Why the Race to Top Assessment Competition Is Important
The former education director of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation argues that states have a grand opportunity in the Race to the Top assessment competition. Read Full Post >
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May 14, 2010
May 14, 2010
Tennessee Rolls Out Simplified English Test for ELLs
The state implemented its new modified English test for English-language learners this spring. Read Full Post >
May 12, 2010
New York's Move to Revamp Evaluations Stirs Debate
New York's State Education Department and teachers' unions have brokered a deal to revamp teacher evaluations by linking them to student test scores, according to the The New York Times. The agreement is expected to boost the state's chances of winning coveted federal Race to the Top money. Under ... Read Full Post >
May 11, 2010
Charters & Their Shallow Community Roots
Dear Diane, That was an amazing and surprising find re. Milwaukee charters. I thought that at the very least they'd get the advantage of being in a more diverse (integrated) setting with more middle-class kids and that being chosen (even by lottery) would produce a kind of halo effect. Why it didn'... Read Full Post >
May 11, 2010
A Double Standard on Test Scores
Dear Deborah, Last month, a very important report was released about the voucher program in Milwaukee. It did not receive nearly enough attention, because its findings have major implications for a longstanding debate about the efficacy of vouchers. It was compiled by the School Choice Demonstratio... Read Full Post >
May 07, 2010
More Contenders for Race to Top Assessment Competition?
The College Board and ACT Inc., are soliciting state interest in forming consortia to apply for Race to the Top money for high school end-of-course tests. Read Full Post >
May 06, 2010
More on That Mystery Consortium in RTT Test Contest
More details emerge about a consortium planning to apply for Race to the Top Assessment money. Read Full Post >
May 04, 2010
Race to Top Test Competition: Who's in the Game?
Remember that other Race to the Top competition? The one that will dole out $350 million for development and implementation of assessments aligned to common standards? Well, we have our first official indication of who's going to apply for that money. Those of you wonky enough to have followed ever... Read Full Post >
April 28, 2010
State-by-State Flashcards on the Common Standards
I don't know about you, but I've still got a student living under my roof, so I see flashcards in use from time to time at my kitchen table. (Yes, even in this tech-heavy age, even at the high school level, some of her teachers suggest that students memorize certain things by making flashcards.) Th... Read Full Post >
April 27, 2010
Should Student Scores Be Used To Evaluate Teachers?
Dear Deborah, I am just back from travels that started in Boston, moved on to Chicago, then to Los Angeles and San Francisco. This week I will be in Dallas and Denver. Wherever I go, I meet many teachers who say virtually the same thing: They have never been more demoralized in their professional ... Read Full Post >
