Principal Act

The School Principal Leadership and Mentoring Act was passed in 2023 to create and implement the Alabama Principal Leadership Development System (APLDS) for public K-12 education and provide annual stipends for principals and assistant principals who satisfactorily complete the program requirements. One requirement for successful completion of the APLDS program is that principals and assistant principals must complete high-quality professional learning from a state-approved list. The professional learning experience must meet all of the following criteria in order to be on the state-approved list:

• Meet the law’s definition of high-quality professional learning as an experience that is comprehensive, sustained, job-embedded, and a collaborative approach to improving the effectiveness of educators in elevating student achievement through professional study
• Align with the Alabama Standards for School Leadership
• Align with the Alabama Standards for Professional Learning

Below you will find the initial list of state-approved professional learning experiences offered through the Alabama State Department of Education. This list is not exhaustive and is intended to be continuously updated. More detailed information can be found at AlabamaPrincipals.org.

Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative (AMSTI)

• High Yield Routines Grades 6-12
• Number Talks and Number Strings Grades 6-12
• 2019 ALCOS: Mathematics Overview (K-5): Navigation & Implementation
• 8*8 Math Practices: Discourse and Student Thinking (Grades 6-12)
• 8*8 Math Practices: Doing Mathematics (Grades 6-12)
• 8*8 Math Practices: Reasoning (Grades 6-12)
• 8*8 Math Practices: Understanding and Worthwhile Tasks (Grades 6-12)
• Alabama Course of Study (2023) Science – Overview
• K-12 Science Foundational Training (SFT 2025)
• K-8 Improving ACAP Science Scores
• Math ACAP Aligned Daily Instruction (Grades 2-8)
• Math Content Sessions for School-Based Administrators in Full- and Limited-Support Schools (ANA)
• Math Foundational Training (K-5)
• Math Foundational Training (6-12)
• Overview of Using Proficiency Scales to Support Instruction and Assessment
• Precision in Pedagogy Part 1: Yearlong Planning with Proficiency Scales
• Precision in Pedagogy Part 2: Crafting Comprehensive Units with Proficiency Scales
• Supervising High-Quality Science Instruction (K-12)
• The Use of Proficiency Scales with Exceptional Learners
• Using Proficiency Scales to Support Instruction and Assessment

Alabama Multi-Tier System of Supports (AL-MTSS)

• Empowering Partnerships: Engaging Families for Student Success
• Maxwell Leadership Foundation: Leadership Series
• Professional Learning Communities (PLC): Not Just Another Meeting
• Problem-Solving Teams (PST) Training: Laying the Foundation For Instructional Leaders
• Secondary PLC Series: Assessment
• Secondary PLC Series: Curriculum
• Secondary PLC Series: Instruction
• Secondary PLC Series: Leadership
• The Secondary Learning Exchange Series
• The Secondary Learning Exchange Series: The Night Shift
• Tiered Instruction
• Trauma Informed Approach Overview

Alabama Reading Initiative (ARI)

• Science of Reading Spotlight Schools
• ELA Dyslexia Awareness Training – Dyslexia: An Overview
• LETRS for Administrators
• LETRS for Early Childhood Educators
• LETRS for Elementary Teachers
• Leading Student-Centered Coaching to Improve Student Outcomes
• Live Virtual Session with Mel Ilk on The Leadership Team: Implementation to Sustainability
• New Principals and District Leaders Orientation
• Powerful Paragraphs
• Run the Play, Not the Report: Moving from Scoreboard to Scorebook
• Schoolwide Schedules: Improving Student Outcomes and Supporting Educators
• Strong Leaders, Strong Readers: Leadership Labs
• The Power of a Data-Driven Leadership Team with Mel Ilk
• The Principal and Local Reading Specialist Partnership: A Key Driver of Student Literacy Success
• Time Matters: Leadership Strategies for Master Scheduling
• Unlocking Meaning: From the Word Level and Beyond
• Write On! Empowering Young Writers through SRSD Strategies

English Learner Education

• Ellevation Platform Overview for Educators
• Ellevation Strategies Overview for Educators
• High-quality Instruction and Assessment – All 5 Criteria Part 1
• High-quality Instruction and Assessment Academic Discourse Part 1
• High-quality Instruction and Assessment Asset-Based Instruction Part 1
• High-quality Instruction and Assessment Differentiation for ELs by Proficiency Levels: An Introduction
• High-quality Instruction and Assessment Formative Assessment Part 1
• High-quality Instruction and Assessment Scaffolding Part 1
• High-quality Instruction and Assessment Student-Centered Engagement Part 1
• High-quality Instruction and Assessment for English Learners

