It’s no secret that principals are pretty stoked when students who transfer into their schools have a history of high scores on required annual tests. School leaders feel great pressure to perform in the public eye and having a few more kids to bump those numbers up is certainly a welcome surprise. It’s usually light hearted and all in good… Read more →
A military spouse whose family has moved 16 times and whose children attended 11 different schools makes a compelling case on an issue that continues to be politicized —the embrace of Common Core State Standards. Patty Hunzeker, an educator now living in Virginia and a member of Military Families for High Standards, has seen first hand the learning loss experienced by students who… Read more →
Those who were quick to dismiss the Common Core assessments as fatally flawed are having to eat their words.The evidence is in, and it looks like those states that stayed the course with Smarter Balanced and PARCC are in a far more stable position than those states that bowed to political pressure and retreated. As this U.S. News and World Report commentary… Read more →
South Dakota’s adoption of Common Core standards was not illegal, a Hughes County judge ruled last week.
Two South Dakota parents filed a suit against Gov. Dennis Daugaard and the state in November arguing that South Dakota’s involvement in an multi-state assessment group aligned with Common Core standards was illegal.
Last week, Circuit Court Judge Mark Barnett ruled that the state had not violated any federal or state laws.
Parents across California will soon find out how their children performed on Smarter Balanced tests aligned with Common Core standards in math and English language arts.
A key change this year is that the score reports show student progress from last year to this year. The reports will include simplified text and easier-to-read graphics than last year, according to new samples approved by the state. Parents should receive their children’s reports during the summer. This is earlier than last year, when some parents didn’t receive their children’s score reports in the mail until October or November, said Celia Jaffe, vice president of education for the California PTA.
The tests were first administered last year as part of the state’s California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, or CAASPP testing system. Each spring, more than 3 million students in grades 3 through 8 and 11 take the Smarter Balanced assessments.
Southern California Public Radio, KPCC, 3/14/16
The California State University is now using incoming freshmen’s test scores on the state’s new standardized tests to decide if students are ready for college level math and English or if they need to take remedial classes. The new requirement is leading CSU officials to urge 11th graders to take the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (Smarter Balanced) tests more seriously.
Based last year’s 11th grade Smarter Balanced scores, a large part of Cal State’s incoming class next fall will have to take some action this year to prove they’re ready for college work. Remediation – along with low graduation rates – became such a serious problem at Cal State campuses that Governor Jerry Brown used funding approval to compel the CSU to make improvements.