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CCSSO Applauds the U.S. Department of Education’s Call to Reauthorize ESEA
CCSSO applauds the U.S. Department of Education (ED) on its call to action regarding reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), specifically ED’s commitment to state autonomy. One of the key issues addressed in U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s speech on reauthorization was setting high goals for achievement but affording states the autonomy and flexibility to determine how best they can achieve those high goals for their students. CCSSO urges that a new ESEA should continue to support bold innovation at the state level by encouraging, not simply allowing for, new approaches to addressing the challenges facing our nation’s schools.
CCSSO Executive Director Gene Wilhoit states, “It is time to initiate the reauthorization of ESEA and imperative we get it right. States are not in this for the quick fix. We need sustainable, meaningful change to this law that will give states the discretion they need to make decisions that will truly impact student achievement and turn around low-performing schools. The standardized approach is not the right approach.”
CCSSO has convened an ESEA Reauthorization Task Force of politically and geographically diverse chiefs and additional state education agency staff to craft a set of guiding principles and specific recommendations which it will submit to the Congressional authorizing committees for consideration. Please click here for additional information regarding CCSSO’s ESEA reauthorization efforts including the 2006 policy statement and corresponding recommendations.
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Association & Related News
Common Core State Standards Initiative Validation Committee Announced
2009 CCSSO Annual Policy Forum and Business Meeting
Education Newsbriefs
"Arizona Expands K-12 Online Learning" (AZ)
"New Web Site Designed to Enhance Student Learning" (IN)
"Rex: After-School Programs Important for Children and Communities" (SC)
"State Superintendent Upbeat About WI Schools" (WI)
"NSBA and NEA Publish Undocumented Students Legal Issues Guide"
"Jumpstart's Read for the Record"
Association & Related News
Common Core State Standards Initiative Validation Committee Announced
By Paul Ferrari
The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and CCSSO released on September 24 the names of the members of the Validation Committee for the Common Core State Standards Initiative. This committee will immediately be tasked with reviewing and verifying the standards development process and the resulting evidence-based college- and career-readiness standards. The standards are intended to be research and evidence-based, aligned with college and workforce training program expectations, reflective of rigorous content and skills, and internationally benchmarked.
For the college- and career-readiness standards, the Validation Committee will:
- Review the process used to develop the college- and career-readiness standards and recommend improvements in that process. These recommendations will be used to inform the K-12 development process.
- Validate the sufficiency of the evidence supporting each college- and career-readiness standard. Each member is asked to determine whether each standard has sufficient evidence to warrant its inclusion.
- Add any standard that is not now included in the common core state standards that they feel should be included and provide the following evidence to support its inclusion: 1) evidence that the standard is essential to college and career success; and 2) evidence that the standard is internationally comparable.
Members of the validation committee were nominated by states and national organizations, with a group of six governors and six chief state school officers in the participating states selecting the final committee membership. The six governors were Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter; Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell; Delaware Gov. Jack Markell; Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue; Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas; and West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin. The chief state school officers were: Maine Chief and CCSSO Board President Susan Gendron; Michigan Chief Michael Flanagan; Pennsylvania Chief Gerald Zahorchak; South Carolina Chief Jim Rex; and West Virginia Chief Steve Paine. After the college- and career-readiness standards and process have been validated by the committee, the NGA Center and CCSSO will begin the process of developing the K-12 standards.
Information about the 25 members of the Validation Committee can be found here. For more information on the Common Core State Standards Initiative and to comment on the draft college- and career-readiness standards, please visit www.corestandards.org. For more information about the Common Core State Standards Initiative contact communications@ccsso.org.
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2009 CCSSO Annual Policy Forum and Business Meeting
Registration is open for CCSSO’s 2009 Annual Policy Forum (APF) and Business Meeting, November 19–22, 2009, at the Naples Grande Resort and Club in Naples, Florida. The APF is designed to bring chiefs, deputies, and federal liaisons together to conduct the annual business of the Council. The forum will focus on the following:
- to review the chiefs’ four strategic priorities and call upon members to engage in a collective theory of action around those priorities;
- to discuss the policy effects of the chiefs’ strategic initiatives, the implications for collective state action, and their intersection with current federal opportunities; and
- to prepare the organization and the states to collectively act on the chiefs’ strategic priorities with a variety of key education policymakers in the coming year.
