FCMAT » Cal Education Headlines Thursday, September 5, 2013

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Fensterwald: State Board adopts national K-12 Next Generation Science Standards

Education Headlines

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Schools count high-risk students to qualify for extra funding

Schools all over the state are seeking an accurate count of this school year's impoverished, foster and English learner students now that a new state funding formula allocates extra money for educating them.

Conejo Valley school board eliminates 3 part-time positions

After a heated discussion, the Conejo Valley Unified Board of Education approved the layoff of two part-time employees who provided family services at two Neighborhood for Learning preschool sites.

Sonora pool gets chilly reception

Angry community members attended a Sonora Union High School District Board of Trustees meeting Tuesday to question the district's use of more than $4 million in bond measure money for a new pool and athletic facilities.

Lodi Unified School District teachers to be reimbursed for out-of-pocket supplies

Lodi Unified School District trustees will give each school in the district an extra 10 percent to reimburse teachers who purchase school supplies out of their own pocket.

Coachella Valley school district refinances debt to save $3.4M

The Coachella Valley Unified School District will close a deal to refinance two decade-old debts on Friday, saving the district about $3.4 million over the next 18 years.

Sac City schools open, minus seven elementary campuses

More than 40,000 Sacramento City Unified students attended the first day of school on Tuesday, including about 2,300 routed to new campuses after seven elementary school closures.

Bill would cancel STAR testing in math, English this year in California's schools

California students and teachers are set to receive a one-year reprieve from standardized testing requirements that have become a routine part of school culture each spring.

Three more layoffs approved at Capo

Three layoffs were approved Aug. 28 by Capistrano Unified School District trustees, bringing the number of pink slips issued to nonteaching staff ahead of the 2013-14 school year to 35.

Chico school board hears ideas on how to house elementary students

It will be months before any decision is made on how the Measure E school bond funds are going to be spent, but it's a good bet some of the money could go to providing more space for elementary school kids.

Heat, computer meltdowns and staffing changes make for chaotic opening of SD schools

From the heat to computer problems to staffing changes, it’s been a bumpy start to the school year for San Diego Unified. A new student software system crashed days before 132,000 students headed back to school Tuesday, leaving middle and high schoolers at several campuses with class schedules that were incomplete, inaccurate or altogether missing. T

Education officials propose to eliminate some standardized tests

California education officials presented a proposal Wednesday that would immediately do away with the standardized reading, math and social science tests used to measure student learning and school performance since the late 1990s.

Denair schools prep for possible state takeover

Denair Unified trustees will hold a special meeting at 6:30 p.m. Friday to receive a formal notice that moves the district one step closer to a state takeover.

Campbell School District opens 'net-zero' building at Blackford School

Incorporating various energy-efficient features, Blackford School in San Jose has opened a "net-zero" multi-use building that produces as much or more energy than it uses.

Judge denies Mills High School suit against AP testmakers

A federal judge has ruled that the College Board and Educational Testing Service had the right to strike the Advanced Placement exams of nearly 300 students at Mills High, drejecting the students' bid for a temporary restraining order compelling the companies to validate the tests.

Fensterwald: State Board adopts national K-12 Next Generation Science Standards

California became the sixth state to adopt the Next Generation Science Standards with the unanimous approval Wednesday by the State Board of Education. The Board, however, has not yet adopted a timeline for implementing them.

LAUSD pays $246,000 in overtime to keep air-conditioners running

Los Angeles Unified has paid out nearly $250,000 in overtime in the last month to keep aging air-conditioning units running on Los Angeles Unified campuses, but that’s just a fraction of the bonus pay racked up by repair crews during a heat wave last year.

Fensterwald: Common Core practice test would replace state math and English tests next year

In order to avoid serving two masters – the old state academic standards and the new multi-state Common Core standards – state leaders are now proposing to discontinue nearly all state standardized tests next spring,

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Lodi Unified School District adopts social media policy

After a month of controversy over new social networking guidelines, Lodi Unified School District trustees finally agreed on the wording of a reworked policy.

Central-library charter school opens

The city’s newest and unlikeliest high school opened Tuesday — along with those in the San Diego Unified School District — inside the central library, even as construction crews scramble to complete the domed structure that rises from the downtown skyline.

More school districts in L.A. County taking less punitive approach to truancy

A growing number of school districts and public agencies in Los Angeles County have joined a campaign to take a less punitive and more holistic approach to truancy — and education officials insist it’s paying off.

International Baccalaureate curriculum teaches SoCal students to think globally

Across Southern California and the Inland Empire, students are being held to international standards, with schools in Ontario, Fontana, Yucaipa and elsewhere adopting the International Baccalaureate curriculum.