The implementation of the Common Core State Standards in Kansas by 2014 has teachers scrambling to prepare for educational changes in reading and math. Emily Seaman, a fourth-grade teacher at Hillcrest School, is just one of several teachers who have engaged in special training sessions on the new standards; teachers at all grade levels and throughout the school districts are receiving training through weekly district collaborations.
Implementing the new common standards into classrooms requires dual-language educators to adjust their instructional strategies to teach the more rigorous common standards in language arts and mathematics in a second language in addition to English.
Illinois education officials say they hope the adoption of the so-called Common Core standards will better prepare students for college and careers.Officials say the new standards are tougher than the old ones, and thus the tests that measure the Common Core's effectiveness also will be more difficult, requiring students to prove how they reached an answer.
With about 60 percent of Indiana public and private schools earning A's or B's for student progress during the 2011-12 academic year under the new grading system, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett says, "This is a very good day for Indiana schools." No schools were marked for takeover this year, but 150 schools did receive failing grades that could signal a future takeover by the state unless grades are improved.
A new education initiative in Kentucky to be launched in the 2013-14 school year will let school districts apply for permission to operate more like charter schools. The move would free school districts from certain laws and regulations and give them more flexibility with curriculum, instruction, funding, and school scheduling, but in return, they would have to bolster student performance.
On Oct. 30, Louisiana Superintendent of Education John White outlined a new accountability system for the state's publicly funded pre-K programs that will be rolled out over the next three years to ensure that tax dollars are used by the programs. ACT 3 would ensure that existing dollars go further in helping prepare students for kindergarten, bringing all programs into one network, creating a system to assess their quality, and providing information to parents.
The Virginia Board of Education unanimously approved a new annual measurable objectives for math proposed by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Patricia I. Wright. The new standards, part of the state's waiver application from the federal No Child Left Behind regulations, aim to close achievement gaps in math scores between white students and black and Hispanic students, as well as those with learning disabilities.
The California State Board of Education has adopted new English Language Development Standards for English learners that are aligned with the Common Core State Standards. The standards, created by the California Department of Education, aim to help English learners develop important knowledge and skills.
Georgia Superintendent of Schools John Barge has praised the state for helping improve student test scores over the past year. Barge said the state has partnered with the Black Caucus to set up educational summits throughout the state to share the positive news.
Guam Public School System Superintendent Jon Fernandez says the agency has been given a three-year grant that will enable it to promote the Common Core standards at the school level. The $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education will support administrator and teacher leadership with regard to Common Core implementation, and Fernandez says the funds will enable the agency to overcome local financial challenges and focus on outcomes.
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