Tyrone N. Butts
APE Reporter
16
Alabama Receives 'No Child Left Behind' Report Card
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- For the first time, Alabama has been graded according to "No Child Left Behind" standards.
The report shows that Alabama's education system has improved in a few key areas. The new school accountability report card showed that the state's dropout rate is declining -- 13 percent for 2004 compared with 17 percent in 2002.
In addition, Alabama has been getting better teachers into the classroom. In 2002, just 34 percent of the state's teachers were considered highly qualified. But for 2004, that number jumped to 75 percent.
"That translates to parents that if my teacher has been judged highly qualified, he or she really knows the subject matter he or she is teaching, said Department of Educ
ation Superintendent Joseph Morton.
The bad news is that the amount
of kids qualifying for free and reduced lunches is steadily climbing from 49 percent in 2002 to 51 percent in 2004.
Morton said that this growing group is also the demographic that traditionally scores the lowest. He said that the state needs to pump more cash into the education system to bring these students up to speed.
"It would be a tragedy for us to know how to fix it and not fix it, said Morton. "t would be like having a cure for a disease and saying, 'I don't want you to have it.'"
For reading skills, 77 percent of Alabama's fourth-graders met the state standard, and in math skills 72 percent of fourth-graders met the standard.
Morton said the vast majority of children not meeting the state standard are minority or free lunch students.
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"It would be a tragedy for us to know how to fix it and not fix
it, said Morton. "t would be like having a cure for a disease and saying, 'I don't want you to have it."
The tragedy is there is no cure and you diversity celebrators won't admit it.
T.N.B.
Alabama Receives 'No Child Left Behind' Report Card
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- For the first time, Alabama has been graded according to "No Child Left Behind" standards.
The report shows that Alabama's education system has improved in a few key areas. The new school accountability report card showed that the state's dropout rate is declining -- 13 percent for 2004 compared with 17 percent in 2002.
In addition, Alabama has been getting better teachers into the classroom. In 2002, just 34 percent of the state's teachers were considered highly qualified. But for 2004, that number jumped to 75 percent.
"That translates to parents that if my teacher has been judged highly qualified, he or she really knows the subject matter he or she is teaching, said Department of Educ
ation Superintendent Joseph Morton.
The bad news is that the amount
of kids qualifying for free and reduced lunches is steadily climbing from 49 percent in 2002 to 51 percent in 2004.
Morton said that this growing group is also the demographic that traditionally scores the lowest. He said that the state needs to pump more cash into the education system to bring these students up to speed.
"It would be a tragedy for us to know how to fix it and not fix it, said Morton. "t would be like having a cure for a disease and saying, 'I don't want you to have it.'"
For reading skills, 77 percent of Alabama's fourth-graders met the state standard, and in math skills 72 percent of fourth-graders met the standard.
Morton said the vast majority of children not meeting the state standard are minority or free lunch students.
************
"It would be a tragedy for us to know how to fix it and not fix
it, said Morton. "t would be like having a cure for a disease and saying, 'I don't want you to have it."
The tragedy is there is no cure and you diversity celebrators won't admit it.
T.N.B.
