§ 16-13-361 — Definitions

For purposes of this article, the following terms have the following meanings:
(1) AVERAGE DAILY MEMBERSHIP (ADM). Average enrollment from the first 20 days of school after Labor Day of the preceding year.
(2) BASE FUNDING FACTOR. The sum certified by the Legislative Fiscal Officer prior to October 1 of each fiscal year beginning with the 2025-2026 fiscal year and calculated by dividing the total state and local cost of the Foundation Program by the average daily membership for the immediately preceding fiscal year, using the Foundation Program State Allocation report for the enacted Education Trust Fund appropriations act.
(3) CHARTER SCHOOL. A public charter school as defined in Section 16-6F-4.
(4) COMMISSION. The Alabama Commission on the Evaluation of Services (ACES).
(5) CONCENTRATED ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS. A large percentage of students in a local education agency having been identified as English Language Learners as defined in this article.
(6) DEPARTMENT. The State Department of Education.
(7) DIRECT CERTIFICATION. A process conducted by the state and local educational agencies (LEAs) to certify eligible children for free meals without the need for household applications. If changes in the direct certification process occur, the department may recommend alternative measures that could be used in its place.
(8) ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER (ELL). A student identified in accordance with federal or state law as entitled to receive English as a second language or bilingual services on the basis of the student’s English language proficiency.
(9) FOUNDATION PROGRAM. The program established in Article 11 of Chapter 13 of Title 16, to provide the basic funding support for public K-12 schools.
(10) GIFTED STUDENT. A student who gives evidence of high achievement capability in areas such as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity, or in specific academic fields, and who needs services or activities not ordinarily provided by the school in order to fully develop those capabilities or as defined by state law.
(11) LOCAL EDUCATION AGENCY (LEA). A county board of education, city board of education, or charter school.
(12) PUBLIC SCHOOL. A school within an LEA providing instruction in grades K-12 which is supported by public funds.
(13) RAISE ACT ACCOUNTABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION BOARD. The board established in Section 16-13-367 to monitor the progress of LEAs and schools in reaching their goals of achievement and to ensure that RAISE Act funds are spent effectively.
(14) RAISE ACT REVIEW COMMITTEE. The committee established in Section 16-13-366 to determine the effectiveness of the RAISE Act program and any needed revisions for continuous improvement.
(15) RENEWING ALABAMA’S INVESTMENT IN STUDENT EXCELLENCE FUND (RAISE FUND). The fund established by this article to provide additional funding to local education agencies to address the educational needs of students in public K-12 schools.
(16) SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENT. A child who has been identified with at least one of the specifically defined physical, emotional, learning, or cognitive disabilities and is identified for special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. § 1400 et seq., or as otherwise defined in state law.
(17) STATE BOARD. The State Board of Education.
(18) STATE SUPERINTENDENT. The State Superintendent of Education.
(19) UNIFIED APPLICATION. A system that aligns policy priorities, planning, and budgeting for LEAs in one application and streamlines applications and reporting for all state and federal funding programs.
(20) WEIGHTED ALLOCATION. Additional funding from the RAISE Fund for each qualifying student, the value of which shall be calculated by multiplying the percentage for each weighted allocation by the base funding factor.

Legislative History

(Act 2025-257, §1.)