Recognizing that American K12 students have fallen behind foreign students in their grasp of scientific principles, educators have devised a new set of teaching guidelines that will radically change the way science is taught in classrooms across the United States—including recommendations that climate change and evolution be taught as core elements of scientific knowledge.
Assessment
5/20/2013
In Bullitt County, some B students soon could become A students — not based on improvements in their work, but rather because of a change in the grading scale.
5/16/2013
While data gained via standardized tests like NJASK may be extremely helpful, especially when paired with other data points, the over-emphasis on such testing is a classic example of how state and federal mandates are threatening to completely bypass local control.
5/16/2013
S.C high school students would no longer have to pass an exit exam to graduate if a state House bill becomes law – welcome news for the thousands of students who struggle year after year to pass both the test’s math and English sections.
5/15/2013
An advisory council has been crafting minimum standards in four core subjects that would be required to graduate from Colorado high schools — baselines that could be achieved through a variety of standardized test scores or other means.
5/15/2013
What makes the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS) inappropriate as a tool for 4K students? The test takes a minimum of 45 minutes of one-on-one testing per child. It has no applicability to children who are learning English. Centers will “teach to the test.”
5/14/2013
High schools in Seattle won’t have to give the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) tests starting next fall, the latest development in the testing controversy that has drawn national attention after starting in January at Garfield High School.
5/13/2013
The Common Core State Standards Initiative, which is managing the standards creation and feedback process, offers a wealth of information on its website to help district staff understand the process and get their questions answered.
5/12/2013
Ignoring a problem has never made it go away. But that’s exactly what some are suggesting Gov. Paul LePage and the Maine Department of Education do after our new A-F grade system was announced last week.
5/7/2013
For too long, schools from district to district and state to state have had wildly different standards and tests that make it harder for some students to compete and harder for parents and educators to get a handle on how well schools are performing.
5/7/2013
Seeking to address pervasive racial disparities at the top echelons of New York City schools, Christine C. Quinn, the City Council speaker, plans on Tuesday to propose a significant overhaul of gifted and talented programs that would provide space for more children and loosen admissions requirements.
5/6/2013
Amber Chalmers, fifth grade science teacher at Rolling Hills Elementary, has been appointed to serve on the State Review Panel for Proclamation 2014, where she will review and evaluate instructional materials submitted for the November 2013 adoption by the State Board of Education, including science, math and technology applications.
5/6/2013
The proliferation of cellphones and their potential use for cheating has prompted heightened security measures on this year's administration of standardized tests in California schools.
5/6/2013
Officials of the Pennsville (N.J.) School District introduced a policy recently that sets up parameters for staff using social networking sites while working within the district. The policy outlines security and appropriate procedures for using district technology resources.
5/6/2013
Two decades ago, Texas became ground zero for the accountability movement in public education. Now, after a revolt by teachers and parents who claim that high-stakes testing is ruining classroom instruction, the legislature is poised to undo many of its own reforms. Does anyone have the right answer?
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District Administration is the most widely received, most regularly read publication for K12 district-level school leaders nationwide.