July 25, 2016
Delaware News
The Dover Post
Smarter Balanced scores show small gains
The second year of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Test shows small gains compared to last year’s scores. Delaware educators say there’s much work to be done. State Chief Academic Officer Michael Watson, presenting the results this year, was enthusiastic.
The Newark Post
Summer brain gain: STEM activities guaranteed to excite kids
When parents and educators discuss the “summer slide,” they aren’t talking about the cool new feature at the community pool. The term refers to the learning loss that kids experience over summer break, and unfortunately it can have a dramatic impact on their academic success.
The News Journal
Mindful summer for children in Newark
Pre-schoolers in Newark are finding their zen this summer. Eastern-inspired mindfulness training is a central part of a camp held at the University of Delaware’s Laboratory Preschool, a school that educates both the children who go there and the college students who are working toward degrees in child-centered fields.
Progress made, but more work ahead for statewide testing results
Opinion by Dr. Steven H. Godowsky, Secretary of Education
Students across our state this past school year performed better in English language arts and mathematics state assessments. While I am proud of the hard work of the students and educators that led to these broad gains in the Smarter Assessment in grades 3 to 8, more importantly, I am encouraged about how many of our educators used the learning needs identified in their students’ results to immediately begin adjusting instruction and providing supports.
National News
Chalkbeat
Tennessee first-grade teachers now can be evaluated beyond test scores
Tennessee first-grade teachers soon will have another option for their evaluations. The State Board of Education approved an update to its principal and teacher evaluation policy on Friday, finalizing changes made this year by the legislature to give teachers the option of excluding this year’s TNReady test scores and adding the state’s fifth portfolio option.
Education Week
Data looms large in quest for new school-quality indicator
States scrambling to come up with more nuanced ways to measure school quality under the new federal K-12 law are running smack into an old problem: how to make sure they have the right data. The Every Student Succeeds Act requires that states—in addition to using English-language proficiency, graduation rates, and scores on statewide achievement tests—add at least one new indicator of school quality or student success, such as school climate, chronic absenteeism, discipline, or college and career readiness.
Hillary Clinton Picks Sen. Tim Kaine, CTE Advocate, as Choice for Vice President
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has picked Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine to be her vice presidential running mate—and friends of career and technical education have reason to be pleased. Kaine, who served as Virginia’s governor from 2006 to 2010, made an impact on the Every Student Succeeds Act, in fact, with respect to CTE.
MSNBC
Education policy represents a top issue for Latino voters
Opinion by Bill Richardson, adviser to Collaborative for Student Success
One of the few areas in which Donald Trump’s views have remained consistent is in the creation of barriers to Hispanics. There is, of course, the “wall” meant to keep us out of the U.S. But he doesn’t seem content with physical barriers. Importantly, for Hispanic parents across the nation, he also rails against high academic standards for all students.
The Washington Post
Are summer ‘camps’ the next frontier in helping disadvantaged students catch up?
Designed to help students catch up and stave off “summer slide” — when children lose ground in academics while school is out — Wolf’s class at Sargent Shriver Elementary School in Silver Spring, Md., is part of an effort that goes beyond traditional summer school. It blends math and literacy learning with field trips and activities such as theater, dance, art, technology, soccer, Legos and poetry.