Afternoon Announcements: New Jersey Considering Requiring Higher GPA for Teacher Candidates

Tens of millions of dollars are pouring into the battle over the Common Core academic standards, which aim to set a course for students’ progression in math and language arts from kindergarten through 12th grade. Politico

Delaware announced on Wednesday a new effort to encourage high-achieving low-income students to apply to top colleges, saying it would send application fee waivers and other information to every such high school senior in the state. The New York Times

Race to the Top states are having differing degrees of success with what has turned out to be one of the toughest tasks required by the Obama administration’s marquee competitive-grant program: crafting new teacher evaluations that take student performance into account, according to a report released today by the Government Accountability Office, Congress’ investigative arm. Politics K-12

New Jersey is considering requiring at least a “B” average in college for most aspiring teachers. The state Education Department sent a memo this week to school districts asking for comment on the idea, which would go into effect in 2015. The state says it is taking input until Nov. 15. The plan is to require a 3.0 grade-point average to get a teaching certificate with some allowances for those with slightly lower grades. Education Week