The Alabama Accountability Act (AAA)

More than 70 schools were noted as “persistently low-performing” (failing schools- though after looking at the data, I refuse to use this term (i.e. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School: percent Level 3 and 4 in 2007- 53% and 2012- 87%)).  Poverty is a common thread and most are middle schools.

Statewide, it is doubtful that there will be a large number of students who will transfer, in part, due to the following:

• A qualifying private school must afford scholarships based on definitions as established by the Department of Revenue.
• Tax credits for transferring students will be afforded in 2014, not 2013.
• In the least, transferring students must participate in either the state testing system or some comparable assessment.  The cohort of transferring students’ test data must be reported to the Alabama Department of Revenue.

The cost impact of this law on the Education Trust Fund (ETF) is still undetermined though the FY 14 budget withholds $28 million for tax credits and $25 million for scholarships.