THE Journal — Accountability/Assessment
Van Dyke PS Computer Labs Combine Instruction with Monitoring
Kathy Zainea, a teacher at Lincoln Middle School in Detroit, has had access to interactive classroom tools for about two years now, but it wasn't until a couple of months ago that she was exposed to a new lineup of options that she could use for instruction. The expanded choices came when Van Dyke Public Schools upgraded its computer lab software through existing vendor NetOp Tech, the United States marketer of NetOp School.
(6/24/2008)
Adobe Intros Acrobat 9, Launches Acrobat.com Beta
Adobe Monday announced details of its forthcoming major revision to the entire Acrobat family: Acrobat 9. The company also debuted a new Acrobat.com collaboration beta site and announced an updated Creative Suite (version 3.3), which will incorporate the upcoming Acrobat 9 Pro software.
(6/2/2008)
Los Angeles USD Adopts Technology-Based Math Curriculum
Los Angeles Unified School District announced last week that it's adopting Pearson's enVisionMath California for all of its K-5 students. The district has 436 elementary schools and 27 independent elementary charter schools and centers, serving more than 302,000 elementary students.
(5/19/2008)
Study Reveals What Kids Are Reading for School
According to the first study of its kind released in the United States, kids are reading an average of about 26 books per school year. That's the great news. The less than great news is that their volume of reading peaks in second grade, and the level and volume of books that they're reading stagnates from about sixth grade onward, even dropping off in high school.
(5/8/2008)
Chicago Public Schools Taking Grades Online
Beginning this summer, Chicago Public Schools will implement a Web-based gradebook system, piloting GradeSpeed.NET from Campusware at select campuses.
(4/30/2008)
Lit Program Brings Differentiated Instruction to 6-12 Reading
Glencoe/McGraw-Hill has debuted a new literature series that incorporates online learning modules, DVD-based professional development, and targeted differentiated instruction for grades 6 to 12.
(4/21/2008)
PBS Debuts Earth Day Lesson Plan, SAT Test Prep, Preschool Content
In recognition of Earth Day (April 22), PBS has debuted a new global warming-themed lesson plan for grades 9 through 12. PBS has also launched resources for SAT preparation through its NOW Classroom program.
(4/18/2008)
Accountability, Yes. Teaching to the Test, No.
Since the 1950s, standardized test scores have been used to compare and rank schools, districts, states, and now nations, according to Rick Stiggins (2007), founder of the Educational Testing Service's Assessment Training Institute. In a commentary on assessment myths, he posed a question that has probably been discussed since standardized testing was chosen as the large-scale measure of effectiveness of schools: "Are we helping students and teachers with our assessment practices, or contributing to their problems?" (p. 28).
(4/10/2008)
More States, Vendors Ally with Partnership for 21st Century Skills
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills recently reported that Iowa has joined its State Leadership Initiative--the seventh state to join to date. The group also told THE Journal that two more states are expected to join up within the next 45 days.
(4/1/2008)
Electronic Transcripts at the Tipping Point
In an age of electronic information, it seems obvious--exchange student transcripts electronically, thereby cutting costs, speeding the process, and making fraud more difficult. But in a process that has taken many years, student transcripts are just now being pushed and pulled into the 21st century. Often on a state-by-state basis, high schools and colleges are gradually adopting technologies to allow them to exchange transcripts electronically.
(3/28/2008)
Boise City ISD To Deploy Web-Based Student System
The Independent School District of Boise City in Idaho is deploying the Web-based Infinite Campus student information system district-wide, with a full rollout expected this summer.
(3/28/2008)
Tribrio Makes Online Test Creation Free
Education and training software developer Tribrio has launched a new site called TestDesigner.com that allows teachers to create tests free and browse through a library of subject-specific assessments created by other educators.