The deadline for registration is close of business Friday, October 30, 2009. For questions about the program or registration, please contact Bevin Kennedy at bevink@ccsso.org or 202-336-7014.
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Education Newsbriefs
Arizona Expands K-12 Online Learning
Arizona Republic (09/24/09) Kossan, Pat
A pilot program that made it possible for 14 school districts in Arizona to offer online courses to 15,000 students in grades K-12 has been opened to all schools statewide, and online classes could be offered at additional schools as early as the 2010 school year. Supporters of online courses believe they will give students more choices and increased flexibility. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne says students will continue attending school on a daily basis, but will take more online courses on their own time. He says a catalog of all online programs and courses is in the works, though the courses will not be ranked by quality. The State Board of Education and the State Board for Charter Schools will oversee the online programs, and they will have the authority to shut them down if there is no proof after three years that they bolster student performance.
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New Web Site Designed to Enhance Student Learning
Louisville Courier Journal (KY) (09/21/09) Weidenbener, Lesley Stedman
Parents and students in Indiana have access to interactive Web games, family activities, homework assistance, and other online tools tailored to the state's public school curriculum, thanks to a new partnership between Comcast and Discovery Education. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett says the program is a model of the kinds of technological innovations needed to bolster education. "We’re thrilled we're the first," Bennett remarks. The activities and games, which can be accessed here, are meant to supplement educational resources already available.
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Rex: After-School Programs Important for Children and Communities
Anderson Independent-Mail (SC) (09/22/09) Carey, Liz
At a Sept. 21-22 conference, South Carolina Superintendent of Education Jim Rex said despite budget cuts, schools and communities need to find ways to provide after-school programs. Not only do after-school programs keep so-called "latchkey children" safe from crime, but they also reinforce learning and provide assistance to students who need extra help. In some areas, churches and other organizations are partnering with schools to provide after-school homework help and activities. "Communities are becoming increasingly aware that these kinds of partnerships are increasing the quality of life in the communities," said Rex. "There's a growing realization that as a community, these groups need to become involved in the education of children not only at school but afterward as well."
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State Superintendent Upbeat About WI Schools
Badger Herald (09/25/09) Rainey, Ryan
In his first State of Education address, Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers voiced optimism about the state's public schools but said there was room for improvement. Evers has made improving virtual education in schools and libraries one of his top priorities, and bandwidth at smaller schools and libraries will be expanded to provide "online global learning opportunities." He also plans to expand the State Department of Public Instruction's Milwaukee Urban Education Office and hold regular office hours to bolster relations between the department and the community. Additionally, Evers stated that changes to teacher assessment, accountability, and compensation systems are in the works.
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NSBA and NEA Publish Undocumented Students Legal Issues Guide
National School Boards Association (NSBA) (09/15/09)
A grant from the National Education Association has made it possible for the National School Boards Association (NSBA) -- with support from 16 national education organizations -- to issue a guide to help school districts navigate questions about undocumented students in public schools. Every school district in the nation will receive a copy of "Legal Issues for School Districts Related to the Education of Undocumented Children," and it also will be available on NSBA's Web site here. According to NSBA Executive Director Anne L. Bryant, "The guide reflects the shared belief of NSBA and NEA that all children should be educated regardless of immigration status. The guide aims for school board members and educators to use it as a starting place to learn about the rights of undocumented students in school."
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Jumpstart's Read for the Record
Pearson Foundation (09/23/09)
Jumpstart's Read for the Record campaign will be held on Oct. 8, aiming to raise awareness of learning gaps in early education and emphasizing the importance of early literacy. The single-day event calls for parents, educators, and other adults across the United States to read with young children. Participants will read "The Very Hungry Catepillar" by Eric Carle, and the Pearson Foundation hopes a world record will be set for the number of children reading the same book on the same day. Pearson also is developing Read for the Record Classroom Toolkits for teachers and donating copies of the book to schools and community organizations worldwide. For more information on Read for the Record, visit the Pearson Foundation's Web site here or Jumpstart's site here.
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