Higher Expectations Set and Met
The Business Education Alliance of Alabama (BEA), with PARCA as its research partner, has released its 2026 report, HIGHER EXPECTATIONS SET AND MET: A Decade of Improving Public Education and Workforce for a Better Alabama. The 2026 report highlights the major recommendations of each BEA report since its first one in 2014 plus the Commission […]
New Form Clouds Picture of Public School Enrollment Trends
A federally required change in reporting on student race and ethnicity in Alabama public schools has led to a precipitous drop in the reported number and percentage of Hispanic students enrolled in Alabama public schools in the 2025-2026 school year. However, at the same time, the new reporting procedure led to a sharp increase in […]
College-Going Patterns for Recent Alabama Public High School Graduates Shifting
More Alabama public high school graduates than ever are going to four-year colleges directly after graduation, according to the most recent figures provided by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education (ACHE). The picture for two-year colleges is different: a smaller percentage of high school graduates are enrolling in two-year colleges after graduation, but far more […]
Alabama Public School Students Continue Gains in English and Math in both Elementary and Middle School
Alabama students continued steady improvement in English and math across all grade levels on the state’s suite of standardized tests, the Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program (ACAP). The tests are given in the spring to students in public schools statewide, grades 3-8. Across all grades, 60% of students tested proficient in English Language Arts (ELA), 42% […]
Underdog Wilcox County Scores Near the Top in Reading
This is the first in our new Keys to Success series. The series spotlights schools and school systems that outperform their peers or show remarkable improvement and asks, “What is driving performance, and what can be replicated?” The series is supported by the generosity of Bedsole Foundation, Charles & Estelle Campbell Foundation, Daniel Foundation, Hugh Kaul Foundation, Mike & Gillian […]
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, […]
Alabama High School Class of 2024 Improves on ACT
Alabama’s 2024 high school graduates posted improved performance on the ACT compared to prior years, continuing a positive trend at a time when scores have continued to drift down nationally. The ACT is a standardized test designed to measure a student’s readiness to succeed academically in college. Printable PDF available here. Nationally, the composite score […]
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 […]
Major Gains on Reading Scores, More 3rd Graders Reading Sufficiently
Alabama third graders showed major improvement in reading performance in 2024, as the percentage of Alabama students reading sufficiently by the end of third grade jumped by 8 percentage points compared to the previous year. The number of 3rd graders scoring “below grade level” on reading decreased from over 9,000 in 2023 to under 5,000 […]