By Alabama Public Radio
Montgomery AL – Alabama kindergartners will be part of the first wave of students to receive new student identification number that will stay with them until graduation. The new system will allow educators to track students from school to school, year after year, anywhere in the state. State education officials say the randomly selected number will not be tied to any characteristic of the student, like birthday or social security number. School systems across Alabama have had student identification numbers for years, but this is the first time the state has issued those numbers.