Education Technology

• Alabama Educational Technology Conference (AETC) Conference
• The Canva Connection-Igniting Creativity and Collaboration in the Classroom
• Beyond Human, Minds and Machines: Exploring Artificial Intelligence
• Common-Sense Best Practices for Implementing Digital Citizenship
• Google Workspace for Education; Enhancing Administrative Success
• Visionary Leadership in School Improvement Using Google Tools
• Special Students in Regular Classrooms: Technology, Teaching, and Universal Design for Learning
• Innovative Reflections: Building A Culture of Reflection Schoolwide Using Artificial Intelligence

Professional Learning Section

• Alabama Teacher Observation Tool (ATOT): An Overview for New Administrators
• Alabama Teacher Observation Tool (ATOT): Scoring Rubric – Taking the Guesswork Out of Rating Instructional Practices
• Alabama Teacher Growth Program (ATGP) & Alabama Teacher Observation Tool (ATOT) – A Refresher Session for ADMIN
• An Overview of the Five Dimensions of the Alabama Teacher Observation Tool (ATOT)
• Engaging in the Alabama Principal Leadership Development System (APLDS) Program to Increase Effectiveness
• Improving Instruction by Implementing the Alabama Core Teaching Standards (ACTS)
• Strategic Leadership for Effective Recruitment, Retention, and School Improvement
• Effective Feedback to Enhance Instructional Practices
• Supporting School Climate through Engagement
• Supporting School Climate through Environment
• Supporting School Climate through Safety
• The Role of the Alabama Teacher Growth Program (ATGP) in Teacher Effectiveness
• School Leadership Collaborative – Place the Ladder: The Middle Way to Instructional Leadership
• School Leadership Collaborative – Teacher Talent and Retention through Teams and Temperament
• School Leadership Collaborative – Principals as Talent Architects: Mastering Feedback, Evidence, and Adult Development

Office of Career and Technical Education/Workforce Development

• Alabama CTE Professional Development Conference
• Leading the Shift: Advancing Career Pathways
• Career and Technical Education NEW CTE Administrator Academy

*Office of Mathematics Improvement (OMI)

• Alabama Numeracy Act (ANA) Day for Developing, Accomplishing, and Innovating Coaches
• Alabama Numeracy Act (ANA) Day for Emerging Coaches
• Book Study: Making Sense of Mathematics for Teaching the Small Group
• Everyone Counts

Office of School Improvement (OSI)

• Admin Academy: Creating A Winning Culture, A Principal’s Playbook
• Black Belt (Statewide) Instructional Leadership Cohort
• Collaborative Work-Time: Enhancing School Improvement Plans with ALSDE Support
• From Numbers to Impact: Leveraging ACAP Data for Transformative School Improvement
• Instructional Leadership Turnaround Academy
• Navigating the Alabama Continuous Improvement Plan (ACIP): Strategies for Effective Implementation
• Supporting Struggling Readers in Grade 4 and Beyond

School Safety

• Enhancing School Safety Using a Threat Assessment Model: An Operational Guide for Preventing Targeted School Violence
• Safe Schools Training
• School Safety Summit
• Supporting Military-Connected Students Through Transitions

Special Education Services (SES)

• Back to School Conference
• High Leverage Practices for Students with Disabilities Virtual Series
• IEP Legal Requirements for Administrators
• Understanding IDEA Discipline Provisions
• Accelerating Learning for Students with Disabilities and Others Who Struggle
• School Leadership for Students with Disabilities
• Positive, Proactive Approaches to Supporting the Behavior of Children with Disabilities

*In accordance with the law, elementary school administrators (principals and assistant principals) are required to participate in early literacy and early numeracy high-quality professional learning experiences.

For additional state-approved professional learning experiences offered by Regional Inservice Centers, please contact the RIC Director. Other professional learning experiences will be considered for state-approval from professional organizations, districts, and vendors.

For more information about the School Principal Leadership and Mentoring Act or APLDS program, please email Dr. Anna Shepherd-Jones at .

All Principal Act state-approved professional learning clock hours must be awarded through the PowerSchool Professional Learning platform under the Office of APLDS (Alabama Principal Leadership Development System) (ALSDE). You can search for the approved professional learning sessions in PowerSchool Professional Learning the following ways:

Search for “APLDS” in Course Search (under Course tab)

Click on the “Alabama Principal Leadership Development System (APLDS)” tag (under Course tab)

Superintendents, district administrators, and vendors may request state approval for high-quality professional learning experiences.
This application must be submitted through DocuSign. More information can be found at AlabamaPrincipals.org.

Dates for review are listed below. The deadline to submit applications for the current school year is March 1.