Around the state

The Anniston Star on public education:

Public education in Alabama is in no shape to have things working against it. Nevertheless, many reputable studies agree that the state's schools lose between 15 and 20 instruction days each year because of testing.

In an effort to apply reason to what has become an irrational situation, the Alabama State Board of Education has finally acknowledged this and is setting out to reduce the number of tests students take.

The most important proposal is to eliminate the Alabama High School Graduation Exam. If that happens, the state would add the exam's sections to the final exam in the courses that address those subjects - which makes perfect sense.

The state is also considering having all 11th-grade students take the ACT, a test widely used to determine readiness for college. About 75 percent of Alabama students already take it. Requiring the rest to take the ACT may encourage them to continue their education beyond high school.

Also, college readiness and job-skills assessment testing will be done in connection with the ACT in the eighth, 10th and 11th grades.

Changes already have been approved to reduce the time taken up in testing and test preparation in the lower grades, thus cutting back the lengthy and - for some children and teachers - stress-filled weeks of preparation and testing.

Finally! A list of states in which Alabama ranks among the elite in something other than sports.

A report released this week by the Save the Children U.S. Programs said Alabama was one of only seven states in the nation that met all four minimum standards that ensure that schools and child-care facilities are prepared to respond to the needs of children during a natural disaster.

The report comes after several years of such calamities, including hurricanes and tornadoes, such as the one in Enterprise on March 1, 2007, which left eight students dead.

The report, "The Disaster Decade: Lessons Unlearned for the United States," was released by Mark Shriver, the managing director of the Save the Children program, and actor and children's' advocate Julianne Moore.

"States need to take the basic, common sense steps that Alabama has taken to protect its children," Shriver said, citing Alabama lawmakers Sen. Roger Bedford, Sen. Zeb Little, Rep. Ken Guin and Rep. Richard Lindsey for sponsoring legislation that provides for quick responses to natural disasters and measures to protect children.