Projects in the state of Alabama
AL Educator Effectiveness Evaluation
SECC staff will support SEA staff with tools and resources for developing and implementing student learning objectives.
AL Internal Program Evaluation
SECC will continue to provide support to ALSDE for the implementation of Plan 2020. Branching from the Plan 2020 project, this work will focus on building the capacity of the Research and Development section to plan and implement an internal program evaluation, with a primary focus on the Alabama Reading Initiative (ARI).
Alabama Low-Performing Schools Performance Management and Planning
SECC staff will continue to support SEA staff with processes for implementation and oversight of the FY 2016 SIG continuation grant.
Alabama/Mississippi Community of Practice
SECC staff will continue its Alabama/Mississippi interstate community of practice that focuses on sharing knowledge and expertise between state education agencies. The Alabama/Mississippi Community of Practice (AMCoP) will continue to provide a forum for Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) and Mississippi Department of Education representatives and stakeholders to interact and collaborate with national experts and staff from other SEAs.
College and Career Ready – Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts Instructional Support Videos
The Southeast Comprehensive Center (SECC) has collaborated with the Center on Instruction Content Center and the states in SECC's region to design English Language Arts (ELA) Common Core State Standards (CCSS) videos to support states, schools, and teachers with the implementation of the ELA CCSS. Due to a reorganization of the content centers, collaboration efforts are at present only with the states in SECC's region. Each video is an audiovisual resource that focuses on providing specific examples and illustrations to address the standard.
College- and Career-Ready State Standards Resource Review
All five states in the Southeast Comprehensive Center (SECC) region have adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) as a vehicle for preparing college- and career-ready students. To assist these states with their implementation of the CCSS, program associates from the SECC do an exhaustive review of the CCSS resources in order to provide the best CCSS resources to the states in the SECC region. These resources are updated twice annually to provide SECC states with guidance in implementing the CCSS.
Common Core State Standards for Mathematics Instructional Support Videos
The Common Core State Standards Mathematics (CCSSM) videos are designed to support states, schools, and teachers in the implementation of the CCSS for mathematics. The videos were created in collaboration with the states in the Southeast Comprehensive Center region based on their needs for professional development support for the implementation of the Common Core State Standards for mathematics. Each video is an audiovisual resource that focuses on specific standards and includes examples and illustrations geared to enhancing understanding.
Cross-State Community of Practice (CoP)
SECC staff will initiate an interstate community of practice that focused on sharing knowledge and expertise between state education agencies. The CoP will provide a forum for SEA representatives and stakeholders to interact and collaborate with national experts and staff from other SEAs.
Ensuring School Readiness Community of Practice
SECC will establish a regional community of practice (CoP) focused on ensuring school readiness and success of preschool-age children in the five states in its region. This CoP will provide a forum in which SEA representatives can interact and collaborate with national experts and staffs from other SEAs to learn about research-based and emerging promising practices in the area of school readiness, analyze their state's use of resources to address this topic, and develop strategies for strengthening connections between services provided through funding sources and K–12 standards and expectations in the state.
Instructional Partners
SECC will work with the ALSDE in scaling up the Alabama Instructional Partners Program (IPP) from its 2011–2012 pilot involving 13 schools to over 100 schools statewide by 2014–2015. IPP was designed to train and place non-subject specific coaches in low-performing schools in place of the state's current system of separate reading, mathematics, science, and technology coaches.
Plan 2020 Indicators
SECC will continue to provide support to ALSDE for the implementation of Plan 2020. Largely, this work will serve to support ALSDE research and development staff with approaches to data visualization and presentation using a consultative model.
Promoting Equitable Access at the State and Local Levels Regional Institute
Each year, the SECC provides a regional institute in an identified priority area for SEAs. The SECC will support the attendance of a team from each state for the institute. Additional follow up will take place after the institute to aid statewide implementation efforts.
Support for Implementing Alabama’s College and Career Readiness Standards
The SECC will work with all Alabama to strengthen their plans for implementing the Alabama College and Career Standards by ensuring that they are (a) identifying and providing to districts and schools high-quality resources that are supported by research-based and emerging promising practices; (b) collecting feedback from districts, schools, and teachers to determine the quality, usefulness, and relevance of the resources and supports they are providing; and (c) adjusting and refining their implementation plans and resources to address identified needs or concerns.
Title III and English Learner Readiness Matters
SECC staff will continue to support ALSDE through the EL Readiness Matters Committee (including staff from Teaching and Learning, Office of Student Learning/Instructional Services – CCRS Implementation, and Office of Learning Support/Federal Programs/Title III, Special Education Services, and Career and Technical Education) to build the state’s capacity to collect, review, and analyze data related to ELs as part of its Plan 2020 goals for learners and to provide evidence-based resources that support the success of ELs.
