Alabama

U.S.
Rank

#21 C

Overall PPI Score: 74%

Score

70%

Grade: C

Rank: #37

Virtual & Online Schooling:

Alabama offers 15 virtual schools. Some are available statewide, while others are only available to students residing in the district.

Impressively, 6 Alabamian school districts are members of Digital Promise’s League of Innovative Schools, including: Florence City Schools, Gulf Shores City Schools, Huntsville City Schools, Montgomery Public Schools, Piedmont City Schools, and Talladega County Schools. These districts collectively provide 65,000 Alabamian students access to digital learning opportunities. The League of Innovative Schools is a national network of school leaders in 150 districts in 38 states that aim to enhance and scale digital learning opportunities for students across the nation.

Digital Learning Resources:

The Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX) is a database filled with high-quality digital lesson plans and classroom resources that reflect state learning standards.
Alabama Technology in Motion (ATiM) is a teacher professional development program aligned with the state’s Digital Literacy and Computer Science standards that provides K-12 educators with tools to integrate digital learning and computer science in their everyday instruction.
Curious about your district’s internet access? ConnectK-12 provides state- and district-specific information on access to the recommended bandwidth speeds and monthly internet costs.

Career & Technical and/or Work-based Education:

While state law does not allow students to earn credits towards graduation requirements for work-based learning, AL law allows schools to offer work-based learning opportunities to students.
The Department of Education offers a yearly CTE Middle Grades Innovative Grant for schools to establish, expand, start-up, and/or reinvent CTE experiences for students enrolled in Grades 5-8.

Personalized, Competency- and/or Mastery-based Learning:

While state law does not allow students to earn credits towards graduation requirements for work-based learning, AL law allows schools to offer work-based learning opportunities to students.
In 2009, Alabama implemented a policy enabling students to earn credit by demonstrating mastery of state content standards without a specified requirement for instructional time.
Talladega County, home to the state’s super speedway, is pioneering learner-centered pedagogy supported by technology. With support from Digital Promise, the district was able to integrate new and exciting approaches to learning across all 17 schools.

Innovation Schools, Zones, and/or Districts:

Under statute, Innovation Schools are allowed, which provides greater flexibility to schools in meeting the educational needs of a diverse student population.

Parent Power!