WHEREAS, the Alabama Department of Education received national recognition from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute in Washington, D.C., supporting research, publications, and action projects of national significance in elementary/secondary education reform; and
 
WHEREAS, the Thomas B. Fordham Institute recognized Alabama as being among the top states in the nation with the best U.S. history state academic standards in the Effective State Standards for U.S. History: A 2003 Report Card; and
 
WHEREAS, the Effective State Standards for U.S. History: A 2003 Report Card is a comprehensive state-by-state analysis in 48 states and the District of Columbia based on K-12 education standards on comprehensive historical content, sequential development, and balance; and
 
WHEREAS, Alabama is one of only six states earning an ‘A’ on the Effective State Standards for U.S. History: A 2003 Report Card with a score of 27 or above out of a possible 30; and
 
WHEREAS, Alabama ranked third among states in the nation with the highest points scored in the comprehensive historical content standards; and
 
WHEREAS, the report states Alabama parents have every reason to be impressed with what their children are expected to know about American history – and will be tested on – by the time they complete the 12th grade; and
 
WHEREAS, the author of the study, Sheldon Stern, former chief historian at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Library in Boston stated the Alabama U.S. history curriculum is an outstanding example of education reform; and
 
WHEREAS, Alabama’s assessment was based on the Alabama Course of Study: Social Studies, Standards and Objectives (Social Studies) for the Alabama High School Graduation Exam, and Today’s Students, Tomorrow’s Citizens: Pathways for Learning, Social Studies:
 
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Alabama State Board of Education does hereby commend the Alabama Department of Education for continuing to develop outstanding curricula for Alabama’s K-12 students and for achieving an ‘A’ on the Effective State Standards for U.S. History: A 2003 Report Card.