BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – The Alabama Literacy Act went into full effect this past Friday after the state released third grade student reading scores for the school year. State education leaders want parents to know that just because your child didn’t meet the reading requirements, it does not mean they have to repeat third grade.

According to the scores, 9% of third graders, roughly 4,800, are not reading well. However, the Alabama Educators Association says under the act, there are a few exceptions made for some students so they won’t have to repeat:

• If a child is in their first two years of learning English language, they will not be required to repeat based off their reading scores.
• If a child has a disability, then they may have an alternative set of learning standards they’re required to meet, excluding them from meeting the reading test scores on the ACAP.
• If child has disability and they have already been retained once in kindergarten, 1st grade or 2nd grade, and have received at least two years of intensive remediation, they may be exempt from repeating the grade.
• If a child has been retained two years, and has received reading remediation for two years, the child can apply to move forward a grade with a continued focus on reading.

There are also opportunities for students to re-test this summer, so if they were close but didn’t meet the proficiency level, they will have the opportunity to try again.

“There’s a lot of data and science behind allowing students to stay with a particular peer group, so all of this is intended to sort of merge the two interests so that the child does not stay too far behind,” said William Tunnell, the Northern Region Manager for the Alabama Educators Association.

State education leaders say you’ll want your child to prepare before they re-test, and they recommend talking with your child’s school to determine a plan for success.

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Most of the fastest-shrinking Alabama cities in 2023 were in the Birmingham metro area – continuing the trend of a declining population around what was long the state’s largest city.

But the Jefferson County cities aren’t losing population as fast as Selma, the Black Belt’s iconic civil rights town, which was the fastest-shrinking city from 2022 to 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

From July 1, 2022 to July 1, 2023, Selma lost 341 residents, bringing its official population estimate to 16,666. That’s a decline of 2% in a single year – the largest drop among Alabama cities with more than 10,000 residents.

The second fastest-shrinking city, Center Point, saw a 1.1% decrease. Located in Jefferson County, Center Point is now home to 15,705.

Six other cities in Jefferson County, home of Birmingham, were among the 10 fastest-shrinking. The city of Birmingham lost 243 people in a single year and now has 196,444 residents. But Montgomery is shrinking much faster. And Birmingham slipped ahead of Montgomery at this latest count and is once again the second most populous city in Alabama. For now.

Like Birmingham, both Mobile and Montgomery shrank in population. Mobile lost 695 people and Montgomery dropped 1,657, to fall behind Birmingham. However, Mobile recently voted to add nearly 20,000 new residents to the city limits. At this time next year, when the next federal estimates come out, Mobile will officially be the second largest city in Alabama.

Huntsville, the most populous city in Alabama, grew by 3,534 residents from 2022-2023 for a total population of 225,564.

(Can’t see the chart? Click here.)

While Alabama saw population decreases in the Black Belt and three of the four major cities – the state’s beach and college towns grew rapidly.

1. Selma -2% The Dallas County city now has a total population of 16,666 after losing 341 residents in 2023.
2. Center Point -1.1% Jefferson County’s fastest-shrinking city lost 175 people in 2023 bringing the total population to 15,705.
3. Alexander City -1% Located in Tallapoosa County, the city now has 14,470 residents. In 2023, it lost 150 people.
4. Bessemer -1% Also in Jefferson County, the North Birmingham city lost 251 residents, bringing the total population to 25,037
5. Hueytown -.9% Another Jefferson County city to dwindle in population, Hueytown lost 154 people in 2023. The city now has a population of 16,202.
6. Mountain Brook -.9% The affluent city now has a population of 21,737 after losing 204 residents.
7. Montgomery -.8% Alabama’s capital city lost 1,657 people in 2023 and now has a population of 195,287.
8. Gardendale -.7% Another Jefferson County city to see a decline, Gardendale lost 117 residents for a 2023 population of 16,096.
9. Vestavia Hills -.7% Vestavia’s population of 38,020 came after the city lost 266 in 2023.
10. Eufaula – .7% Located in southeastern Barbour County, Eufaula lost 84 people for a population of 12,451.

See if your city grew from 2022 to 2023.

(Can’t see the map? Click here.)