South Carolina schools to report more data

Schools will start reporting more data than ever before as the state merges with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act education accountability system. The additions include graduation rates, performance on tests, college and career readiness, and English language proficiency. Read more>>

In its first response to a funding lawsuit filed last year by Shelby County Schools, the state is denying that its funding model is the cause of financial struggles faced by Tennessee’s largest school district. The filing marks the next step in a legal process expected to take years. Read more>>

Wyoming high school students will now be able to pass a course assessment in lieu of receiving a passing grade as part of a number of changes the State Board of Education has made to graduation requirements. Read more>>

Indiana’s largest teachers’ union says legislators should look at all school staff as they take steps to reduce sexual misconduct in schools. The legislature created the committee after a recent string of high-profile sexual misconduct cases involving school staff. Read more>>

The Southern Poverty Law Center is suing Mississippi over how it is funding charter schools, describing it as a unconstitutional scheme that diverts public tax dollars from traditional public schools. The lawsuit calls for the court to strike down the funding provisions of the Mississippi Charter School Act. Read more>>

The State Education Department released a draft list of 20 guiding principles for their new evaluation of schools under the Every Student Succeeds Act. The accountability system is shifting its test score focus to also look at how well schools' graduates do after they leave and increases in advanced and specialized courses. Read more>>

While schools tend to treat academics and discipline as two siloed areas, in reality the boundaries are more porous. Educators working to transform their instructional approaches might be simultaneously undermining the message that they believe kids can solve problems, learn from mistakes and be productive every time a behavior issues arises. Read more>>

Those who exploit the sick time benefit harm their students. A good approach would be to identify educators who have chronic attendance issues and closely monitor their absenteeism and performance. Increased oversight might help deter abuse, as would disciplinary policies that give school leaders the power to deal with habitual no-shows. Read more>>

The lack of interest in voting and lack of knowledge about our government is astounding. A part of the problem goes to back to high school civics—or the lack of it. Time was when civics was a big deal and lasted an entire semester. Now, the subject gets only a half semester with the other half the term going to economics. Read more>>

The Flipped Learning Network is transitioning its organizational structure from an events and training company to a community-driven, facilitated network with continual professional development opportunities. Read more>>

Bb Planner is a mobile student planning tool that enables students to explore degrees and careers and understand the financial, academic and career implications. Designed to complement Bb Planner, Blackboard Advise is a web-based advising tool offering insight into student plans and predictive analytics to help identify at-risk students. Read more>>

Live Music Tutor, an online music platform that streams music lessons between instructors and students, completed a collaboration with the School District of Osceola County. The pilot program assess the effectiveness of online, interactive master classes and individual lessons to students in the Florida district's string programs. Read more>>