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SMARTER Reading & Writing?
Fordham's Kathleen Porter-Magee criticized the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium reading assessment strategy
Six premises, seven ideas for better teacher training
At the Twitter Town Hall with Education Secretary Arne Duncan (related: the full transcript of that dialogue is online) on August 24, he promised some new initiatives regarding schools of education. In the hope that the suggestion box is still open, I have a suggestion — not for the Secretary but for schools and colleges of education.
Confronting the 15,000-Hour Problem
But we must also contend with the 15,000-hour problem. Most Americans have attended schools for 13 years—and have watched teachers teach for more than 15,000 hours, usually in the company of 25 or 30 other students (40 or 50 in hard times). And while most Americans may want improved schools and better teaching, they do not want teaching and learning to look all that different from when they were in school themselves. The public’sfamiliarity with teaching reifies expectations. It may even breed contempt for the specialized skills that effective teachers and administrators need to develop—after all, an expert teacher can make the job look easy.
College Prep For All Agenda is Working
The National Journal reflects on increasing college enrollment rates as reported by the Pew Research college enrollment continues at record high levels. That’s what the Pew Research Center found last week in a report on college enrollment and ethnicity. Fawn Johnson explains: In October 2010, the United States hit…
Demonstrated Competence
The goal of school is learning but we still manage it based on time. Students still progress a year at a time after a 180 day school year along with other kids their age. Occasionally politicians call for an end to social promotion, but just mean making struggling students repeat a grade. We didn’t really have a better way to manage matriculation in the era of data poverty.
AdvancePath Academy Leads the Way to Success
The AdvancePath Academy, in Utica Michigan, does just that: advance students on their path through high school and on to college.
Reflections on Inflections
Inflection points marks the beginning of a different future. We recently hit three inflections in education, and there are three more to come that have the potential to change the world.
SMARTER Specs Suggest Complex Tests
SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) published its "content maps and specification" in English/language arts. They suggest complex tests that include adaptive assessment and demonstrations of learning.
iNACOL President & CEO Discusses Vision for Proficiency-Based Learning
David Nagel with THE Journal recently interviewed iNACOL, the International Association for K-12 Online Learning, President and CEO Susan Patrick about her vision to shift from a system based on seat time to proficiency- and competency-based learning models in her recent report, "Cracking the Code: Synchronizing Policy and Practice for Performance-based Learning."
AdvancePath Boosts Utica Grad Rates
The superintendents of Utica and Baltimore County credit the introduction of AdvancePath academies with boosting graduation rates