News

 

Common Core School Standards Available in Spanish

California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson says the Common Core State Standards in English-language arts have been released in Spanish.

 

Report Demonstrates Continuing Value of Preschool for New Jersey's Poorest Kids

According to a recent National Institute for Early Education Research report that tracked 1,000 preschool students in 15 poor districts in New Jersey, by the time students attending pre-K programs in the poorest cities reached fourth or fifth grade, they were an average of three-quarters of an academic year ahead of their peers who did not attend pre-K.

 

Montana Gets New High School Equivalency Exam

Montana education officials have contracted with Educational Testing Service (ETS) to create a new high school equivalency exam that will replace the General Education Development tests due to an increase in the test price to $120 from $55 by next year.

 

CCSSO Leader on Title I, Waivers, Common Core Tests

During a recent legislative conference, Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) Executive Director Chris Minnich said the group will make a long-term argument about the value of investments in public schools and that state education leaders will not panic over budgetary issues tied to sequestration.

 

MetaMetrics Releases New Report on Communicating Assessment Results

MetaMetrics President and Co-founder Malbert Smith III, Ph.D., and Director of Professional Development Jason Turner have written a new policy brief focusing on the importance of communication in Common Core implementation.

 

Superintendent John White Announces Plan to Replace Louisiana's Failing Schools

During a recent teleconference, Louisiana Superintendent of Education John White unveiled a $5 million grant program called Believe and Succeed to help schools graded as D or F to improve at a more accelerated pace.

 

Governor to Honor Blakely Elementary and Other National Award-Winning Schools

Twelve schools in Washington state will be honored by Gov. Jay Inslee and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn for winning national awards through Title I, Part A, of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

 

In Common Core, Teachers See Interdisciplinary Opportunities

Teachers increasingly are turning to interdisciplinary thematic units as they implement the Common Core State Standards in English language arts. The standards require students beginning in fifth grade to read more nonfiction than fiction, but the required percentages for nonfiction "reflect the sum of student reading, not just reading in ELA settings."

 

Voices: Perfect Blend for Common Core

Jessica Keigan, a high school English teacher in Thornton, Colo., and a teacher leader with the Center for Teaching Quality, says there are concerns that the Common Core State Standards will force teachers to stop teaching fiction to make room for non-fiction, but she stresses that a focus on "either/or" is not required.

 

Assessment Group to Begin Testing Common Core Platform

Around 6,000 schools from 23 member states will test online assessment software from the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium through May 2013.