ARRA
The United States Department of Education is looking to change the way assessments are done. In a speech Sunday, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said his department will commit up to $350 million to "support states in the creation of rigorous assessments linked to the internationally benchmarked common standards being developed by states."
Education technology developer School Loop is rolling out open APIs called OpenLoop to help districts exchange data between School Loop subsystems.
Policy
At a conference of the Institute of Education Sciences Monday, United States Secretary of Education Arne Duncan implored researchers and state agency workers to apply increased rigor when analyzing and reporting on school reforms.
GradeCam has released a software tool that allows Webcams and other types of cameras to be used to scan multiple choice tests and collect data to be used to aid instruction.
If there's one thing that teachers know how to do, it's create engaging learning environments with limited resources. Take Nancy Trollinger, an eighth- and ninth-grade math teacher who recently came upon an excellent way for struggling learners to pick up complex algebraic concepts: peer tutoring ... with a little technological twist.
- By Bridget McCrea
- 05/20/09
The ongoing debate on the effectiveness of technology use for student learning outcomes still seems to have no clear answers. Some will say technology is highly effective for students; others will say technology has had no measurable impact on outcomes. Why is this, and what can be done about it?
Following an open bidding process, the Florida Department of Education has announced it will award its contract for the Next Generation Florida Comprhensive Assessment Test (FCAT) to Pearson.
- By Scott Aronowitz
- 05/13/09
For Steven L. Paine, state superintendent of schools for West Virginia, 21st century learning is not an option; it's a necessity for students who must go out and compete on a global level. "Students deserve it. The world demands it," he told an audience at the FETC Virtual Conference & Expo, held Thursday. And to make it happen, he said, changes need to be made in the way we assess students and in the way we develop teachers.
There's a significant disconnect between students and educators when it comes to perceptions of technology in K-12 education, according to Julie Evans, CEO of Project Tomorrow. Evans discussed results of the latest Speak Up Survey Thursday afternoon at the FETC Virtual Conference & Expo. Among the findings: There's a trend toward students using technology to take hold of their own educational destinies and act as "free agent learners."
In an effort to solve what it calls the two biggest problems with benchmark assessments on standardized tests, Renaissance Learning has introduced Star Standards testing platform. The package includes the Star Reading, Star Math, and Star Early Literacy adaptive tests, all currently in use, with additional items to test common core and state-specific standards.
- By Scott Aronowitz
- 04/23/09