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Despite looming showdown with feds, Senate passes standardized testing bill -...
With a handful of Republicans voting no, the state Senate passed legislation Tuesday that moves school districts one step closer to implementing the Common Core standards and the state one step closer...
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Arne Duncan unsuccessful in 11th-hour effort to block state legislation - by...
Louis Freedberg Veteran education watchers in California could not recall a presidential cabinet officer ever attempting to block state legislation and certainly not in the heavy handed way U.S....
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Fees for some summer, winter community college courses could triple under...
Community College students would have to pay as much as 300 percent more for some high-demand classes under a divisive bill on its way to Gov. Jerry Brown after passing the state Senate and Assembly...
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Brown not backing away from decision to suspend state standardized tests - by...
Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday defended the state’s decision to suspend state standardized tests this year and instead offer students a practice test in the Common Core standards that’s now being...
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California won’t qualify for testing waiver under new federal guidelines - by...
Students would take online Common Core field tests, rather than traditional standardized tests, under a bill before the governor. Image from Flickr The federal Department of Education specified for the...
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Future of high school exit exam unclear as California revamps testing...
A math question from the California High School Exit Exam. Source: California Department of Education The current overhaul of California’s student testing program is skipping, for now, the California...
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Teacher, two superintendents to hold key positions on funding law’s new...
Consistent with the goal of shifting power over education decisions away from Sacramento, the Local Control Funding Formula law creates a new agency to work with, not dictate to, local districts on how...
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How are the schools doing? This year, don’t ask - by Peter Schrag / commentary
Peter Schrag Gov. Jerry Brown’s George Wallace act seems just a little forced. Standing defiantly against the feds in the schoolhouse door as the Alabama governor once did is probably not his shtick....
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Billl would prevent double testing and double frustration for students,...
Randolph Ward Of all the bills sitting on the desk of Gov. Jerry Brown, perhaps none is more important to the future of education in California than Assembly Bill 484. Sponsored by State Superintendent...
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Feds set price of defiance on standardized tests: at least $15 million - by...
The state risks losing millions in federal funding for failing to offer standardized tests to students this year. Credit: iStockphoto.com The state now knows how much federal funding it stands to lose...
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State Board executive director optimistic conflict with feds over testing can...
(Updated to include further comments from the executive director of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium.) Despite a threatening letter last week from an assistant secretary of the federal...
View ArticleQ&A: Janet Napolitano discusses the work ahead at UC - by Peter Schurmann/New...
In September, former secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano took over as president of the University of California, the first woman to hold that position. She now heads a $24 billion system...
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Advocates pile on criticisms of draft funding formula regulations - by John...
Children’s advocates want to ensure that schools spend money equitably under the new Local Control Funding Formula. Credit: Campbell Unified School District On the eve of a critical public hearing, key...
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After 5 hours of testimony, State Board sends funding law regs back for...
Staff and members of the State Board of Education promised to revise proposed spending rules for the new school funding system after hearing speed testimonies Thursday from Californians from all...
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California deserves praise not punishment for common sense school reforms -...
Carl Cohn Whenever I finish teaching a doctoral level course at my university, I always remind my students that, no matter what they’ve learned in my class, they should never abandon their common sense...
View ArticleDistricts receiving last portion of grant money for Common Core prep - by...
California school districts are receiving the last of the $1.25 billion block grant for implementing Common Core State Standards this week. The State Department of Education is releasing about $622...
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Possible repeal of transgender student law would not change existing...
Ashton Lee, 16, a transgender boy from Manteca and advocate for the law. Credit: Gay-Straight Alliance Network As efforts to overturn a new law allowing transgender students to use bathroom facilities...
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Special education now on Sacramento’s radar; task force to take long look -...
A new task force will review special education services in the state. Credit: iStockphoto.com Special education, a multi-billion-dollar operation long viewed in Sacramento as too big and confounding to...
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Brown’s choice: California ignores annual survey on states’ use of ed data -...
California, in gray, is the only state that didn’t report this year to the Data Quality Campaign’s 9th annual analysis. Two states in orange, Arkansas and Delaware, reported a perfect 10 actions to...
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Parents want districts to keep them in the funding loop, according to...
About 1,600 people attended community forums on the Local Control Funding Formula, like this one in Kern County, organized by The California Endowment. Credit: EdSource file photo Gov. Jerry Brown’s...
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