MORE CRACKS IN THE CORE: Massachusetts Halts Common Core Implementation
BY BRITTANY CORONA ON EDUCATION,FRONT PAGE | POLICY NEWS BLOG FROM THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION HTTP://HERIT.AG/1C5WH1Y
Newscom
November 22, 2013 @ 9:00 am :: This week, the Massachusetts Board of Education voted to slow the transition to Common Core.The board decided to delay implementation for two years while it compares the Common Core aligned Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) tests to their existing—and widely praised—Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) exam.
Commissioner Mitchell Chester, who also chairs the governing board for the PARCC consortium, says [2] that adopting the Common Core by the 2014–2015 deadline would cause Massachusetts “too precipitous a transition.”
Massachusetts is known for its quality state academic standards and student achievement levels. This year, Massachusetts celebrated its 20th anniversary of its historic education reforms that kick-started the state’s success.
Former Governor Bill Weld signed the Education Reform Act in 1993. At its 10th anniversary, 90 percent [3] of Massachusetts students passed their MCAS exams [4]. SAT scores in the state rose for 13 consecutive years following the passage, and according to the
Gates Foundation Awards Education Grants During Last Quarter Of 2013
By Judith Fenlon | The Chronicle of Social Change http://bit.ly/18fJvll November 23, 2013 :: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Seattle, Washington (206) 709- 3100 www.gatesfoundation.org November, 2013 The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has announced numerous grants awarded to organizations that improve educational opportunities for the nation’s youth. The Gates foundation has partnered