Tool for Comparing Performance on Alabama Public School Standardized Testing
The State Department of Education released the results of the Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program (ACAP) in August. PARCA provides this internet-based data visualization tool to help educators and the general public to view their local results and to understand them in the context of peer school systems and the state as a whole. ACAP standardized […]
Alabama Sees Third-Grade Reading Progress Slow
Use the tabs to move between different views of the data and use the menus to focus in on the systems, schools, or subjects that you are most interested in. After multiple years of progress, Alabama third grade reading performance plateaued in 2026, with 11.8% of students scoring under the grade-level benchmark, roughly matching the […]
Houston County: Building A System for Success
The Houston County School System ranks 129th out of 140 school systems in Alabama in per-pupil expenditures. More than half its students — 57% — qualify as economically disadvantaged, slightly above the state average. And yet, Houston County outperformed every other county school system in Alabama on the 2025 ACAP, the state standardized test, in […]
New Data Shows Progress on Third Grade Reading Continues
Due to a new higher standard, the number and percentage of third graders who failed to meet the grade-level reading benchmark rose in 2025. However, taking the higher standard into account, this year’s third graders showed continued improvement, indicating that the state’s focus on improving early grades literacy is continuing to pay dividends. This spring, […]
New Business Education Alliance Report Examines Investments in Alabama’s Education System, Immediate Outcomes, and Future Needs
Today, the Business Education Alliance of Alabama (BEA) is releasing Alabama Can Improve Student Achievement and Prepare a Future Workforce: Here’s How-Part 2, a follow-up to the Governor’s Commission on Teaching and Learning’s report issued in December of 2023. The Alabama Legislature financially supported many of the Commission’s recommendations, and today’s release by the BEA follows up on what […]
English Scores Jump with Full Implementation of Literacy Act; Math and Science Mixed Results
Alabama student performance in English Language Arts improved significantly in 2024, with the largest spike coming in third grade as the Alabama Literacy Act came into full effect. That’s according to a PARCA analysis of results of the Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program (ACAP), the state’s suite of standardized tests for students in grades 3-8. ELA […]
Progress Made But Over 20% of Alabama 3rd Graders Not Reading on Grade Level
Fewer third graders scored below grade level in reading in 2022 compared to the previous year, according to results released by the Alabama Department of Education. Still, 22% or 11,725 students statewide failed to meet that critical educational milestone. Printable PDF available here. Learning to read by the end of third grade is considered fundamental […]