- Fordham’s own Chad Aldis testified before the House Primary and Secondary Education Committee yesterday on SB 229. The bill would make some pandemic-influenced changes to remote learning and a handful of other items. Chad expressed concern at one of those other items, suggesting that while it might be necessary to allow for promotion of students who don’t reach the required benchmarks on the third grade state reading test (as the bill would do), schools should be required to provide an “enhanced disclosure” to those families so they are fully aware that their children are reading below grade level and the challenges that presents. The bill is having a third hearing in committee today. (Gongwer Ohio, 10/9/21)
- Speaking of state testing, here is more weirdness from the recent elected school board meeting in Berea. The district’s director of academic affairs gave members a potted history of state testing in Ohio; a history that doesn’t conform to anything I recognize. Despite this, the headline assures us that the elected school board members “gained insight” from the presentation. On another note: am I the only one noticing educators talking the value of Googling information a lot these days? As if somehow the ability of students to perform a web search for information is some sort of “rival” to actual teaching and learning. No? Just me? OK then. (Cleveland.com, 11/8/21)
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