A new report commissioned by NWEA revealed that parents, teachers and school leaders agree about the importance of measuring students' soft skills, such as critical thinking, problem solving and teamwork and view them as equally important as academic skills. However, which skills to teach and who should have the primary role in doing so is an area where the roles disagreed.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 09/05/18
A new move by the New Mexico Public Education Department will give school districts in that state 15 more days to prepare for statewide PARCC exams and deliver student test scores before the end of the school year.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 08/29/18
Educational game company Kahoot is launching a new certification program for teachers designed to help them use Kahoot in their classrooms more effectively. Kahoot is a popular competitive quiz game that's available free for educators.
On the bright side, researchers noted in a new report, there's a move away from high-stakes consequences and toward formative rather than summative assessments.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 07/03/18
As school officials put more emphasis on community outreach as part of making the results of educational efforts more accessible, they need to know that the receiving public has some understanding about the data being shared.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 06/28/18
Teachers and students are often confused about the "voluntary nature" of pre-tests, in which the questions require responses, including those queries that a student may not wish to answer. Therein lies the problem. Because the data generated in those surveys is part of school-required activities, it falls under the purview of multiple laws that protect the privacy of student data.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 06/22/18
A new working paper from NBER asks, does holding schools accountable for student performance cause good teachers to leave low-performing schools? The answer....
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 06/20/18
In light of the scathing NEPC report on virtual schools, Kevin P. Chavous of K12 Inc. — whose partner schools account for more than a third of all online schools in the United States — argues for the need for meaningful measures of effectiveness ... and sets the record straight on student diversity.
- By Kevin P. Chavous
- 06/13/18
As states sort out their science standards — many adopting the Next Generation Science Standards and even more going at the work on their own — all of them are expected to adhere to "high-quality" summative science assessments that meet federal requirements spelled out in Title 1 Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 04/17/18
Even after moving high-stakes tests online, states for the most part aren't sharing student assessment data with teachers in time for them to make use it.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 02/21/18