September 18, 2015

Delaware News

WDEL
Blended learning strong at Mt. Pleasant High School; Calls for stronger broadband deepen
Part 3 of Amy Cherry’s four-part series on the Student Success 2025 plan
“So it looks a lot like mass chaos if you don’t know what’s happening when you walk into a room. That’s really doing blended learning,” said Robyn Howton. “Because, for us, blended learning means providing both face-to-face and digital ways to learn and opportunities for kids to personalize their learning by picking topics or projects as ways to show what they’ve learned.”

The News Journal
New test: low-income, minority students still behind
Delaware students who are minorities, come from low-income families, have disabilities or are learning English all continue to lag their fellow students academically by a wide margin, scores on the state’s tough new Smarter Balanced Assessment show. When Delaware released broad statewide results for the test earlier this month, it showed what most expected: because Smarter Balanced is significantly tougher than previous tests, fewer students scored well enough to be proficient.

High-poverty schools face teacher gap
Students in Delaware’s high-poverty schools see more staff turnover and learn in classrooms staffed by inexperienced teachers, a report by the State Department of Education says. State officials acknowledge this is a long-standing issue, but hope new data will spur a more urgent conversation about how to attract top talent to these schools.

Opt-Out ends the madness of high-stakes testing
Opinion by Kevin Ohlandt, blogger
As a proud advocate of parent opt-out, I watched in horror as Gov. Markell vetoed legislation created for parents and their fundamental rights.

Delaware Public Media
Inaugural Smarter Balanced test data shows stark racial achievement gap
Further analysis of Delaware’s first year Smarter Balanced Assessment scores released earlier this month shows wide racial disparities in English and Math proficiency.

Dover Post
Minorities, low income struggle with Smarter Balanced
The achievement gap between certain ethnic groups and low income students was included in the Delaware Department of Education’s release of final Smarter Balanced Assessment Test scores. The scores were released at the Sept. 17 State Board of Education meeting.

NBC
Parents upset about new Delaware testing
Teachers and parents say the data on new testing for Delaware students is not very specific.

Cape Gazette
Students must become problem solvers
Editorial
Testing may help us determine whether schools have provided the fundamental tools, but it is also critical to see how our students are doing in college and on the job. That’s what will tell us how well we’re teaching them to actually use those tools.

Associated Press
Smarter Balance Assessment results show uneven balance
Delaware students’ performance on a new standardized test–linked to Common Core academic standards–shows a continuing achievement gap.

Sussex County Post
Indian River continuing with Peachjar electronic flier system
For the second consecutive year, the Indian River School District will utilize the Peachjar electronic flier management system for promotional literature. Paper fliers that were previously sent home or posted in schools are now e-mailed directly to parents.

National News

Education Week
Teacher-evaluation reins loosen under NCLB waivers
But over the past year and a half, the U.S. Department of Education has offered states more and more flexibility when it comes to getting evaluations aligned to common-core tests in place and using them to make personnel decisions. In the latest twist, the department this summer has allowed at least two states—Arkansas and Massachusetts—until the 2017-18 school year to finish putting in place teacher evaluations aligned to new, statewide tests that gauge students’ college-and-career readiness, according to the states’ waiver-renewal letters.

Teachers nurture growth mindsets in math
Despite skepticism from some parts of the mathematics field, new strategies are emerging for teachers to help students develop positive learning attitudes toward math.

Boston Herald
Lawsuit seeks to lift cap on Massachusetts charter schools
Massachusetts’ cap on the number of public charter schools is the target of a new lawsuit, which argues that the limit violates the right to an adequate education included in the state constitution.

Hechinger Report
Even vocational high schools are pushing kids to go to college
78: approximate percentage of students in vocational education programs who now go on to full-time post-secondary education.