Seattle Schools Community Forum: Does Money Really Matter in Public Education?

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Does Money Really Matter in Public Education?:

Does Money Really Matter in Public Education?

by Melissa Westbrook

That's the question.

I was talking with another education advocate recently and her take was that people (read: legislators) are tired of throwing money at public education and seeing the same results. And, that's why we need to support ed reform because legislators want to see something done differently in our schools.

Okay, I can understand not wanting schools and districts doing the same thing over and over and hoping for better results. However:

We don't fund full-day K.

We don't fund summer school for struggling students.

We don't fund 

SBAC IT Readiness Tool - Assessment Information (CA Dept of Education)

SBAC IT Readiness Tool - Assessment Information (CA Dept of Education):

SBAC IT Readiness Tool

Information on the Web-based tool used by districts to report each school's current information technology (IT) as it relates to the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) assessments.

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Frequently Asked Questions

CDE-authored IT Readiness Tool FAQs
Frequently asked questions (FAQs) authored by the California Department of Education (CDE).

Training Modules

SBAC 101 Presentation (PDF; 1MB)
Powerpoint slides providing introductory information on the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC).

IT Readiness Tool 101 Training Video
Video provides basic, introductory information about the Technology Readiness Tool.

Using the IT Readiness Tool Training Video
Video provides a simple demonstration of using the Technology Readiness Tool.

California-Specific IT Readiness Tool Details Video
Video discusses California-specific details and frequently asked questions about the Technology Readiness Tool.

Pearson Tech Readiness Training Modules 
Video training modules created by the Pearson, the software developer of the Technology Readiness Tool.

Data Collection Specifications

IT Readiness Tool Parameters - Spring 2012
A list of parameters or data elements that will be collected by the tool for the Spring 2012 data collection.

IT Readiness Tool Import File Layouts - Spring 2012
File import layouts, templates, and samples for the Spring 2012 data collection.

Resources

IT Readiness Tool Rollout Schedule - Spring 2012
Schedule for when school districts will have access to the tool for the Spring 2012 data collection.

Press Release - Smarter Balanced and PARCC to Launch New Technology Readiness Tool to Support Transition to Online Assessments 

Related Content

• SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) - Latest information about new generation of assessments.