Northwest Regional Comprehensive Center

Printed from: http://nwrcc.educationnorthwest.org/category/nwrcc/standards

Standards and Assessments

On the Road to Implementation: Achieving the Promise of the Common Core State Standards

E-newsletter: 
August 2010

Achieve has released a publication identifying the key areas that state policymakers will need to consider to implement the new common core standards with fidelity. The guide is organized by topic with short chapters and is meant to be the starting point from which state and district leaders and their allies can organize and begin the necessary discussions around key topics to successfully implement the standards.

Model Core Teaching Standards: A Resource for State Dialogue

E-newsletter: 
July 2010

The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) has recently released new draft standards comprising a set of principles of effective teaching. The new standards are revised from the 1992 model standards in response to new visions for teaching. This document is being distributed as a draft for public comment.

A Framework for Science Education: Preliminary Public Draft

E-newsletter: 
July 2010

The National Research Council released a conceptual framework to guide the development of the next generation of standards for science education. This framework is the first step in a process for revising existing standards in K–12 science education which were published over a decade ago. In the second step, Achieve, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, will work closely with states to develop a full set of standards based on the framework.

The State of State Standards—and the Common Core—in 2010

E-newsletter: 
July 2010

The Thomas B. Fordham Institute analyzed the recently released K–12 academic standards in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics produced by the Common Core State Standards Initiative and determined they are clearer and more rigorous than today's ELA standards in 37 states and today's math standards in 39 states, according to the Fordham Institute's newest study. In 33 of those states, the Common Core bests both ELA and math standards, but nearly a dozen states have ELA or math standards in the same league as Common Core.

Improving the Validity of English Language Learner Assessment Systems: Full Policy Brief

E-newsletter: 
May 2010

The National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST) has recently released a policy brief calling for major changes in the assessment of English Language Learner (ELL) students. States, districts, and schools will find the recommendations helpful for improving the quality of their ELL assessment and accountability programs.

Designing Common State Assessment Systems

E-newsletter: 
April 2010

The National Governors Association (NGA), in partnership with the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), released a paper outlining a vision for creating the next generation of state assessments that will make the Common Core State Standards concrete and meaningful to educators, students, and parents and provide a critical vehicle for ensuring all students master essential knowledge and skills.

Draft K–12 Common Core Standards

E-newsletter: 
March 2010

The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) have released the public draft of the K–12 Common Core Standards. The standards outline grade-level specific goals, as well as college- and career-readiness standards.

How State and Federal Accountability Policies Have Influenced Curriculum and Instruction in Three States: Common Findings from Rhode Island, Illinois, and Washington

E-newsletter: 
October 2009

Published by the Center on Education Policy (CEP), this report looks at how classroom practices in Rhode Island, Illinois, and Washington State have been influenced by state accountability policies and NCLB. The report examines how teachers and administrators have responded to increased accountability and pressure to meet state standards.

Characteristics of Successful Districts

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (2006). Madison, WI: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

The rubrics contained in Characteristics of Successful Districts are a part of a larger guide to help Wisconsin districts build on their unique strengths. Further, these rubrics are tools for school districts to gain a fuller understanding of their needs.

Title I Accountability and School Improvement From 2001 to 2004

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development, Policy and Program Studies Service. (2006). Washington, D.C.