Current News

CCSSO convened representatives from 38 states to collaborate on shared challenges and successes related to accountability on January 9-10. Many of the states in attendance have received ESEA flexibility, while others are in the process of applying for flexibility or have decided not to apply at all. . Many of the states in attendance have received ESEA flexibility, while others are in the process of applying for flexibility or have decided not to apply at all.

Carol Jago, a past president of the National Council of Teachers of English, clarifies the Common Core question of where the 70 percent non-fiction 30 percent fiction for seniors actually came from and how English classes should look. "It may be the case that in some schools high school English teachers are being told to cut back on the poetry and teach more informational text. I'm hoping this mistaken directive can soon be reversed. English teachers need to teach more poetry, more fiction, more drama, and more literary nonfiction. More is more when it comes to reading, " said Jago.

A study found that effective teachers can boost the test scores of students who had struggled under low-performing instructors, marking a new salvo in the national debate over teacher performance. The three-year study by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, published Tuesday, is the first large-scale research to show, using random student assignment, that some teachers can produce test-score gains regardless of the past performance of their students, according to foundation officials.

A second and final public draft of the Next Generation Science Standards to reshape K-12 science education was released for comment after eight months of review and rewriting. Organizers expect the final set of standards to be ready by March, after which the standards will be given to the states for adoption.

Armando Vilaseca was named Vermont's first secretary of education, but he will only remain in the position for one year as the department transitions into an agency overseen by the governor.

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback acknowledges that more must be done to boost the reading levels of younger students, and State Education Commissioner Diane DeBacker said research has shown that school readiness can improve by having higher amounts of words spoken at home, especially through reading to children.

The New Hampshire Department of Education (DOE) has created a teacher evaluation system that can be used as a model by school districts, which are required by state law to implement an evaluation policy but can craft it themselves.

The College Board has selected 31 Georgia high schools, including Northgate High School, to apply for funding through the new AP STEM Access program to increase the number of minority and female students who participate in Advanced Placement Program courses in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) disciplines.

The Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) Project released today its third and final report: Ensuring Fair and Reliable Measures of Effective Teaching Culminating Findings from the MET Project’s Three-Year Study.

CCSSO announces today that Carissa Miller is named deputy executive director overseeing CCSSO's membership program, federal advocacy activities, and research service. Carissa will start in this position in February of 2013.