Current News

Data released by the College Board reveals that 19.5 percent of high school graduates scored a three or higher on an Advanced Placement (AP) exam in 2012, up from 18.1 percent in 2011 and 11.6 percent in 2002. The number of students taking at least one AP exam rose to 32.4 percent in 2012, up from 30.2 percent in 2011 and 18 percent in 2002.

The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) plans to award $9.2 million in grants through its readiness-to-learn initiative, with the money intended to help states create kindergarten-entry assessments. The DOE is focused on kindergarten-entry assessments that measure "children's learning and development across all the essential domains," meaning academic readiness, social skills, physical health, and emotional well-being.

Ohio Auditor Dave Yost says the state needs to change how it counts school populations after examining attendance data manipulation across school districts, noting that changes should include incentives for schools to get students to class every day.

About $87 million from a legal settlement with Microsoft will be devoted to technology upgrades across New York, says the State Education Department. The funds will be used as part of the New York Technology Voucher Program, which is available for K-12 schools serving low-income families.

North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction Kirsten Baesler says pre-kindergarten education programs have improved learning, with low-income students from preschool outperforming their peers in reading most of the time. Some records at Devils Lake's Sweetwater Elementary School reveal that for all but one group, the gains held through third grade.

Florida Education Commissioner Tony Bennett says the state needs a contingency plan in case the Common Core assessments being developed by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) are not ready on schedule.

President Barack Obama called for expanding access to preschool programs to just about every child in the country during his State of the Union address, but he offered almost no details about how Congress would pay for the plan. Additional details were outlined by the administration on Feb. 14, with funding coming mostly from the states via a partnership with the federal government.

Beginning with 2013's sophomores, Washington state students will have to pass five different tests to graduate. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn wants to see the state reduce that requirement to three graduation exams and transfer the majority of grading for the test alternative, known as "collection of evidence," to local school districts.

In Louisiana, the departments of Education, Children and Family Services, and Health and Hospitals are working to establish a statewide network of preschool providers to ensure children are prepared for kindergarten. The departments are looking for communities to take part in pilot programs to boost preschool and day care educational quality.

As part of California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson's Career Readiness Initiative, middle and high school students must meet updated career technical education standards, which reflect the modern workplace and its technology and establish higher academic goals.