Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn released the pass rates for the 2009-10 Measurements of Student Progress (MSP) and High School Proficiency Exam (HSPE). Students in grade 3-8 take the MSP, and 10th grade students take the HSPE. Compared to the previous year, only 7th and 8th grade students made across the board gains. Pass [...]
New test results to be released Tuesday
August 30, 2010 By
State Superintendent Randy Dorn will announce Tuesday the results from the first-ever High School Proficiency Exam (HSPE), the successor to the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL). Results will also be released for the Measurements of Student Progress (MSP) test, which is taken by students in grades 3-8. Students in the classes of 2010-2012 are [...]
Discussion on Head Start & Early Learning Challenge Fund
August 27, 2010 By
A discussion with Danielle Ewen, director of child care and early education policy at the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), delves into the current state of early childhood education on the national level, including the proposed Early Learning Challenge Fund. Here’s an excerpt from the Ezra Klein blog on the Washington Post site: [...]
Screening of Paramount Duty in Redmond
August 27, 2010 By
If you haven’t seen the provocative film about Washington’s education system, here’s another chance. There will be a screening of the filmParamount Duty next Wednesday, Sept. 1 from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Old Redmond Schoolhouse Community Center (16600 NE 80th Street, Redmond). The screening is hosted by the 45th Legislative District Democrats, but [...]
Standing on Principals
August 27, 2010 By
While the teacher negotiations going on in Seattle are getting a lot of ink, another contract is also under discussion that arguably could have an even deeper impact on student achievement: the principals’ contract. As we’ve written in this blog, building leadership — the principal’s capacity to lead — is hugely important in student learning [...]
More on R2T phase 2 results
August 26, 2010 By
As we continue to read through the pages (and pages) of reviewer comments on Washington’s Race to the Top (R2T), phase 2 application, here’s a look at each state’s scores as percent of points possible, and rank. Ranks in the top 10 in each category and overall are shaded gray, and there’s a trend among R2T [...]
First look: Washington's R2T application and grades
August 25, 2010 By
Yesterday the U.S. Department of Education annouced the 10 winners of the second round of Race to the Top (R2T), along with all applicants’ scores. Today the scores breakdown and reviewers comments were released (Washington’s are here and here). We will continue to pour over the pages of information, but here’s some initial takeaways: There is a [...]
Nationwide buzz on Waiting for Superman
August 25, 2010 By
The nationwide buzz is starting for the upcoming movie Waiting for Superman. The documentary, by director Davis Guggenheim, also of An Inconvenient Truth, follows five kids and their families as they struggle to get a quality education. New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman wrote about the movie today. Here’s an excerpt of what he had [...]
The other Washington is in the dark about this one
August 24, 2010 By
That is my take away from the latest report by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, America’s Best (and Worst) Cities for School Reform: Attracting Entrepreneurs and Change Agents, released today. This report looked at 30 U.S. cities (including Seattle) and graded them on reformy-ness. Cities were graded using data from publicly available records, a survey [...]
