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Here are news and opinion stories educators, advocates, policy wonks and makers are talking about today:
News & analysis:
Education Chief Lets States Delay Use of Tests in Decisions About Teachers’ Jobs
Acknowledging that the nation’s educators face large challenges in preparing students for more rigorous academic standards and tests, Arne Duncan, the secretary of education, told state education officials on Tuesday that they could postpone making career decisions about teachers based on performance evaluations tied to new tests. (New York Times)
ELL Assessment Groups Move Ahead on Standards, New Tests
For teachers who work with English-language learners, there’s more to grasp than the new common standards in English/language arts and mathematics and the coming assessments that go with them. Also coming are new and revamped English-language-proficiency standards connected to the language demands in the common core, and soon, a new set of assessments to measure the progress that ELLs make toward becoming proficient in their new language. (Education Week – Learning the Language)
Minnesota:
Teach for America faces new Minnesota obstacle
In a move that reversed several years of practice, the Minnesota Board of Teaching recently denied a group licensing waiver for the Teach for America (TFA) educator training program. (Star Tribune)
New York:
Julie Marlette: First of Its Kind: A Review of Teacher Prep Programs
Today, the National Council on Teacher Quality released their first-ever review of U.S. teacher preparation programs. This national study, which looked at more than 1,100 undergraduate and graduate programs across the country, is the first of its kind to evaluate and rank programs based on a variety of factors, including admissions selectivity, content preparation, skills preparation (including classroom management), the quality of student teaching and the use of outcomes and data. (NYCAN Blog)
North Carolina:
Governor McCrory Outlines Reform Goals to Education Cabinet
Governor Pat McCrory called on North Carolina’s education leaders to increase their production of community college and university graduates as well as devise more innovative methods to increase teacher pay. (State of NC – Governor’s Office)