The Board of Education received a report on the school system’s assessment and accountability data during its meeting on Monday, Oct. 26. Here’s what families should know.
Elementary and middle school: On the ACAP, Alabama’s statewide student assessment, proficiency rose in every subject this year. 89% of VHCS students in grades 3–8 are proficient in English language arts, 74% in math, and 85% in science. Math proficiency is up 11 points since 2021.
High school: Our juniors averaged a 24.1 composite on the ACT. In Advanced Placement, 674 students took 1,561 exams, and 83.7% of AP students earned at least one score of 3 or higher, the level many colleges accept for credit. This year, VHHS has expanded its offerings to 29 AP courses, up from 26 last year.
What happens next: Test scores tell us where students are. Growth tells us how far they’ve come. That’s why our schools treat results as a starting point, not a finish line. At Vestavia Hills Elementary Liberty Park, for example, teachers made math a schoolwide priority, strengthened literacy instruction through classroom-based professional learning, and continue to meet regularly to review student data and adjust teaching. Across the district, schools follow a yearly cycle of reviewing results in the fall, checking progress and the quality of student support in the winter, and aligning resources with instructional priorities in the spring.
