Science and biology scores up in D.C.
Results from last year low but gradually improving
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Posted at 9:04 PM ET, 05/ 4/2010
Michigan high school wins Obama; five others get consolation prize
Kalamazoo Central High School in Michigan is the big winner in a contest that offered as its prize a commencement speech by President Obama, and five other finalists won't walk away empty-handed.
Posted by Valerie Strauss | Permalink | Comments (2)RECENT POSTS
Posted at 10:00 PM ET, 05/ 2/2010
Urban school sheds crime scene label
Has Wilson High School become too good to worry about bad news in the paper? It would seem so. The school still struggles with the effects of poverty on student performance. But the number of tardy students has dropped, attendance is up to a school record 86 percent, the percentage of black and Hispanic students on the honor roll is rising and on some academic measures, Wilson is leaving even affluent suburban schools behind.
Posted by Jay Mathews | Permalink | Comments (42)RECENT POSTS
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DC-CAS science scores up in 2009
While the overall numbers are low, District officials said Tuesday that they are encouraged by the growth students showed on the science and biology segments of last year's DC-CAS standardized tests.
Slightly more than a third of DCPS fifth-graders scored proficient or advanced, up 2 percentage points from 2008. About a quarter of eighth-graders reached proficient or advanced, a 5 percent bump. It's only the second year of testing in science and biology, so there isn't much of a baseline for comparison. The test is given in grades 5, 8 and 9-12.
There were some solid school-wide gains, including in some of the middle schools. Takoma, Jefferson, Stuart-Hobson and Sousa improved by between 5 and 13 percentage points. Fifth grades at nine elementary schools boosted their scores by more than 20 percent: Emery, Noyes, Ross, Tyler, Barnard, Maury, West, Kimball and
Ed Buzz: The Nation
- Arizona targets ethnic studies programs(Education Week)
- Foundations offer $506M for ed. innovation (Education Week)
- Boston-area Catholic schools welcome Haitian refugees (Associated Press)
- Panel finds no preference in teacher-prep paths (Education Week)
- Cyber high re-engages dropouts, at-risk students (Education Week)
- 56,000 images taken by Web cams on Penn. student laptops (USA Today)
- Rule change takes aim at loophole in Title IX (New York Times)
- Illinois school fighting cyber-bullying(Chicago Tribune)
- Boston teachers asked to work more hours for same pay (Boston Globe)
- Advocates weigh Obama's commitment to early ed. (Education Week)
- Bilingual ed., immersion work equally well (Education Week)
- Schools tackle teacher-on-teacher bullying (USA Today)
Ed Buzz: The Region
- Cuccinelli backs Patrick Henry funding deal (Richmond Times Dispatch)
- Frederick Community College ups tuition (The Gazette)
- Va. phasing out test for special needs students (Examiner)
- Md. falling behind on ed. reforms(Baltimore Sun)
- Va. gets $59.8 million to overhaul struggling schools (Washington Times)
- Are school lunches a threat to national security? (WUSA)
- MoCo school investigates cyber-bully threats (WUSA)
- P.W. dad wins FOIA fight with school board (Potomac News)