Alabama’s State Highlights

Summary of Grades

Alabama scores above average for three of the four graded categories of education policy in Quality Counts.

In standards and accountability, there is room for the state to ratchet up its efforts related to standards and assessment. However, Alabama receives full credit for its accountability indicators. For example, the state sanctions and provides assistance to all lowperforming schools (not just those that receive federal Title I money), and provides rewards to high-performing or improving schools.

In teacher quality, Alabama scores points for setting high standards for the education and qualifications of beginning teachers. The state also requires aspiring middle and high school teachers to pass subject-knowledge tests, but does not require performance assessments, such as portfolios, for teachers to earn a second-stage certification. Alabama holds teacher education institutions accountable for teacher quality in a number of ways.

The state does not fare as well in school climate, mostly because it lags behind other states on measures of parent involvement and is one of the few states that do not have public school open-enrollment programs or state laws allowing charter schools.

Alabama performs slightly better than average in the resource equity category. Its score on the coefficient-of-variation indicator is among the best in the nation, indicating relatively little disparity in funding levels across school districts in the state.

Note: Details may not sum to totals due to rounding.