Texas House eliminates funding for standardized testing
The revolt against standardized testing in Texas has taken a new twist: The Texas House has put forth a draft 2014-15 budget that zeroes out all funding for statewide standardized assessment. By way of explanation, Speaker Joe Straus said, “To parents and educators concerned about excessive testing, the Texas House has heard you.”The Dallas Morning News said that the draft budget is not likely to stand, given that the Senate’s preliminary budget has about $94 million allocated for the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, the standardized test known as STAAR. The two budgets will have to be reconciled and it is hard to believe the state will get rid of the te
Caution urged on Common Core -- from a supporter
Even as schools across the country change curriculum and assessments to align with the new Common Core State Standards, there are plenty of people -- including Common Core supporters who think implementation is being rushed. Here is an open letter on this subject to the Illinois State Board of Education from Paul Horton, a history teacher at the private University of Chicago Laboratory Schools (where President Obama's daughters attended before moving to Washington D.C.), and state liaison to the Illinois Council for History Education. In this letter Horton said he refers to himself and to many other teachers and educators who agree with his views.
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Questions about newly named head of National Independent Schools Association
The choice of John Chubb, a vocal advocate of school choice who was part of Mitt Romney's campaign education advisory team, as president-elect of the National Association of Independent Schools has sparked some controversy in that part of the education world.
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