TEACHING ARKANSAS

EDUCATION ISSUES FROM ARKANSAS AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY

[teachingarkansas]

ASU takes step towards opening med school

http://www.katv.com/story/24861719/asu-trustees-take-step-toward-opening-med-school

[teachingarkansas]

[revolutionizeed-blog]

State superintendent warns bill could undo Common Core standards

“If we thought the Common Core State Standards were political before, this ratchets it up about 1,000%,” State Superintendent Tony Evers said.

Oh yea…and now Common Core might get tossed here too…

[revolutionizeed-blog]

Should state legislatures be deciding teaching standards?

Wisconsin has proposed a law that would take the task of creating standards out of the Department of Instruction and give it directly to a committee set up mostly by the state legislature.  They would then pass bills to change them.  So, they could pass a bill to eliminate the teaching of unions and collective bargaining.

[gjmueller-deactivated20181226]

New Study: SAT Scores Have No Bearing On College Success

Today, some 800 of the roughly 3,000 four-year colleges and universities in America make SAT or ACT submissions optional. But before a new study released Tuesday, no one had taken a hard, broad look at just how students who take advantage of “test-optional” policies are doing: how, for example, their grades and graduation rates stack up next to their counterparts who submitted their test results to admissions offices.

[teachingarkansas]

...we know what we are but not what we may be.

Ophelia in Hamlet said, “…we know what we are but not what we may be.” I feel as if this applies so much to teachers, because they have no idea how great of an influence or legacy they can leave. Many of those great teachers, along with life opportunities, and cultural experiences have shaped who I am today. I am currently using this blog to share my journey from a stay at home father to a middle school teacher. My hope is to use what I have learned to become a teacher that not only makes an impact, but also encourages my students to leave their own legacy. If you would like to know more about me visit my website:  andrewsills.weebly.com.

[teachingarkansas]

[teachingarkansas]

[teachingarkansas]

[teachingarkansas]

ASG Resolution Asks Arkansas General Assembly for Higher Education Funding

An Associated Student Government Senate resolution is asking the Arkansas General Assembly to guarantee their support for higher education funding in the state, specifically at the UofA, the ASG director of external relations said.

[teachingarkansas]

Persistently low-performing schools received several million dollars, and yet 1/3 of them got worse.

[teachingtheexceptional]

Common Core in a nutshell

[gjmueller-deactivated20181226]

How much will these standardized tests really change public education?

Myth: Common Core tests will be much better than current exams, with many items measuring higher-order skills. Reality: The new tests will largely consist of the same old multiple-choice questions.

Myth: Adoption of Common Core exams will end No Child Left Behind testing overkill. Reality: Under Common Core, there will be many more tests and the same misuses.

Myth: New multi-state assessments will save taxpayers money. Reality: Test costs will increase for most states. Schools will spend even more for computer infrastructure upgrades.

Myth: New assessment consortia will actually design the tests rather than well-known test manufacturers who have made mistakes in the past. Reality: The same profit-driven companies,  including Pearson, Educational Testing Service and CTB/McGraw-Hill, are producing the tests.

Myth: Common Core assessments are designed to meet the needs of all students. Reality: Not yet. The new tests could put students with disabilities and English-language learners at risk.

Myth: Common Core “proficiency” is an objective measure of college- and career-readiness. Reality: Proficiency levels on Common Core tests are subjective, like all performance levels.

Myth: States have to implement the Common Core assessments. Reality: No, they don’t. 

[teachingarkansas]

"A hundred years from now, it will not matter what kind of car I drove, what kind of house I lived in, how much money I had in the bank…but the world may be a better place because I made a difference in the life of a child."

-Forest Witcraft