Members of the Alabama State Board of Education raised concerns regarding the performance of virtual schools across the state during a meeting held earlier this month on September 10. The discussion highlighted issues with student outcomes, particularly test scores, and the oversight mechanisms for these online learning platforms.
Under state law, every local school system is required to provide a pathway for students to earn a diploma through an online education. However, Alabama State School Superintendent Eric Mackey noted during the meeting that it can be challenging to determine where students are transferring from to the virtual schools. "All of them (schools) enroll people statewide," Mackey told board members, adding, "A lot of them we don’t know where they transferred from."
Board members received a packet detailing enrollment numbers for the state's virtual schools during the September meeting, though this information was not released to the public due to FERPA regulations.
Traci West, who represents District 2 on the board, voiced her concern over test scores at these virtual institutions. She acknowledged that some students may not thrive in traditional classroom settings but expressed disturbance by the performance of some, though not all, virtual schools, stating, "I am, however, disturbed by the performance of some, not all, particularly now more so." This isn't the first time West has brought up virtual school performance; she previously raised similar concerns about online school test scores during a July State Board of Education meeting after learning about a student in her district who transitioned back to traditional schooling from a virtual program.
In an interview Tuesday afternoon, West attributed the lower performance at statewide virtual schools to a lack of oversight. She pointed out that teachers for these schools are often employees of a company, not the local district, which makes it difficult to ascertain the curriculum's adherence to state standards. "We know what our standards are as a state board of education, but those teachers are not employed by the state of Alabama," West said.
Alabama currently operates three statewide virtual schools: Alabama Destinations Career Academy in the Chickasaw City district, Alabama Virtual Academy at Eufaula City Schools in the Eufaula City district, and Alabama Connections Academy in the Limestone County district. According to state report cards, Alabama Destinations Career Academy and Alabama Virtual Academy at Eufaula City Schools both received a D, while Alabama Connections Academy earned a C.
Allen Long, representing District 7, also expressed apprehension about virtual school performance. He highlighted that some lower-performing virtual schools receive similar funding levels to their higher-performing counterparts. Long suggested that the legislature should be informed, saying, "It seems to me like somebody needs to let the legislature know that some schools are doing great and some are not." Messages seeking comment were left with Long, as well as with the three statewide virtual schools, Tuesday afternoon.
Superintendent Mackey acknowledged at the September meeting that "performance is generally lower for virtual schools than non-virtual." He stated that the State Department of Education is actively working to help online schools better prepare their students. "We actually this last year launched a special program to kind of help districts understand how to support their virtual schools because they’re not seeing those people day-to-day, so how do they support those students who are way behind? We’re trying to help them with that," Mackey explained. He also clarified that while public schools must adhere to state standards, the responsibility for enforcing these standards for online schools rests with the local boards.
West believes that granting the State Department of Education greater jurisdiction over statewide virtual schools could lead to improved performance. "I think the law could be tightened up to allow for state department oversight," she said. She also suggested that individual contracts between school districts and outside vendors could be strengthened to include provisions that prioritize student success over company profits.
