.

Presenters and legislators stressed limits to the data. Committee testimony repeatedly framed the results as correlations observed in the district charts and avoided claiming direct causation. Presenters noted other supports (literacy interventions, partner programs, and extended instructional time for students attending three intersessions — described as “almost 20 to 25, 30 days more in school than their counterparts”) that could also contribute to gains.

The presenters named colleagues and program leads during remarks; Dr. Alicia Washington was identified as “executive director of curriculum and instruction.” Committee members thanked presenters and noted the material would inform upcoming budget and floor discussions.

Materials shown to the committee included comparative charts and attendance breakdowns; presenters asked committee members to consider intersession exposure as one of several factors tied to student gains.

Committee notes: the presenters and lawmakers described observed associations from district data and emphasized that the evidence does not establish that intersession attendance alone caused the gains. No formal committee action or vote on policy was recorded in the transcript.