Monday, November 25, 2013

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Monday, November 25, 2013

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California switches testing plans, but may still risk losing $3.5 billion in federal funds





Education Headlines


Monday, November 25, 2013
FCMAT provides links to California K-12 news stories as a service to the industry. However, some stories may not be accessible because of newspapers' subscription policies.

San Luis Coastal district may spend $1.1M for Wi-Fi at elementary campuses

Elementary schools in San Luis Coastal Unified School District will be outfitted with the infrastructure needed to support Wi-Fi in classrooms - at a significant cost.

California switches testing plans, but may still risk losing $3.5 billion in federal funds

California, threatened with the loss of $3.5 billion in federal funds for suspending high-stakes testing next spring, has tweaked its exam plan. But it's not certain that the change, which was not cleared first with U.S. officials, will ease the threat to take away funds.

Public feedback sought as schools plan spending

Digital textbooks, a longer school day and year, smaller classes and preschool are early suggestions for how Inland schools should spend more money they will receive to help disadvantaged students.

Stanislaus schools weigh in as high school math curriculum gets makeover under Common Core

Algebra classes may disappear under Common Core, but nobody gets out of solving for X. Every grade gets a math makeover, focusing on learning the basics really well. But the most dramatic change will be in high school, where traditional algebra I, geometry, algebra II courses will phase out in most districts in favor of a I, II, III progression weaving all three topics together.

Vallejo mascot's end sparks mixed reaction

As word spread Thursday about Vallejo High School dropping its controversial Apache mascot, social media networks buzzed with students and alumni weighing in on the matter.

Concussion guidelines distributed to schools as new federal legislation is introduced

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a fact sheet to help teachers understand the effects of a concussion and help students recover by easing their workload and schedule. The new prevention and treatment guidelines are being distributed to high schools nationwide. Reps. George Miller, D-Martinez, and Timothy Bishop, D-N.Y., also introduced new federal legislation this week that would set minimum safety standards for concussion management in public schools with plans to educate students, parents and school staff in recognizing and responding to concussions.

Frey: Youth speak out on what they want from after-school arts programs

A new study takes a fresh approach to developing quality after-school arts programs for urban youth: Ask the potential participants what they want – and don’t want.

L.A. Unified's local food push is healthy for area economy too

School district's commitment to more local sourcing of the food it serves has boosted business and employment at producers' plants.
Friday, November 22, 2013

Oxnard Union school board not ready to vote on controversial union agreement

Debate on the construction plans for a new Camarillo high school got personal and political Wednesday as the Oxnard Union High School District board considered a labor agreement with union leaders.

Temple City's school board decides not to renew superintendent's contract

In a 4-1 vote the school board decided not to extend Superintendent Chelsea Kang-Smith's contract for another year. Kang-Smith has been Temple City Unified School District's superintendent since August 2008. Her contract will expire June 30.

California requests federal school testing waiver

State officials are expanding plans for this spring’s aggressive overhaul of standardized school tests, now planning to give most students new computer-based assessments in both English and math, instead of just one subject.

As San Juan inquiry drags on, board hires second replacement

The San Juan Unified School District board has named a second interim leader to run the district while existing Superintendent Glynn Thompson remains on paid leave amid complaints that he created a hostile work environment.