October 31, 2013
Local News
Sussex Countian
Business leaders is principal for a day at Sussex Tech
Sussex Technical High School recently hosted Rod Ward as its Principal of the Day. Ward is the president and CEO of Corporation Service Company (CSC), headquartered in Wilmington. CSC has offices throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. He spent his time at Sussex Tech meeting staff and students, visiting academic and career-technical classrooms, hall duty and lunch duty, as well as being interviewed during the school’s morning television newscast.
The News Journal
Lea Wainwright keeps it easy so kids can grasp what’s hard
If you ask Wainwright about her teaching philosophy, one of her biggest goals is creating a classroom that feels natural. “In every class, but especially in foreign languages, students are afraid to put themselves out there and make a mistake,” Wainwright said. “You can’t let them get in that mindset, because the only way you learn a language is by speaking it, which means you’re absolutely going to make mistakes. So you have to create an environment where students feel comfortable doing that.”
National News
Education Week
Common Core ratchets up language demands for English-learners
No one is a native speaker of academic English. As the formal written and spoken language of classrooms and professional workplaces, academic English often bears little resemblance to the social, everyday language one needs to communicate effectively in most situations.
Most states surpass global average in math, science
A new analysis of how all U.S. states stack up against countries around the world shows that 8th grade students in 35 states outperformed the international average in math and those in 46 did so in science. The federal report, released today, showcases the academic prowess of high-achieving states, such as Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Vermont, which outperformed all but five of 47 countries, provinces, and jurisdictions abroad in mathematics. The top performers in that subject were South Korea, Singapore, and Chinese Taipei (Taiwan).
The New York Times
Are you competent? Prove it.
After more than a century, the system equating time with learning is being challenged from high quarters. In March of this year, the Department of Education invited colleges to submit programs for consideration under Title IV aid that do not rely on seat time. In response, public, private and for-profit institutions alike have rushed out programs that are changing the college degree in fundamental ways; they are based not on time in a course but on tangible evidence of learning, a concept known as competency-based education.
EdSource
Feds set price of defiance on standardized tests: at least $15 million
The state now knows how much federal funding it stands to lose by declining to give state standardized tests in math and English language arts next spring to all students: at least $15 million – and potentially tens of millions of dollars more. An assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Education cited that figure and warned that the fine and the impact on school districts could be greater in a letter released Monday to State Board of Education Michael Kirst and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson.
Wyofile
Wyoming looks to revamp early childhood education
Efforts at improving pre-kindergarten education in Wyoming took a step forward when a legislative committee advanced a proposal to create an Office of Early Childhood Education. Committee members voted in favor of drafting a bill that would house the new office within the department of education and is aimed at increasing collaboration on early education with other state agencies.
Education Next
Michigan schools to jump into online courses in January
Starting in January 2014, Michigan’s public school students will be able to take online courses offered by the state’s school districts or Michigan Virtual University, a state-sponsored nonprofit offering online instruction to K-12 students. In 2012, the state’s school law was revised to allow students to take online courses without being granted specific approval from their home district, which will still be responsible for paying fees for the courses. The students, however, will still need permission from their parents to sign up for the classes. The law also requires that courses should be taught by Michigan-certified teachers.
Related Topics: academic language, Appoquinimink, Appoquinimink High School, Appoquinimink School District, assessments, Departments of Education, dual enrollment, Education Technology, EL, ELL, Family Services and Workforce Services - See more at: http://wyofile.com/gregory_nickerson/wyoming-looks-to-revamp-early-childhood-education/#sthash.r28unhkM.dpuf, Health, Higher Education, NAEP, Online Learning, standardized testing, TIMSS, WIDA, World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment consortium