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Friday, October 12, 2012

FCMAT UPDATE » Cali Education Headlines Friday, October 12, 2012

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team:


California PTA Please Tell Molly Munger to
Shut the H*ll UP



Education Headlines

Friday, October 12, 2012

Lincoln Unified OKs drug testing

Lincoln Unified's school board approved a mandatory random drug-testing policy for its athletes and cheerleaders late Wednesday.

District could face severe budget cuts

The Murrieta Valley Unified School District is facing a deficit of at least $11 million for next year, and that could rise to $21 million based on the results of the November election, said Stacy Coleman, assistant superintendent for finances.

Transitional kindergarten under way

Under a state law that changes the date when children can start school, local districts are offering transitional kindergarten classes for the first time.

EdSource: California test results on the up and up – partly

California’s public schools continued to show gains on the Academic Performance Index (API), a measure of how well students do on the California Standards Tests and, in high school, on the exit exam. For the first time since the testing program began in 1999, a majority of schools reached or exceeded the state’s target of 800 on the index.

Innovative charter school mixes languages, gets results

The Chula Vista Learning Community Charter is a K-9 school that attributes its well above-average test scores to two distinct practices: throwing English learners and native speakers into the same class (called two-way immersion), and dividing instruction equally between English and Spanish (the 50-50 model).

Obama, Romney have similar basic views on education

Both candidates want test scores to be part of teacher evaluations, support extra pay for effective instructors and back the growth of charter schools. One difference is Romney's support for vouchers.

McRae: Overusing test for special ed students inflates API scores

California’s 2012 Academic Performance Index (API) results, released Thursday, in general show small but steady gains similar to the last four years. But a deeper look at the results shows not only inflation contributing to the gains but also a substantial policy shift toward lower expectations for special education students in California.

In California schools' test scores, state sees success while feds' No Child Left Behind act sees growing failure

California schools continued their steady gains in achievement, and for the first time more than half of them met the state's target score, according to California's annual index of school achievement released Thursday.

PTA leader urges peace summit between Jerry Brown, Molly Munger

The feud between Gov. Jerry Brown and millionaire lawyer Molly Munger took another twist Thursday night, as one of Munger's closest allies called for a truce between the two sides.

Gov. Jerry Brown's budget plans threatened by a determined Molly Munger

Gov. Jerry Brown hoped a mix of politicking and good fortune would deter negative ads against his tax initiative in the campaign's final weeks. His luck expired in the last few days.
Thursday, October 11, 2012

Cayucos student transfer loses

Cayucos students will continue to go to high school in Cambria rather than transfer to Morro Bay High School, a county committee decided Wednesday night.

Ballot filled with school bond propositions

It's a sign of the fiscal times: There are 106 public school bond propositions in 33 counties on California's November ballot.

Fensterwald: The grit factor - hard to measure, hard to succeed without

Much of the debate over how to reform public schools has fixated on improving student achievement by focusing almost exclusively on strengthening academics and students’ cognitive skills. In his important new book, How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity and the Hidden Power of Character, New York Times Magazine contributing writer Paul Tough examines the largely neglected side that hasn’t been given enough weight: character.