News Brief
West Valley School Districts Race to Adopt Common Core Standards
Arizona Republic (01/23/13) Leu, Melissa; Creno, Cathryn; Trevizo, EddiIn the last two years, West Valley (Ariz.) school districts have focused efforts on teacher training and curriculum development to meet the needs of the new Common Core standards that will be used beginning next fall. The standards are expected to help students with critical thinking and ensure a deeper understanding of subjects. Arizona will replace its AIMS test in 2015 with the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) online test. The Arizona Department of Education estimates that costs of the shift could reach $131 million, including $63 million for training and materials, but some districts are concerned they will not have the computers or bandwidth to handle the new test. Gov. Jan Brewer recommended the state spend $40 million in one-time funds on training and materials, $1.5 million to support regional training centers, and an additional $20 million to upgrade technology in preparation for the new tests. The proposal still has to be approved by state lawmakers, but some school districts, including those in West Valley, already have begun preparing, with some providing up to 450 hours of training to teachers over the last two years using federal Title 2 funds. In terms of technology and textbooks, some districts are relying on voter-approved bond money.
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