Calif. wants to grade school performance with colors

California is in the process of redefining its system for rating public schools to be more transparent and precise than just using test scores. The latest proposal is a display of colored boxes that summarizes a school's current status and progress over time for such categories as math or career readiness. Read more>>

Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn knows school districts use local levies to pay teachers and principals because they don’t get enough money from the state to offer competitive salaries. He is convinced it is illegal for them to do this. So the outgoing chief of Washington’s public school system said he intends to sue a few districts to find out. Read more>>

The Mississippi Department of Education released its letter grades for schools and districts. But officials cautioned that this year’s results reflect the final year of a waiver from the U.S. Department of Education to compensate for the state transitioning to new college and career readiness standards. Read more>>

A new college counseling strategy District of Columbia Public Schools officials implemented last academic year has already paid off with students. The school system provides its high schools with the four- and six-year completion rates at every college and university at which the city's students have enrolled to increase the rates for its graduates. Read more>>

A ballot measure aimed at raising Oregon's high school graduation rate qualified for the November ballot. If voters approve it, Oregon high schools will get an average of $800 a year for each of their students to help more of them graduate. Read more>>

As part of a broader overhaul of California's history and social science curriculum, the state board of education approved changes in classroom instruction to comply with the nation's first law requiring public schools to include prominent gay people and LGBT rights milestones in history classes. Read more>>

Georgia education leaders unveiled The Financial Efficiency Star Rating, which uses expenditures per pupil and the state Department of Education’s school report card to establish a star rating of one to five. The numbers are based on a three-year average of per-pupil spending versus scores on the index, which is largely driven by results on state standardized tests. Read more>>

For most of Indiana's taxing districts, the school corporation controls the largest pot of property taxes. But the majority of schools don't necessarily need more money. What they need are new school boards with more teachers and fewer administrators so the focus is on education, not special interests. Read more>>

Across Florida, parents are pushing back on standardized tests. Some say schoolchildren are taking too many exams. Others have concerns about the quality of the tests, and the way the results are being used. Read more>>

Disparities in course availability and enrollment and leads to challenges in career entrance, readiness and success. Maximizing educational opportunities ensures that all students—despite race, national origin, gender, ability, sexuality or religion—are equipped to and are supported in overcoming academic or socioeconomic barriers to a quality education. Read more>>

​In collaboration with the College Board, Learning List has developed a review methodology that assesses Advanced Placement (AP) materials’ alignment to the learning objectives and skills/practices contained in the new AP course frameworks for math, science and history courses. The College Board will use Learning List’s reviews to select materials for the AP Example Textbooks lists. Read more>>

The Education Cooperative will provide Pearson's Connections Learning personalized online courses and instructional tools to public schools across Massachusetts beginning this fall. Districts will gain access to 600 online courses in subjects ranging from language arts and math to anatomy and physiology. Read more>>

The new Paths to College and Career Writing books on argumentative, informative and narrative writing were created to provide high school teachers with support, guidance and instructional plans to meet new Common Core and state standards. Read more>>

Daniel Schroer, superintendent of the Margaretta Local Schools, has been named the new superintendent of the Springboro Community City Schools. He will replace Todd Petrey, who is resigning to become the chief operating officer with the Mason City Schools. Read more>>

The leader of one of Utah's largest school districts is retiring. After a 14-year tenure as superintendent of the 87-school district, W. Bryan Bowles will retire from Davis School District to become an associate professor of educational leadership and foundations at Brigham Young University. Read more>>

During Richland Two's annual superintendent evaluation, Debbie Hamm informed the school board that she will retire from the superintendent position at the end of the 2017 school year. Hamm has been with the district for 40 years. Read more>>