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Headlines
Association & Related News
CCSSO Releases Report on Implementing and Improving Comprehensive and Balanced Learning and Assessment Systems in High School
Registration Opens for Chiefs to Attend CCSSO’s 2009 Summer Institute
Advocacy in Action
House Updates and Upcoming Hearings
July 1, 2009 Deadline for State Fiscal Stabilization Fund, Phase 1 Applications
Education Newsbriefs
"State Adopts Streamlined Evaluation Process" (AL)
"Curriculum Matters: A New Math Standard for Massachusetts Teachers" (MA)
"Graduation Rate Keeps Rising" (MD)
"Over 60 W.Va. Teachers Get Certification" (WV)
"In Standards Push, Lawmakers Cheer States' Initiative"
Association & Related News
CCSSO Releases Report on Implementing and Improving Comprehensive and Balanced Learning and Assessment Systems in High School
By Rolf Blank
CCSSO is releasing a new report, titled Lessons Learned: Implementing and Improving Comprehensive and Balanced Learning and Assessment Systems in High School, from results of the Delaware Enhanced Assessment Consortium project. The report provides key findings and recommendations for use by state education leaders from the results of a 10-state consortium project conducted 2006 to 2008.
The consortium was funded by the U.S. Department of Education as an initiative to assist state departments of education, and local school district and high school teams, in implementing a comprehensive and balanced learning and assessment system with a strong emphasis on a formative classroom assessment component. Results of the project provide an empirically-tested “road map” for states, districts, and schools, (particularly high schools) in the implementation of formative classroom assessment that aligns with other components of the state’s learning and assessment system.
To access the report, please click here. For more information about the report or the Delaware Enhanced Assessment Consortium project, please contact Rolf Blank at rolfb@ccsso.org.
Registration Opens for Chiefs to Attend CCSSO’s 2009 Summer Institute
By Bevin Kennedy
CCSSO’s 2009 Summer Institute will be held July 18-21, at the Omni Interlocken Resort in Broomfield, Colorado. The meeting begins at 6:00 p.m., Saturday, July 18, with a reception and dinner, and concludes with a dinner and celebration, Tuesday, July 21.
The Summer Institute will be an opportunity for chiefs to:
- Discuss the imperative to transform state educational systems
- Be exposed to sensible approaches to transforming education systems in relation to the Council’s four strategic initiatives
- Experience both networking and collaboration opportunities
The deadline for registration is Monday, July 6. If you have questions about registration or the program, please contact Bevin Kennedy at bevink@ccsso.org or 202-336-7014.
Advocacy in Action
House Updates and Upcoming Hearings
Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2187, the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act by a vote of 31 to 14. The act will provide funding for energy efficient investments and is expected to provide thousands of jobs around the country. For more information on this act, click here.Over the next few weeks, the House Education and Labor Committee will be holding several hearings relevant to education. On Wednesday, May 20, U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan is to appear for the first time on Capital Hill and will testify on the Obama Administration’s education agenda. More information about Secretary Duncan’s testimony can be found here. Additional hearing topics include Increasing Student Aid through Loan Reform as well as New Innovations and Best Practices under the Workforce Investment Act. For more information on the Committee’s schedule, click here.
July 1, 2009 Deadline for State Fiscal Stabilization Fund, Phase 1 Applications
A deadline for applying to the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF) program was recently reported in the Federal Register. According to the notice, Governors must submit applications for Phase I of the SFSF (67% of available funding; or more, if the state can demonstrate need) must be returned to the U.S. Department of Education by July 1, 2009 at 4:30 PM EST. States who miss this deadline will not be eligible for Phase I or Phase II of SFSF funding.
Education Newsbriefs
State Adopts Streamlined Evaluation Process
Tuscaloosa News (Ala.) (05/15/09) Hunter, Desiree
The Alabama State Board of Education voted on May 14 to replace the Alabama Professional Education Personnel Evaluation program with the more efficient teacher evaluation system EDUCATE-Alabama. By eliminating the need for administrators to record verbatim what teachers say and do during classroom observations, along with other time-consuming paperwork, the length of time needed to complete evaluations is reduced by six hours. Additionally, the new evaluation program gives time for administrators to talk with teachers. "It keeps the rigor up, it keeps the value up, but it also cuts the time it takes to complete it," says State Superintendent of Education Joe Morton, who adds that superintendents, principals, and teachers across the state who tested the new system are in favor of it.
Curriculum Matters: A New Math Standard for Massachusetts Teachers
Education Week (05/14/09) Cavanagh, Sean
Massachusetts Commissioner of Education Mitchell Chester plans to propose a new requirement for elementary school teachers on the state licensure exam. The proposal, if approved by the State Board of Education, would require elementary school teachers to pass a math-specific test in order to receive elementary certification for grades one through six. Chester says, "[The proposals aims to provide elementary teachers with] competence in math. It's a pretty substantial standard, not a trivial standard." A three-year grace period could be embedded in the new standard, providing teachers with another opportunity to achieve the passing score. Chester also has plans to develop and pass a standard for pre-K through grade 8 special education teachers.
Graduation Rate Keeps Rising
Baltimore Sun (05/15/09) Bowie, Liz
In March, the number of Maryland high school students not expected to graduate because they failed to meet the new High School Assessment requirement reached about 4,600, but those numbers are falling with just two weeks to go before the Class of 2009 graduates. Maryland Superintendent of Schools Nancy Grasmick told schools not to publish updated data until after the May 27 state school board meeting, but she says, "The numbers look really good. We feel optimistic." The Class of 2009 is the first class that must pass four subject tests in biology, algebra I, American government, and 10th grade English.
Over 60 W.Va. Teachers Get Certification
Mineral Daily News-Tribune (WV) (05/15/09)
In West Virginia, 60 teachers were honored for achieving National Board Certification, joining 420 teachers in the state and more than 60,000 nationwide. The voluntary certification program requires a performance-based assessment that can take up to three years to finish and involves a portfolio of student work, assignments, videotapes, and analysis of classroom teaching, along with subject knowledge assessments. State Superintendent of Schools Steve Paine, who was at the May 13 ceremony at the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences, said, "National Board Certified teachers not only have to prove they know their subject matter, but they also must provide evidence they know how to effectively teach their subjects to students. National Board Certified Teachers know how to bridge the gap between what students learn today and what they need to know to be successful in the 21st century. Teachers who receive the national certification are clearly among America's best."
In Standards Push, Lawmakers Cheer States' Initiative
Education Week (05/13/09) Vol. 28, No. 31, P. 18; Klein, Alyson
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle in Congress seem content to support the efforts of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the National Governors Association to create a voluntary set of uniform education standards for states to adopt. The effort is gaining support among other groups as well, including the College Board, ACT Inc., and Achieve. Former West Virginia Gov. Bob Wise says the current state-led effort is more likely to succeed in setting national standards than any effort led by the federal government because there will be less political opposition. President Barack Obama and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan both say uniform standards are necessary. Common standards were one of the topics of recent hearings held by the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee, which is considering the renewal of the No Child Left Behind Act. However, CCSSO President and Arkansas Education Commissioner T. Kenneth James warns that state officials are less likely to support common standards if they are driven by the federal government, and he hopes the government will take a limited role in the effort. "I think it can be done without the perception that the federal government is driving the train," James says.
Education Newsbriefs © Copyright 2009 INFORMATION, INC.
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