By Jason Burns If a group of Michigan legislators have their way, Michigan’s adoption of common standards will end. Senate Bill 826, which was referred to the Michigan Senate by the Senate Education Committee on April 26, and House Bill 5444 would both repeal the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) as well as all Common… Read More »
By David Casalaspi Last year was an important one in the world of standardized testing. For many states, the 2014-2015 school year witnessed the first administration of new Common Core-aligned standardized tests. The new tests were considerably more difficult than previous ones, and as a result, scores across the nation dropped tremendously. In Louisiana,… Read More »
By David Casalaspi As reported in an earlier blog post, the 2015 results for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) were released last month. The results nationwide were disappointing. Overall, 67% of American 8th-graders are not proficient in math. For 4th-graders, it’s 60%. And achievement gaps between white and minority students remain mostly… Read More »
By Adrienne Hu Alignment issues of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) have become the new hot topic in many studies and reports published recently. One reason why people are so keen about alignment is that it can help us distinguish whether the issues facing many states in education are really about the standards themselves, or… Read More »
By Adrienne Hu After all the hubbub about testing and teacher evaluation for students and teachers in grades 3-8 and high school, states have finally settled on their assessment plans and evaluation plans, at least for the 2014-2015 school year. Before resolving the issues of over-testing and establishing valid and reliable educator evaluation systems, the… Read More »
By Gary A. Troia and Rachel Marias Three major policy streams – standards, accountability, and assessment – have converged in recent years. Standards-based reform argues that top-down control of student expectations and accountability for meeting those expectations (as measured through high-stakes testing) will improve student achievement. Before adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS),… Read More »
By Sarah Galey The Common Core was a key topic last week at the 2015 convention for the Modern Language Association (MLA), which took place January 8-11 in Vancouver, Canada. The MLA is a major research associate for the study and teaching of languages and literature. The organization its members are paying close attention to… Read More »
By Sarah Galey Although the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts (CCSS-ELA) are not a curriculum, per say, they are changing what many kids read in school. Teachers and districts are still largely responsible for deciding the “how” of instruction, but according to a recent four-part series featured on National Public Radio (NPR)… Read More »
By Sarah Galey A recent study published by the Center for Education Policy (CEP) found that school district leaders continue to support the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in spite of the growing political intensity surrounding the standards. Commenting on the study, Maria Ferguson, the executive director of CEP, noted, “The fact that a growing… Read More »
By Sarah Galey After a vote by the Michigan State Senate last week, the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) is resuming work on the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Even though the language passed by the Senate does not exactly match the House version, State Superintent Mike Flannagan gave MDE the “go ahead” to continue… Read More »
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