Detroit schools to end excessive testing

The Detroit Public Schools Community District is moving ahead with plans to cut the number of tests students have to take by about 70 percent. The district will go from administering 186 tests down to 57. Some months—October, November and March—would have no required testing. Read more>>

Clay County’s school board debated but ultimately delayed making a decision on whether to join a lawsuit challenging a controversial Florida education law. So far five school districts voted to fund a joint lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the law while at least 10 other districts have had discussions about whether to sue. Read more>>

The Office of Educational Opportunity released its request for proposals for a recovery charter school slated to open in Wisconsin in fall 2018. In July, Gov. Scott Walker signed the bill to create a public charter school for students recovering from substance abuse. Read more>>

An online charter school accused of inflating enrollment numbers now faces another reduction in funding from the state. The Department of Education will begin slicing 12 percent, or a total of $12.4 million, off the top of payments being sent to the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow. Read more>>

The deans of education programs at 18 State University of New York schools are condemning a proposal they say would lead to unqualified teachers in New York classrooms. The proposal would allow certain high-performing charter schools to operate outside of the state's stringent teacher certification requirements. Read more>>

The Attorney General's Office says Washington state has fulfilled its constitutional requirement to properly fund education and contends the state Supreme Court should drop a contempt order against the state. The memo was filed to the high court alongside a bipartisan legislative report detailing the Legislature's progress this year on education funding. Read more>>

DA’s Schools of TechXcellence national recognition program is accepting applications for recognition in Reading and Writing Instruction and Professional Development. Apply by August 11. Read more>>

The growing evidence showing that students learn better when they get a chance to move has inspired K12 designers to create classroom furniture and playground equipment that keep youths active, even as they learn. Read more>>

About 15 percent of Iowa's K12 students were enrolled in a foreign language course in 2014-15. Evidence shows that the earlier students get instruction in a foreign language, the more likely they will become proficient and the better they will do academically overall. Yet Iowa districts are not required to offer courses until high school. Most elementary schools offer nada. Read more>>

Kids who start school behind in math tend to stay behind. But could early predictors in preschool help educators uncover who might be at risk for being behind their peers when they enter kindergarten? We can identify kids at risk in the hopes of creating interventions that can catch them up before school entry. Read more>>

The College Board has partnered with Khan Academy to provide free, online test prep for the SAT college entrance exam. The partnership allows students to take practice tests, get instant feedback and a tailored practice plan. Read more>>

The Explore! Interactive app assists teachers demonstrate lessons to their students through its gamified interactive platform. The platform’s augmented reality technology places 3-D models on a student’s desk, using any iPad, tablet or smartphone. Read more>>

The Colorado Education Association is partnering with Edthena to embed video observation and feedback into courses offered on COpilot, the state’s online professional learning platform. With the Edthena platform, teachers upload and share videos of their classroom instruction with facilitators who provide questions, suggestions and other comments. Read more>>

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Brian White was hired as superintendent of the Pennsylvania school district, succeeding Dale Lumley, who resigned in February. White has been the superintendent of Chartiers Valley School District since 2010. Read more>>

The East Allen County Schools board approved Marilyn Hissong as the district’s new superintendent without debate or discussion. Serving as acting superintendent since mid-July, Hissong was previously assistant superintendent of elementary education for the Indiana district. Read more>>

Matt Moore has been with the Kentucky district for 25 years. He most recently served as deputy superintendent-chief of staff, a position he has held since 2012. He succeeds Kathy Fields, who was superintendent from 2013 until this summer. Read more>>