April 28, 2016
By: Sarah D. Sparks
Source: edweek.org Cheating on standardized tests is not only common, it can also have long-term effects on students’ academic outcomes. Like social promotion, cheating to help students pass a high-stakes test can allow those who are struggling to get over procedural hurdles, like moving to the next level in school, but it […]
April 27, 2016
By: Eric Gorski
Source: chalkbeat.org A year ago, thousands of Colorado students, parents and educators fed up with state tests used to hold schools, districts and teachers accountable said enough was enough. More than 100,000 kids in grades three through 11 did not take new tests in math and language arts designed to measure how well […]
April 27, 2016
By: Alia Wong
Source: theatlantic.com It was almost exactly a year ago that 11 former Atlanta educators were convicted of conspiring to tamper with thousands of students’ test scores. The cheating scandal, which led to years of prison time for some of the offenders, has grown to symbolize the ills of America’s emphasis on standardized testing. […]
April 27, 2016
By: Gee Kin Chou
Source: edsurge.com The edtech community is obsessed with building things. But in addition to “things,” education also involves a complex, interconnected system of people and processes. Any attempts to improve education must look at it as a system. No single piece of technology out-of-the-box can produce a meaningful educational result by […]
April 27, 2016
By: Paul Barnwell
Source: hechingerreport.org LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Walking the hallways between classes at Fern Creek High School in Louisville, Kentucky, I dodge students whose heads are turned down to glowing screens. Earbuds and brightly colored headphones are everywhere. And when I peer into classrooms, I see students tuning out their peers and teachers and […]
April 27, 2016
by: Michelle Diament
Source: disabilityscoop.com A new federal report finds that fewer dollars are going toward studying services and the needs of those on the spectrum as they age. Spending on autism research across the country fell from $348.6 million in 2010 to $299.9 million in 2011 before rebounding a bit to $331.9 million in […]
April 27, 2016
By: David Paulk
Source: doverpost.com A lifelong disability isn’t enough to stop Samantha Wierney’s college dreams. But like any special education student, she faces additional hurdles. Wierney, 18, remains enthusiastic about attending Delaware Technical Community College in the fall. But the Dover High School senior wasn’t always this confident about furthering her education. “My freshman year […]
April 27, 2016
By: Anya Kamenetz
Source: npr.org The latest results of the test known as the Nation’s Report Card are in. They cover high school seniors, who took the test in math and reading last year. The numbers are unlikely to give fodder either to educational cheerleaders or alarmists: The average score in both subjects was just […]
April 27, 2016
By: Liana Heitin
Source: blogs.edweek.org Much like their 4th and 8th grade peers, high school seniors have lost ground in math over the last two years, according to the most recent scores on a national achievement test. In reading, 12th grade scores remained flat, continuing a trend since 2009. Perhaps the most striking detail in […]
April 26, 2016
By Marguerite McNeal
Source: edsurge.com Industry-leading tech companies recruit heavily from the most selective colleges and universities in the U.S., so is it any wonder that their employees lack diversity? The top 150 higher-ed institutions would have to recruit an additional 50,000 black students and 58,0000 Hispanic students each year if they want their student […]