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Chiefline 7.2.13

This week in Chiefline: Alabama granted NCLB waiver; Vermont signs onto science standards; Secretary Duncan rebukes Common Core attacks.

 

Chiefline 7.2.13

This week in Chiefline: Alabama granted NCLB waiver; Vermont signs onto science standards; Secretary Duncan rebukes Common Core attacks.

 

In the Race to the Top, Will Hawaii Get There First?

Hawaii has cruised through its policy actions and program development lists as part of its Race to the Top to-do list, including transitioning all grades to Common Core standards for the 2013-14 school year, providing intense teacher professional development aligned with the new standards, and improving and completing a longitudinal data system.

 

Vermont Adopts the Next Generation Science Standards

In a unanimous vote, the Vermont State Board of Education adopted the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), joining four other states -- Rhode Island, Kansas, Kentucky, and Maryland.

 

Officials Urge Districts to Raise the Dropout Age

In Kentucky, a new state law effective June 25 phases in an increase in the compulsory school attendance age from 16 to 18.

 

Common Core Foes Spreading Misinformation, Duncan Says

During a speech at the American Society of Newspaper Editors, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said the recent criticisms of the Common Core State Standards have spread misinformation, marring the implementation of the standards in 45 states and the District of Columbia.

 

State Granted No Child Left Behind Waiver

Alabama Superintendent of Education Dr. Tommy Bice says the state has been awarded a waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) that will enable it to use its Plan 2020 to measure public school achievement.

 

Preliminary Results Show Reading and Writing Passing Rate Surpassing 93 Percent for Class of 2013

Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn announced that preliminary state-level data found that more than 93 percent of the state's 12th-grade students in the Class of 2013 passed both the state reading and writing high school proficiency exams (HSPE), or state-approved alternatives, prior to reaching their respective graduation ceremonies.

 

Common Core: Idaho to Road-Test Exams in 2014

Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna says schools will "field test" the new Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) tests, part of the transition to the Idaho Core Standards, in spring 2014.

 

New Online Assessment for Students in State

Connecticut Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor will take advantage of U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan's flexibility proposal, asking that 20 percent of state students field-testing a new online assessment in the 2013-14 academic year not be required to take traditional state tests in the same year.