Providing All Students with a Well-Rounded Education through ESSA

The National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) and the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders (GTL Center) have released a new interactive tool for principals: Principals Action Plan for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA): Providing All Students with a Well-Rounded and Complete Education. Principals’ crucial voices are needed in ESSA planning. To support Read more about Providing All Students with a Well-Rounded Education through ESSA[…]

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February Issue Brief: College Readiness

This year the United States hit a record high graduation rate of 83 percent, and 66 percent of graduating students enrolled in college. But we are discovering that high school graduation does not necessarily equate to readiness for college coursework. NAEP data show that only 37 percent of high school seniors are academically prepared for Read more about February Issue Brief: College Readiness[…]

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State Planning Tool for Standards-Based Accountability Under ESSA

The Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA) presents states with an opportunity to broaden their visions of college and career readiness by including multiple measures of accountability that better recognize the multiple pathways to college and career readiness. A new resource from the College & Career Readiness & Success Center at AIR provides states Read more about State Planning Tool for Standards-Based Accountability Under ESSA[…]

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Multiple Measures Done Right: The 7 Principles of Coherent Assessment Systems

With the new ESSA regulations requiring accountability systems based on multiple measures, a new guide from researchers at the not-for-profit NWEA provides educators with actionable steps they can begin implementing immediately.  Multiple Measures Done Right outlines the seven principles of developing coherent assessment systems that go beyond compliance to support student learning. The guide was Read more about Multiple Measures Done Right: The 7 Principles of Coherent Assessment Systems[…]

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Show me the Data: State Report Cards Must Answer Questions and Inform Action

States create annual aggregate report cards for the public about education statewide. But can people easily find and understand these reports? In many cases, the answer is no. In summer 2016, the Data Quality Campaign (DQC) set out to discover what information it could easily find on state report cards from all 50 states and Read more about Show me the Data: State Report Cards Must Answer Questions and Inform Action[…]

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Nation’s Schools Get Middling Grade on Quality Counts Report Card

As a new political and policy era dawns in Washington, the status of the nation’s schools remains stable, though still earning a grade of C from Quality Counts 2017, the 21st annual report card issued by the Education Week Research Center. The C corresponds to a score of 74.2, which is nearly identical to the Read more about Nation’s Schools Get Middling Grade on Quality Counts Report Card[…]

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December Issue Brief: Evidence-Based School Improvement

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires state and district leaders to consider the evidence behind school improvement practices before adopting or implementing them. The evidence-based provisions of ESSA are intended to support school improvement and result in better student outcomes. Guidance encourages state and district leaders to consider multiple tiers of evidence and examine Read more about December Issue Brief: Evidence-Based School Improvement[…]

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How States should Redesign their Accountability Systems under ESSA

David Griffith and Michael Petrilli have put their minds together to produce an ideal ESSA accountability system as a model for state education agencies. Below are excerpts from their recent blog post: States are now putting pen to paper on their accountability plans and many of them want advice about what to do. So no Read more about How States should Redesign their Accountability Systems under ESSA[…]

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New Report Examines Measures Used in New Jersey’s Principal Evaluation System

A new study finds both strengths and limitations in the measures used for New Jersey’s new principal evaluation system. The study, released by the Institute of Education Sciences, was conducted by Regional Educational Laboratory Mid-Atlantic and focused on the statewide principal evaluation system that was fully implemented by the state of New Jersey during the Read more about New Report Examines Measures Used in New Jersey’s Principal Evaluation System[…]

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Teacher Prep Regulations Rise from Dead, Turn Spotlight to States

The U.S. Department of Education has released its final regulations governing how states hold their teacher preparation programs accountable. New America’s Melissa Tooley takes a closer look at the potential challenges with implementation, which falls squarely on the shoulders of State Education Agencies: As with the recently-enacted Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), these regulations leave Read more about Teacher Prep Regulations Rise from Dead, Turn Spotlight to States[…]

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Grading Schools: How States Should Define ‘School Quality’ under ESSA

In “Grading Schools: How States Should Define ‘School Quality’ Under the Every Student Succeeds Act,” Bellwether author Chad Aldeman argues that accountability systems are a state’s best tool to signal what it values and how schools should be working to improve. But if states fail to take advantage of that opportunity, they may not provide Read more about Grading Schools: How States Should Define ‘School Quality’ under ESSA[…]

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New Teacher Preparation Regulations

The Obama administration has unveiled its long-delayed final regulations governing teacher preparation programs. Key provisions of the new regulations include: Providing transparency around the effectiveness of all preparation programs (traditional, alternative routes, and distance) by requiring states to report annually – at the program level – on the following measures: o   Placement and retention rates Read more about New Teacher Preparation Regulations[…]

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The Learning Landscape

To ensure that the public education system delivers on its promise of great outcomes for all kids, we need a shared understanding of the facts to help us assess the system, identify challenges, and develop viable solutions. A new report by Bellwether Education Partners, titled The Learning Landscape, presents a balanced assessment of the status Read more about The Learning Landscape[…]

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School Inspections Offer a Diagnostic Look at Quality

Educators have gotten used to poring over spreadsheets filled with test scores to get a sense of their students’—and schools’—strengths and weaknesses. What they don’t often see is feedback from other teachers, administrators, and students who can offer a fresh perspective on where a school stands when it comes to instruction, resources, climate, financial efficiency, Read more about School Inspections Offer a Diagnostic Look at Quality[…]

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High School Assessment in a New Era: What Policymakers Need to Know

Achieve has partnered with the Center for Assessment to release a new brief to help state policymakers identify key action steps to consider as they make decisions about high school assessments. The passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) gives states a new opportunity in how they approach high school assessment. Most significantly, it will Read more about High School Assessment in a New Era: What Policymakers Need to Know[…]

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National Coalition of Teacher Prep Programs Calls For Transparency of Outcomes

A coalition of nine teacher preparation programs released a letter to the Department of Education and Congress calling for clear guidance to states seeking to enhance the quality of teacher preparation programs under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Urban Teachers–along with Aspire Public Schools, Blue Engine, Boston Teacher Residency, Match Teacher Residency, National Center Read more about National Coalition of Teacher Prep Programs Calls For Transparency of Outcomes[…]

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