West Virginia was recognized for its efforts to increase pre-kindergarten resources in the National Institute for Early Education Research's "State of Preschool 2012" report. The state increased per pupil pre-K funding by $10 million in 2011-12 to about $6,000 per child, compared to the national average of $3,841.
The Pennsylvania Department of Education stresses that the Common Core State Standards are academic standards -- not a curriculum -- that aim to prepare students to succeed in higher education or the workforce. "Look at it as if the state standards are what you need to know to cross the goal line," says spokesman Tim Eller.
Las Cruces educators and state officials broke ground on New Mexico's first medical and allied healthcare early college high school, which will be an expansion of the Arrowhead Park Early College High School, located at the southeast end of the New Mexico State University campus.
In his State of the State Address, Maine Gov. Paul LePage unveiled a new grading system for the state's public schools, each of which will receive their own A-F letter grade. For elementary schools, math and reading proficiency -- measured by standardized assessments and progress -- will be equally weighted to determine a grade.
The Louisiana Department of Education reports that it has matched close to 8,000 students with the schools of their choice through the Louisiana Scholarship Program, with the number of scholarships offered up almost 3,000 over last year.
The Illinois State Board of Education recognized a total of 624 schools with Illinois Honor Roll awards. The awards are given to schools with high poverty rates that have overcome the odds, those that have achieved high-performance scores for three straight years, and those with improvement ratings of 7.5 percent in one year or 15 percent in two years.
The draft Mathematics Framework for California Public Schools, Kindergarten through Grade Twelve, has been released for public comment through June 20, 2013, moving the state closer to implementing the Common Core State Standards for math.
The Arts Education Partnership (AEP) has released a new research bulletin titled Preparing Students for the Next America: The Benefits of an Arts Education. The bulletin offers a snapshot of how arts education can greatly enhance literacy and mathematics skills, while ensuring a competitive and comprehensive education for every young person in America.
On Monday, April 29, Student Achievement Partners has announced an upgrade of their website, www.achievethecore.org.
In response to a speech given today by AFT President Randi Weingarten, CCSSO Executive Director Chris Minnich offered the following statement.
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