December 18, 2014

Delaware News

The News Journal
Red Clay votes to move forward on Priority Schools
The Red Clay School Board voted 6-1 Wednesday night to move forward with the push to turn around its three Priority Schools, schools which Gov. Jack Markell and his administration have cited as having some of the lowest test scores in the state. In approving its own ground rules, the district administration rejected some requirements the state wanted, including a minimum salary of $160,000 for each school leader and forcing every teacher in each building to re-apply for jobs.

WDEL
Official say number of dual enrollment students rises
The number of Delaware students taking courses that give them high school and college credits has more than doubled since the last academic year, state officials said. More than 1,500 students are taking dual enrollment courses at 25 Delaware schools this fall, up from about 600 who enrolled in the classes during the 2013-14 school year.

WDDE
Red Clay School Districts OKs Priority Schools MOU
Dr. Adrianna Bohm was the only dissenting board vote calling Priority Schools a turnaround demand, rather than a turnaround plan.

Milford Beacon
Milford School Board votes to not renew three contracts
The Milford School District Board of Education voted not to renew three administrative contracts for the next school year at its meeting on Monday night, including that of Dr. David Carter, Milford High School’s principal. The other two positions affected included Travis Moorman, director of secondary curriculum, and Jon LoBiondo, the assistant principal at E.I. Morris Early Childhood Center.

National News

Casper Star-Tribune
Bill would repeal controversial science standard ban in Wyoming
A Wyoming bill would eliminate a budget footnote that prohibited the State Board of Education from spending money to review or adopt the Next Generation Science Standards, in part because the guidelines indicate humans have contributed to global climate change.

Las Vegas Review-Journal
‘Money, money, money’ stressed in education reform talks
A lot of plans and not enough money. That was the message running throughout conversation for improving Nevada’s public schools, as stated by some of Nevada’s leading education officials and a reform-minded state lawmaker.

The Plain Dealer
Bills to rein in testing and the Common core are dead – could rise again new year
Bills to block the Common Core standards in Ohio and to limit testing of students have both died in the state legislature.

The Marion Star
A quarter of Ohio third-graders must retake reading test
More than 31,000 third-graders will have to retake their state reading exam to ensure passage to the next grade, but the students who barely passed their fall exams might be of bigger concerns to districts this year.

Chalkbeat Colorado
Coalition releases school grades for parents
Colorado parents looking for more user-friendly information about their school’s academic performance last year can now search an updated online database that ranks schools on a familiar A-F grading scale.