July 25, 2013

Local News

The News Journal
High school class on Bible up for a vote
The Cape Henlopen School Board will vote tonight on a proposal to offer a high school class examining the Bible’s role in society and history, tying Delaware into a national debate over the limits of religion in schools. If approved, the elective class would begin in fall of 2014 and be worth half a year’s credit.

The Newark Post
Markell visits with students in Governor’s School
When Conrad School for the Sciences junior Bryce Fender’s guidance counselor picked him to apply for The Governor’s School For Excellence, he did not know it would show him what life in college was like. Fender is one of the many rising juniors from Delaware high schools who were chosen as a result of their academic or artistic talents. The program is a weeklong and students live on campus in some of the University of Delaware’s dormitories.

National News

Education Week
Survey finds state officials confident in Common Core

A Center on Education Policy survey of state education officials finds that most see little chance the Common Core standards will be “reversed, limited, or changed in some way” in their states during 2013-14, and it downplays the threat posed by state-level opposition to the standards. Of the 29 responding from states with NCLB waivers, 22 said the waivers were helping them implement the Common Core.

Texas seeks waiver from Feds on test exemptions
Texas education officials are awaiting word from the U.S. Department of Education on their plan to reduce the number of tests high-performing elementary and middle school students must take. House Bill 866 would exempt 3rd and 5th graders who achieve a minimum-scale score on reading and math tests from being required to take those tests again in the 4th, 6th, and 7th grades.

Cronkite News
Reading, writing, ‘rithmetic … retention? Third-graders face new reading standard
Arizona children entering 3rd grade this year are the first who will have to prove that they can read at an acceptable level or face being held back. The state education department estimates that the new law will force about 1,500 children to repeat 3rd grade next year. Arizona is one of 15 states, along with the District of Columbia, that has passed reading-retention measures for 3rd graders, according an ECS report.

Mlive
‘Pay for performance’ not recommended in Michigan teacher evaluation group’s report
Michigan teachers need a strong system for evaluating their performance, but those results should not be used to determine pay, according to the Michigan Council for Educator Effectiveness report. The report recommends that the state create and implement an evaluation requirement for teachers and administrators based on direct observation of performance as well as student growth.

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