(3/21/2008)
Palm Springs USD Rolls Out Instructional Writing Program
Southern California's Palm Springs Unified School District is rolling out an online writing program called MY Access! from Vantage Learning. The rollout will begin in elementary and middle schools in the first year and expand to high schools beginning in the second. The full deployment, expected within three years, will run $800,000.
(3/20/2008)
New York Coop Deploys Discovery Assessment
New York's Eastern Suffolk Board of Cooperative Educational Services (ESBOCES)--an educational cooperative comprising 51 individual school districts in Long Island--has signed on with Discovery Education to launch its Discovery Education Assessment system.
(3/11/2008)
Student Hacker Sought Class Rankings Data
Chicago newspapers reported on a student who hacked into the computer system of the New Trier Township High School District. The intent, according to investigators, was to obtain grades and ACT scores to determine class rank and share it with other students. The information was made public by the school district in a recent memo to parents.
(3/10/2008)
GlobalScholar.com To Acquire Excelsior
GlobalScholar.com, a developer of education-focused Web resources, announced late last week that it's secured $27 million in funding and that it's now in a deal to acquire Excelsior Software, a developer of K-12 assessment management solutions.
(2/4/2008)
Orchard Taps PracticePlanet for Intervention Strategies
Education software developer Siboney Learning Group has updated Orchard, the company's targeted instruction software for math, language arts, and science for K-9. Enhancements to the software include expanded platform support, a variety of design tweaks, and a new technology that ties in the company's PracticePlanet service to help generate data for developing intervention strategies.
(2/1/2008)
NetRTI Monitors Achievement for Struggling Learners
Education technology developer Netchemia earlier this month released netRTI, a response to intervention program targeted at struggling learners and special needs students.
(1/28/2008)
Renaissance, Pearson Partner for Classroom Response System
Education publisher Pearson Wednesday unveiled a new student response system for K-12 and higher ed at the FETC conference in Orlando, FL. The system, developed in partnership with technology provider Renaissance Learning, is designed to be integrated with Pearson's Prosper assessment system.
(1/23/2008)
IBM To Develop California Student Achievement System
The California Department of Education has contracted with IBM, through its Global Business Services division, to deliver its next-generation student achievement system. Dubbed the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS), the new system is expected to be deployed in the next three years to provide tracking and reporting on student data.
(1/7/2008)
U.S. Students Below Average in Science and Math
Validating the long-standing theme in science and math education, the results of the 2006 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) were released Dec. 4 by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), showing that in math and science students in the United States are lagging behind most of their counterparts in other countries. The results of this latest research place the United States 25th out of 30 OECD countries in math achievement among 15-year-olds and 21st in science achievement.
(12/4/2007)
Inform 4.2 Adds Academic Intervention Plan
Pearson School Systems has released an update to Pearson Inform, a data analysis tool for K-12 schools. The new release, Inform 4.2, adds a new Academic Intervention Plan feature for planning individualize and group instruction.
(11/29/2007)
eInstruction To Acquire Interwrite
Denton, TX-based eInstruction today signed a definitive agreement to acquire Interwrite Learning. Both companies develop classroom technologies for K-12 and higher education environments, including whiteboards and student response systems and software. The combined company will go by the name of eInstruction.
(11/26/2007)
Apex Test Prep Targets State Blueprints
Apex Learning is rolling out new test preparation tools focusing on high school exit exams. The online prep courses target state-specific high stakes exams and are "aligned to each state's test blueprint and designed around its unique exam architecture," according to Apex.
(11/16/2007)
Wireless Gen Brings DIBELS to Harcourt Reading
Harcourt School Publishers and Wireless Generation have formed a partnership to bring assessment to Harcourt's StoryTown and Trophies curricula. Through the partnership, the two will develop mCLASS:DIBELS StoryTown Edition and mCLASS:DIBELS Trophies Edition, which will use Wireless Generation's mCLASS:DIBELS assessment and reporting/analysis system to deliver formative assessments to the classroom reading instruction tools.
(10/25/2007)
