November 28, 2012
Local News
WDDE
Delaware sees strides made in an early childhood education initiative
Gov. Markell and others were in Wilmington honoring the high performing child-care providers participating in the Delaware Stars for Early Success rating program.Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge funds have led the state to set an ambitious goal for the Stars program – to have 80 percent of high need children in a rated program in 5 years. The state was at 20 percent a year ago. It stands at 31 percent this year.
The News Journal
State early education program is brightening futures
To boost enrollment of at-risk children, the state has increased reimbursements to centers that improve their rating through the Early Success system.The number of centers rated highly by the Delaware Stars for Early Success system rose from 38 to 88.
Sussex Countian
Lake Forest High School seniors busy with College Application Week
Lake Forest High School seniors spent first and second periods applying for colleges online Monday morning with the help of guidance counselors and volunteers from the state’s universities and colleges as part of College Application Week. U.S. Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) and U.S. Rep. John Carney (D-Del.), lauded the state’s push for increased college attendance.Carney said the state’s SEED and Aspire scholarships had helped several students attend the University of Delaware, Delaware State University and Delaware Tech as well.
National News
Salt Lake Tribune
New tests coming to Utah schools
The Criterion Referenced Tests most Utah students take will soon be replaced with a new $39 million testing system designed to better pinpoint students’ needs, state education officials announced. A committee has decided to accept a bid from the American Institutes for Research to build a new computer-adaptive assessment system, which will test students on the Common Core standards.
Education Week
Resisting ‘downward pressure’ of Common Core in early education
As states move to adopt the Common Core standards, a number of early-education experts have raised concerns and questions about the impact on 3- and 4-year-olds. A new paper attempts to help early-childhood educators walk the tightrope between the common standards’ emphasis on raising academic rigor with research on young children’s healthy development.
Better teacher-candidate mentoring targeted
Summer Brewer’s first student-teaching experience taught her many things, all learned the hard way. The teacher she was apprenticed to gave students worksheets for whole class periods and never got up from her desk. By Ms. Brewer’s fourth day, her mentor was spending most of her time in the teachers’ lounge.
Teachers’ contract includes peer review
A newly ratified teachers’ contract in Newark creates several firsts for New Jersey. Some teachers will have the opportunity to earn up to $12,500 extra for getting a superior performance rating on evaluations, teaching in a low-performing school, or teaching a high-need subject. Also for the first time, peer reviews will become a formal part of the evaluation process.
Huffington Post
High school graduation rates by state: U.S. Department of Education releases first-ever national data
The Department of Education has released a first-ever list detailing state-by-state four-year high school graduation rates. The data reflect figures from the 2010-2011 academic year, the first year for which all states used a common, more rigorous measure. Iowa had the highest graduation rate at 88%. The data also show significant graduation rate gaps among student demographic groups.
Related Topics: Common Core, Graduation Rate, Teacher Effectiveness, Teacher Evaluation, Teacher Preparation