New report shows math proficiency continues to lag in Alabama
Ashley Hogan guides her fourth grade class through a math lesson at Glen Iris Elementary School during fall intersession.
Voices for Alabama’s Children, a child-advocacy non-profit, on Tuesday released an update to the annual Kids Count Data Book which measures the safety, health, education, economic security and well-being of kids in Alabama. The update put Jefferson County at 15th of Alabama’s 67 counties for 4th grade math proficiency and 14th for 8th grade math proficiency—slightly above the state average.
Statewide 24% of 4th graders and 14% of 8th graders tested proficient in math.
“I’m challenging everyone to stop looking at these outcomes as the outcomes of bad teachers or bad parents or bad adults and start looking at them as the outcomes of adults, teachers, parents, caregivers who need our support,” Collier Tynes, CEO for Voices of Alabama’s Children.
State lawmakers did debate ways to improve math instruction and outcomes in Alabama this legislative session resulting in the Alabama Numeracy Act which Gov. Kay Ivey signed into law on Tuesday. The measure included $20 million to hire more math teachers and provide math remediation services for students.
Tynes said that law will provide a necessary evidence-based plan for math instruction and it also give teachers more support in the classroom.
The reading and math proficiency numbers in the report are the most recently available but not all the data is from 2021. Some is still from 2019 and 2020 because the pandemic made it hard to gather information.
“A lot of the issues in this book are not new, but we know that the pandemic just exacerbated and exposed issues that we’ve been seeing with children for a long time,” Tynes said.
For example, in the update the number of child abuse or neglect reports have gone down. But it’s likely those numbers have actually gone up in the last couple of years because of an increase in emotional and financial stress on families.
“Unless you are living under a rock, you know that there is a child mental health crisis right now,” Tynes said.
She said when parents and teachers are stressed, that’s passed on to kids. For every 923 Alabamians there is one mental health care provider.
Tynes hoped $5 million allocated for a mental health pilot program for youth and $1 million to increase school-based mental health services will help address both parent and child mental health.
“When we provide the services that parents need to know that their children are safe, their children are receiving a quality education and their children are able to continue their safe growth and education outside the hours of school and inside the hours of school, then we’re supporting parents,” Tynes said.
Kyra Miles is Report for America corps member reporting on education for WBHM.
Crew of fatal US military crash included Alabama father recently deployed
The six U.S. service members who died in the crash of a U.S. military refueling aircraft included an Alabama father who had just been promoted and deployed. The U.S. government released the identities of the deceased service members Saturday.
Alabama poised to drastically overhaul utility regulation. Will it lower electric bills?
The Alabama Senate unanimously voted to expand the public service commission, and create a Secretary of Energy to address rising electricity prices. A bill in the House would go even further, requiring rate case hearings and limiting utility profits.
Musher from Alabama is going for back-to-back Iditarod wins
Riches and paid appearances haven’t followed Jessie Holmes since he won the world’s most famous sled dog race, the Iditarod, last year. He doesn't mind.
Bill would move Alabama to closed primaries
Right now, any Alabama voter can participate in a primary election. Lawmakers in Montgomery took up a bill this week that would change that system.
Auburn football player uses NIL funds to open a community hub in Birmingham
Jourdin Crawford, a freshman defensive lineman at Auburn, used earnings from a Name, Image, and Likeness deal to give back to his hometown.
Ivey commutes death sentence of inmate whose accomplice fired fatal shot
Charles “Sonny” Burton was sentenced to death for the killing of Doug Battle during a 1991 robbery. However, another man shot Battle when Burton had left the building.
