Afternoon Announcements: Kentucky a National Leader in Common Core Implementation

“The first few years of implementing the Common Core was hard because the kids didn’t have the foundation,” said Kathy Young, fifth-grade elementary school teacher in Kentucky. “But now that the foundation has been laid, it’s getting easier to teach, and the kids have responded well — they are meeting the challenges we have given them.” Courier-Journal

The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium’s governing board voted unanimously on “usability, accessibility, and accommodations” guidelines that outline the kinds of testing supports and tools that will be made available to all students, and particularly those with disabilities and English-language learners. Education Week

A new report shows that Oklahoma leads the nation in the percentage of spending cuts per student since the recession began in 2008. The state has cut per-pupil spending by 22.8%, according to the report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The Oklahoman

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan toned down his recent criticism of California in an interview with The Times, calling his previous threat to withhold federal funding from the state over a new plan to test students a “last resort.” Los Angeles Times 

The Virginia Department of Education is encouraging the state’s public schools to participate in a statewide test of Internet connection speeds next month. Each school division is being asked to designate a person to coordinate testing and ensure that the tests are conducted in all 1,867 public schools, as well as buildings housing regional and specialty education programs. Ten connection-speed tests are planned during October. Richmond Times Dispatch