1. Beginning in spring 2015, the ACT exam will be offered both online and as a paper and pencil test. 2. Ability grouping is now back, thus helping teachers cope with students’ various skills and achievement levels. 3. Pennsylvania is proposing to toughen...

It’s an Education Fact: 8/06/2013

1) Only 39% of teachers say they are very satisfied with their jobs, down from 62% in 2008. 51% report feeling under great stress several days a week. 2) 85% of teachers say their principals are doing an excellent or pretty good job; 98% of principals give their...

Making Common Core News: 7/25/2013

1.  More than one million students across the country have participated in a pilot of the math and English/language arts SBAC and PARCC Common Core standardized tests to help prepare teachers for when they really count. 2.  The Next Generation Science Standards have...

It’s an Education Fact: 7/23/2013

1) A recent survey showed that 71% of 4th grade teachers grouped their students by reading ability in 2009, up from 28% in 1998. In math, 61% of them grouped by ability, up from 40% in 1996. 2) Obama’s School Improvement Grant program has given up to $2 million...

It’s an Education Fact: 7/16/2013

1) While women hold 48% of all U.S. jobs, they hold just 24% of STEM-related ones. 2) Tech jobs represented 5.4% of the private sector workforce with an average salary of $93,800 vs. the average private wage earner’s $47,400. 3) Now only 4% to 5% of children...

Making Common Core News: 7/11/2013

11. Opposition to the Common Core Standards is mounting–especially towards their frequent testing and mostly from conservative groups and teacher unions. Meanwhile, many Democrats, while not opposed to national standards, say that the Common Core is not based on...