Chiefline 12.4.12

CCSSO to Host Webinar on Sample Assessment Items from PARCC and Smarter Balanced
On December 19, 2012 at 4:30 p.m. ET, CCSSO will be hosting a webinar on the recently released Partnership for Readiness for College and Career (PARCC) and Smarter Balanced sample assessment items in mathematics with middle school mathematics teacher Jim Mamer. Mamer received the 2012 Ohio Council of Teachers of Mathematics Elementary Mathematics Teaching Award, is an active leader in the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), and is currently implementing the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics with his students. Read more here.
Association and Related News
61 Finalists Announced for Race to the Top District Competition
The Department of Education announced that 61 applications have been selected as finalists for the $400 million Race to the Top-District (RTT-D) competition. more
Education Newsbriefs
Ed. Dept. Emphasizes Graduation-Rate Accountability in Letter to States
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan has issued a "Dear Colleague" letter to chief state school officers reinforcing that the requirement of calculating high school completions still applies even under No Child Left Behind (NCLB) waivers. Graduation-rate accountability must be a significant part of accountability systems, and they must be calculated in the same way as outlined in 2008 regulations. more
Tennessee Names Teacher Ambassadors to Share Best Practices Statewide
As part of its new Reward Schools Ambassador Program, the Tennessee Department of Education has selected 15 teachers from 2012 Reward Schools -- or those in the top 10 percent with regard to performance and progress -- to share best practices with neighboring schools in their region in an effort to bolster student achievement and close achievement gaps. These teachers all earned the top score of 5 on the state's teacher evaluations, were nominated by their schools for the year-long paid positions, and were chosen through a competitive application and interview process. more
Sablan Pushes for Reform in CNMI's Education System
Northern Marianas Islands Education Commissioner Rita A. Sablan, Ed.D, would like to see one system govern the education programs on Rota, Saipan, and Tinian. Currently, the CNMI Public School System handles the preschool-12th grade educational program, while the post-secondary program is administered by the Northern Marianas College (NMC). "We need to reform the structure of education in the CNMI so it becomes more efficient and more effective and that it will meet the needs of the Commonwealth. Make it a structure that would be preschool all the way to the 16th program," she says. more
'Race to the Top' Report Shows Improvement in Island Schools
The Hawaii Department of Education released its two-year Race to the Top report on Nov. 28, indicating that significant progress has been made toward the state's Race to the Top goals. In particular, the report cites substantial gains in reading and math among the state's fourth- and eighth-graders on the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress. more
New Pre-K Plan to Get Run Through
Louisiana Superintendent John White says the state's prekindergarten overhaul will be tested for at least one year before decisions are made on how schools and centers are graded. "Until we see how those assessments work we will not develop an accountability measure," he says. State officials will create early learning performance guidelines for those up to age three and academic standards for those between ages three and four. more
NJ Charter School Students Learn More Than Their Peers, Says New Report
According to a new Stanford University Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) study, charter school students made larger learning gains overall than their peers in traditional schools on state tests from 2007-2011. More than 33 percent of charters demonstrated higher achievement levels than other public schools in their districts. However, the report also says charter school performance is almost as varied as that of traditional public schools. more
The NH State Board of Education Votes Unanimously to Endorse the Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) Network Position Statement
The New Hampshire State Board of Education (SBE) voted unanimously on Nov. 21 to endorse the NH Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) Network position statement. The paper presented to the SBE says the IHE Network "stands ready to work with the Department of Education, the legislature, and the professional educational organizations throughout our state to build a modern workforce of educators, leaders, and scholars strongly committed to the highest aspirations of our profession and our communities." more
Meet the Chiefs

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Common Core Webinar Series
CCSSO is hosting webinars throughout the year to provide assistance to states, districts, and teachers on Common Core implementation. You may listen to archived webinars on this page.
CCSSO would like to thank the following Level I Partners:



CCSSO would also like to thank the following level II partners:
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