This week Aldine Independent School District in Texas was named the recipient of the 2009 Broad Prize for Urban Education, a distinction that carries with it $1 million in college scholarships for students.
How does your education system define technological literacy? Chances are, whatever the definition, it doesn't align with what the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) is proposing as it develops a nationwide test for technological literacy among students. And that's going to cause serious problems, according to the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA), which is now publicly urging the group to reconsider its position.
Ed tech developer Renaissance Learning has announced an update to its 2Know! classroom response system that allows users to respond with short answers in addition to previously supported response types.
An initiative launched by the Ohio Department of Education has led to extensive use of the AIMSweb assessment and data management system throughout the western and central portions of the state.
- By Scott Aronowitz
- 08/27/09
After using a tech-based reading program with struggling readers and special education students at Homestead Elementary School in Crossville, TN, fourth-grade inclusion teacher Ashlee Ritzko witnessed a new phenomenon: Students that were reluctant or resistant readers were suddenly excited about reading the novels.
- By Bridget McCrea
- 08/27/09
St. Louis Public Schools in Missouri is rolling out new software tools to help bolster its community education program. The district is adding a registration and student assessment system to help track and share data and outcomes.
Students are taking more standardized basic skills tests than ever. But before they can teach the skills, teachers have to show they have them, and that can sometimes be more daunting than the word "basic" implies. And with renewed nationwide focus on K-12 education and standards rising in the profession, many among the myriad of standardized tests seem to be getting even more challenging.
- By Scott Aronowitz
- 08/17/09
South Dakota has become the first state in the United States to require all eighth-grade students to be tested on 21st century skills.
- By Scott Aronowitz
- 08/10/09
Kathy Schwabe knows that there's a standard assessment that most American schools use to keep tabs on their students' reading progress, but that didn't stop this Title I teacher from exploring a newer, more promising option a few years ago.
- By Bridget McCrea
- 07/30/09
President Barack Obama is calling on states and districts to set higher standards for student achievement. In a speech delivered at the United States Department of Education headquarters in Washington, DC Friday, Obama highlighted some of the top reforms he thinks will help accomplish this and also announced $4.35 billion in competitive grants designed to help support innovative reform efforts.