RETHINKING POLICY AND PRACTICE IN SUPPORT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS: New Alliance Report Identifies Challenges and Solutions for Helping ELLs Meet Higher Expectations Associated with Common Core Article
October 31, 2012The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) offer great promise for advancing the quality of education and outcomes for all students, but meeting the higher expectations associated with them could prove especially daunting for the rapidly growing population of English language learners (ELLs)—students who must learn grade-level content while simultaneously trying to master the English language.
The Role of Language and Literacy in College- and Career-Ready Standards: Rethinking Policy and Practice in Support of English Language Learners Report/Fact Sheet
October 31, 2012This policy brief discusses these challenges, highlights initiatives and strategies to advance ELLs' language and content learning, and outlines how policy and practice must change to help ELLs graduate ready for college and a career.
STATE HIGH SCHOOL EXIT EXAMS: As State Exit Exams Transition Toward College and Career Readiness, New CEP Report Raises Possibility of More Students Being Left Behind Article
October 01, 2012State high school exit exams continue to evolve, increasingly focusing on college and career readiness, a new report from the Center on Education Policy (CEP) finds.
ACHIEVEMENT GROWTH: New Report Labels U.S. Learning Gains “Middling” Compared to Rest of the World Article
July 23, 2012Learning gains in the United States between 1995 and 2009 compared to the rest of the world have been “middling, not stellar,” according to a new report by the Program on Education Policy and Governance (PEPG) at Harvard University.
Common Core State Standards
SUMMER WAIVE(RS): Six Additional States and the District of Columbia Receive NCLB Waivers; To Date, Thirty-Two States and DC Have Received Waivers Article
July 23, 2012Only July 19, the Obama administration granted additional flexibility under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, currently known as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) to six additional states (Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Mississippi, Oregon, and South Carolina) and the District of Columbia (DC) in exchange for state-led reform in the areas of college- and career-ready standards, accountability and improvement, and teacher evaluation.
GROWING AWARENESS, GROWING SUPPORT: National Poll Findings Show Growing Support for Common Core State Standards and Assessments Article
July 09, 2012Sixty-eight percent of teachers—an increase of 9 percentage points since last summer—had a favorable impression of the common core state standards (CCSS).
COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS AND CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION: New Report Outlines Greater Role for CTE in Common Core Implementation Article
May 29, 2012A new report from Achieve urges academic and career and technical education (CTE) leaders at the state and local levels to “break down the silos between their disciplines” and find ways to ensure that the common core state standards “rigorously engage” all students in both academic and CTE courses.
California, Career & Technical Education, Common Core State Standards, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon
ACE AND PEARSON WORKING TO REVAMP GED TEST: New Test Will Be Aligned to Common Core, Serve as Assurance That Test Passers Are College and Career Ready Article
November 28, 2011Earlier this year, the American Council on Education (ACE) and Pearson announced that they were working to develop a new General Educational Development (GED) credential that is aligned with the common core state standards and assures postsecondary institutions and prospective employers alike that adults who have passed the GED test are prepared to compete and succeed in today’s global economy.
Common Core State Standards
COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS INITIATIVE: Alabama Reaffirms Support for Common Standards as Montana Becomes Forty-Sixth State to Adopt Article
November 14, 2011A move to rescind Alabama’s support for the common core state standards in English language arts and mathematics failed on November 10 when the State Board of Education passed a resolution by a 6–3 vote reaffirming its commitment to the standards.
Common Core State Standards
A System Approach to Building a World-Class Teaching Profession: The Role of Induction Report/Fact Sheet
October 04, 2011About 15 percent of the American workforce of 3.5 million teachers either moves or leaves the profession each year.