- The Ohio Department of Education has taken unprecedented steps to combat the “recycling” of closed charter schools, learning in the process, I think, of how many ways there have been to actually do it. One such school in Cincinnati needs a whole new set of board members – to be appointed by ODE – ASAP. (Gongwer Ohio)
- As if yesterday’s “pig weighing”/ “test-mania” story wasn’t enough, the PD published another one later in the day. This one consists mainly of quotes from emails from local superintendents responding to the first piece. Spoiler alert: overtesting is “an abomination”. Who says journalism is dead? Not me. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
- Abomination or no, teachers are getting ready to “feed the pig” before they weigh it (to use the North Coast technical terms I learned this week), by which I mean they are prepping for the new PARCC exams. Case in point: Springfield Twp. teachers, who are schooling their students in online document submission and editing ahead of PARCC test administration. (Youngstown Vindicator)
- Must be the pigs. ODE has gotten wind of what they term “an uproar” on the topic of over testing of students. And so the department has submitted a request to the federal government to exempt certain advanced students from the "double testing" that would otherwise occur under NCLB requirements. I’m sure the request was worded a bit more technically, but in a nutshell: "So can the end-of-course exam in English be used as the final exam in that class and can that then also be the test that's used for teacher evaluation? So we can use that test three different ways if we can instead of having a kid take three different tests." (Gongwer Ohio)
- Why yes, there IS an election coming up in a couple of weeks. Why do you ask? Probably because a couple of Democratic challengers for both state and national office – including the one opposing John Boehner – appeared at a candidate forum at Miami University last week and were asked to air their opinions about Common Core. They were not supportive of the standards, but you’ll have to read the piece to find out why. Hint: it’s not what you might think. (Middletown Journal-News)
- Disclaimer: I grew up in and graduated high school in Fairfield County, and I lived in Lancaster as an adult for two years as well. Perhaps this makes me just a bit too sensitive to what is being said here. The new principal of Fisher Catholic High School is a Fisher grad but comes to her new position after decades of teaching and administration in Lancaster City Schools. Take a look for yourself at her comments contrasting the two school environments – which she has responsibility to shape – and see if you don’t detect some subtle but important differences. (Lancaster Eagle Gazette)
