The Joint Legislative Contract Review Committee approved three contracts aimed at improving early literacy, evaluating preschool outcomes, and developing stronger reading interventions for older students, part of the state’s continuing effort to address pandemic-era learning gaps and fulfill mandates under the Alabama Literacy Act.
ALSDE’s Director of Governmental Affairs Tina Hammonds, a representative for the department, presented the contracts on Thursday during the agency’s monthly contract review meeting. Two of the contracts are funded through federal dollars, while the third relies on state funding.
The contract, funded entirely with state dollars through the Alabama Reading Initiative and representing the second phase of a three-part continuum outlined in the Literacy Act. Lexia Learning Systems will continue providing training in the science of reading for the department’s use of the LETRS, Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling.
Hammond said the state began with phase one, which focused on training education professors and pre-service teachers in Alabama’s colleges and universities. Phase two expands training to K–12 educators currently in the classroom, while phase three, to be procured through a forthcoming request for proposals, will continue the state’s long-term literacy development plan.
The LETRS program, she said, remains the only professional development model that fully meets the Literacy Act’s standards.
“There was an RFI that identified that the specific type of training laid out in the Literacy Act is only really fulfilled through the LETRS program,” said Hammond. “It’s the industry gold standard and the one we are using for the training for our teachers.”
Board members welcomed the department’s plan to eventually open the process to an RFP, noting that competitive bidding could bring innovation to the state’s literacy training efforts. They also emphasized the importance of better alignment between teacher preparation programs and classroom expectations.
“We don’t want to have to spend additional taxpayer dollars to train teachers in state colleges and universities how to do what they’re there to do to get a degree in,” said Sen. Chris Elliot, R-Josephine.
Hammonds said that alignment work is already underway through collaboration between the Alabama Reading Initiative, higher education institutions and the department’s leadership on both the Literacy Act and the Numeracy Act, which aims to improve student achievement in math.
Initial results indicate that the department’s investment in teacher training is yielding positive outcomes. Hammonds cited data from the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama showing that second- and third-grade students taught by teachers who have completed at least two years of LETRS training perform better on state reading assessments.
“Their data indicates that second- and third-grade students instructed by a LETRS-trained teacher for two or more years show higher reading scores across the board,” said Hammonds.
Officials said the department plans to evaluate progress over the next several years as new interventions and teacher training programs take hold.
