Alabama's high school graduation exam is no more.
The State Board of Education voted Thursday to do away with the exam. State Superintendent of Education Tommy Bice says the test is no longer aligned with Alabama's academic standards for students. He says the requirement for graduating now is passing all required courses.
Public schools will be giving the ACT college entrance exam to all 11th graders. Bice says it will not be a graduation requirement, but it will provide a measurement of how students are doing in meeting the state school board's goal of having every graduate ready for college or a career.
The school board also voted to ask the Legislature to appropriate nearly $4.2 billion for K-12 schools for the 2014-2015 school year. That's a $241 million increase.