November 6, 2013

Local News

The News Journal
New evaluation system gives state’s teachers high marks
Only one percent of Delaware teachers were rated ineffective during the first full year of the state’s teacher evaluation system, according to new Department of Education figures. Last year was the first full year of the new five-part DPAS II evaluation system. Teachers can be labeled “exceeds expectations,” “satisfactory” or “unsatisfactory.” Overall, 51 percent of teachers were rated “highly effective” and 48 percent were rated “satisfactory.”

Delaware Department of Education
Department of Education releases report on first year of revised educator evaluation system
Delaware’s Race to the Top plan committed to linking robust measures of student growth to educator evaluation. DDOE spent the past three years revising the evaluation system, with input from hundreds of educators and school leaders. During the 2012-13 school year, every educator was evaluated through the revised system, which uses four traditional components based on classroom/performance observations, professional responsibilities and a fifth component that combines multiple measures of student growth.

National News

The Atlantic
Why do teachers quit?
Approximately 15.7 percent of teachers leave their posts every year, and 40 percent of teachers who pursue undergraduate degrees in teaching never even enter the classroom at all. With teacher effectiveness a top priority of the education reform movement, the question remains: Why are all these teachers leaving—or not even entering the classroom in the first place?

Education Week
Gates Foundation places big bet on teacher agenda
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is widely seen as the most influential independent actor in a period of nationwide—and deeply contested—experimentation with the fundamentals of the teaching profession. What its spending has wrought, however, and whether it will have the desired effect, remain the subject of heated debate. The Gates largess covers the development of teacher-evaluation systems, district initiatives experimenting with new ways of training and paying teachers, and related research projects. It also has fueled advocacy groups that back the idea that boosting instructional quality is the key to erasing achievement gaps.

‘Read aloud’ assistance on common tests proves contentious
Rather than prohibit the so-called “read-aloud accommodation” entirely or allow reading aloud with no restriction, the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers decided to permit text passages to be read to students, with a notation on score reports saying no claims can be made regarding the student’s foundational reading skills. The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium opted against the read-aloud accommodation for students in grades 3-5, saying it would invalidate the language constructs being measured; students taking the test in higher grades may use that accommodation.

Lawmakers say shift to Common Core moving too fast
Lawmakers said Monday they support toughening Louisiana’s educational standards, but they criticized state education leaders for the way the standards have been rolled out in school districts. The comments came in a House Education Committee briefing held to discuss concerns that have been raised about the Common Core, a tougher set of grade-level benchmarks adopted by most states for what students should learn in English, reading and math.

Chronicle of Higher Education
First-generation students lag in college-readiness, report says
About a quarter of high-school graduates who took the ACT in 2013 met all four of its college-readiness benchmarks, in English, reading, math, and science. But only 9% of students whose parents did not go to college met all four benchmarks, according to a new report. Still, 94% of these students hoped to earn a college degree and 60% took the core courses ACT recommends.

Arizona Republic
Arizona schools chief: Test replacing AIMS likely to drop scores
Superintendent John Huppenthal is warning of a dramatic drop in scores when a new test will be rolled aligned to Arizona’s new College and Career Ready Standards, formerly known as Common Core. ACT College Readiness Benchmark results show 37% of students are on track to earn a B or C in college-level reading and 24% in math. In comparison, 61% of students passed the 2013 state math test and 78% passed the reading test.