Adjustments to Common Core in Florida Approved by State School Board

37634 « Confusion Over a Wyo. Common-Core Bill; Push to Support Standards in Ga. | Main | Indiana Releases Draft of New Academic Standards to Replace Common Core »

The Florida State Board of Education unanimously voted on Feb. 18 to alter the Common Core State Standards in the Sunshine State. The suggested alterations to the way the standards will play out in classrooms were presented to the state board by the Florida education department last month, and all of those suggestions were adopted by the state board. The department reviewed proposed revisions and public comments on the common core before making its own list of suggested tweaks. 

As my colleague Catherine Gewertz wrote last month, the revisions include additional math standards related to calculus. That latter change, one which was highlighted during public discussion earlier this year, isn't an alteration of the standards per se—it's the addition of new standards. The revisions also include a requirement that students demonstrate beginner's skills in cursive writing, a divisive issue surounding the common core. 

Other changes include requiring the use of money when teaching certain concepts related to decimals, and scaling back expectations in terms of students' ability to explain the way ideas are transmitted through texts and illustrations. 

You can see this example of a new standard on page 5 of this document detailing the changes to the math standards; use this link to see the changes made to the English/language arts standards. It's unclear if these changes will quell fears about the standards in Florida, including the belief that the common core, which was developed at the direction of the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, are an attempt by the federal government to claim more power over education. (Gewertz also touched in this issue last month when the proposed revisions were made public).

Notably, Florida Commissioner of Education Pam Stewart said she is "on track" to select a new common-core aligned assessment for Florida, after the state officially distanced itself from the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers last year. Last month, Stewart told lawmakers that Florida will select a new assessment in March.  

View the original article here

Littleton Public Schools Partners With School Bus Logistics, Saves $125,000

    DENVER, CO, March 19, 2013 /24-7PressRelease/ -- School Bus Logistics, LLC, a Denver-based transportation consulting and support business, saved Littleton Public Schools (LPS) $125,000 for the 2012-2013 academic year by evaluating the district's busing routes, implementing new software and eliminating unnecessary routes.

"We hired School Bus Logistics to help implement our new routing software and assist our routers in developing new routes for the start of school," says Scott French, transportation director for LPS. "Their knowledge and experience in developing safe and efficient routes is unsurpassed."

School Bus Logistics works with all levels of a district's transportation staff--routing, dispatch, safety/training and, most importantly, the drivers--to make sure routes are designed with safety and efficiencies in mind. School Bus Logistics had LPS's new routing software, Tyler Technologies' Versatrans, up and running in fewer than 10 weeks.

'Littleton Public Schools had tried to implement other routing systems in the past but were unsuccessful," says Robert Jacobus, CEO and founder of School Bus Logistics. "When the district approached us to help find and evaluate the right routing software package for them, we began evaluating routing efficiencies right away."

After implementing new routing software efficiencies for LPS, School Bus Logistics was contracted to support and maintain those efficiencies by providing daily route evaluation and changes as needed to ensure the district's transportation costs stay low.

"They can very quickly learn the demographics, and they know what questions to ask of policy and procedures to quickly start working in the software and get route designs put together," says French. "They know how to make the drivers feel at ease to get the best information from them and to get cooperation from them."

School Bus Logistics can potentially help save money for other school districts by reviewing and evaluating their current routing operations for efficiencies, and by providing professional routing services on a contract basis, which helps further reduce transportation costs by maintaining and managing a school district's daily routing operations.

About LPSD Transportation Services Center

LPSD transports 5,624 students daily on 40 general and 16 special-education routes. The district includes 16 elementary schools, four middle schools and three high schools within 28 square miles. The total student enrollment for the district is 15,500.

About School Bus Logistics, LLC

A business partner of the Colorado State Pupil Transportation Association with more than 10 years of combined routing software and operations experience, School Bus Logistics provides consulting and support to school districts and busing contract companies. By accurately and efficiently eliminating the challenges of pupil transportation, School Bus Logistics can put money back into the hands of school districts and, ultimately, back into the communities they serve.

Website: www.littletonpublicschools.net

View the original article here

More Than 300 Charter School Students, Teachers to Visit Tallahassee on April 2

    FORT LAUDERDALE, FL, March 31, 2013 /24-7PressRelease/ -- On Tuesday, April 2, 2013 more than 300 public charter school students and teachers will visit the Capitol. Part of Charter School Day in Tallahassee, the day will include meetings with legislators and observing session from the House and Senate Gallery.

The main objective of the visit will be to spread the word about public charter schools' successes and growing popularity among communities throughout Florida. The group will also urge legislators to continue to support public charter schools by making sure per student funding mirrors per student funding at District public schools.

For more than sixteen years, public charter schools in Florida have served students from Tallahassee to Key West, Okaloosa to Indian River. In that time, public charter schools have provided a quality public education option to hundreds of thousands of families and, in many cases, met the needs of students in underserved communities. Today there are more than 203,000 students enrolled in public charter schools in the state, and that number continues to grow every year. However, the funding for a student attending a public charter school has not kept pace with demand, and continues to be far below what a child attending a district-run public school receives. This legislative session, the Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools (FCPCS) and its member schools, teachers, parents and students are asking legislators to correct this wrong.

The Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools (FCPCS), a 501(c) charter school support organization, is coordinating this event. Since 1999, FCPCS has provided a seamless system of support to charter schools and helped promote the establishment, and operation, of high quality public charter schools through the development and implementation of focused statewide and online activities. FCPCS members include more than 400 of the state's 512 public charter schools.

Media Contact: Lynn Norman-Teck (305) 216-6208 l.norman-teck@floridacharterschools.org

---
Press release service and press release distribution provided by http://www.24-7pressrelease.com

# # #

View the original article here

Children at South Los Angeles School Beat The Odds - Ninety-Five Percent Go on to College

    LOS ANGELES, CA, April 12, 2013 /24-7PressRelease/ -- This Los Angeles neighborhood used to be known as "South Central", the flash point of the violent 1992 Rodney King riots that left 53 dead. When businesses would no longer invest in the area, "Central" was dropped. Even with the name change, South Los Angeles remains a predominantly African-American and Hispanic neighborhood whose residents suffer from a disproportionate level of poverty, gang violence and crime.

An oasis of hope for children in South Los Angeles is the Holy Name of Jesus Catholic School (HNOJ) with grades from Transitional Kindergarten - 8th grade. When it opened in 1924, it would become one of seven Catholic schools in the region to serve the African-American community. Now, only two remain.

Fr. Paul Spellman came to HNOJ eight years ago after serving at a parish in Claremont, California. Fr. Paul explained, "Our students learn in a safe, nurturing environment. We start everyday with prayer and emphasize academics, character building, spiritual development, and music. Each child learns to play a musical instrument which feeds their joy. A number of our students come from very difficult circumstances. We are often their only haven of stability, peace and happiness."

It is a very progressive school, yet one feels as though a step is taken back in time upon entering the classroom due to the noticeably mature behavior of the children. Students stand, smile and greet in unison, "Welcome to our classroom. How are you today?" They are model students any instructor would enjoy: highly attentive; inquisitive; dedicated; positive; respectful. They are voracious readers and excel at math.

In order to ensure a seat for these children whose families are unable to afford enrollment fees, a special "Fund the Future for $500 Program" has been launched. Deacon Jim Carper, Development and Admissions Director, explains, "Our school holds 300 students. If the public helps us raise $500 per student, a local foundation will match it. This is truly a 3-way partnership with unlimited reach among the public-matchers-and children. Unlimited, because these young children beat the odds to stay in school despite the challenging and sometimes tragic events in their lives. Some parents don't even have a car; so they bring their children to school by public bus, on bicycles or by traveling on foot. Their stories inspire me every day."

The school's music and art program is folded into the rigorous curriculum as a way for students to creatively express themselves. Consequently, Holy Name of Jesus holds annual Music and Performing Arts Shows throughout the year. This unique mix of arts, stringent academics along with character and spiritual development is resulting in success in a neighborhood where no one would have expected to find it, especially from children.

Principal, Marva Belisle explains, "72% of students are African-American and 28% Hispanic. Under the devotion of Fr. Paul and dedicated, skilled instructors, we believe there is a leader in every child. It is our hope and prayer that these children are reminded that God loves them, to treat each other similarly and to use the gifts He has given us."

If you would like to learn more about the HNOJ school, "The Fund The Future for $500 Program" or how to make a donation, contact Deacon Jim Carper, Director of Marketing and Development 323-731-1830 holynameofjesusschooldmd@gmail.com or visit the website http://www.hnojla.org or Fr. Paul's message on YouTube http://youtu.be/FY5KX5Djpig

View the original article here

Upper Iowa University hosts Independence High School group during college visit tour

Upper Iowa University hosted 17 high school juniors and seniors from Independence, Iowa, on a special week-long Iowa college tour experience.

FAYETTE, Iowa (July 9, 2013) – The Upper Iowa University Office of Admissions hosted 17 high school juniors and seniors from Independence, Iowa, recently as one of the last stops on their Iowa college tour week. The packed week was made possible by a $10,000 grant from Building Directions for Families, a non-profit organization that provides funding for the decategorization of youth in Iowa.

The tour was divided into five segments including stops in Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Des Moines, Ames, Waterloo, Waverly, Calmar, Decorah and Dubuque.

At Upper Iowa University, President Bill Duffy greeted the group to kick off their visit. It was the first time they had met a college president on any of their stops. Admission counselors treated them to a tour of campus and explained UIU's unique "two-at-a-time" class schedule and opportunities with UIU's Office of Student Development. The students even visited with Pete the Peacock and danced to many of UIU's favorite pep songs.

About Upper Iowa University Founded in 1857, Upper Iowa University is a private, not-for-profit university providing undergraduate and graduate degree programs and leadership development opportunities to some 6,200 students—nationally and internationally—at its Fayette campus and learning centers worldwide. Upper Iowa University is a recognized innovator in offering accredited, quality programs through flexible, multiple delivery systems, including online and independent study. For more information, visit www.uiu.edu.

Contact:
Monica Bayer Heaton
Associate Vice President for Communication and Marketing
Phone 563-425-5773
Cell: 515-291-2070
heatonm@uiu.edu

View the original article here

LMU Conference Serves as Launch Pad for Intellectual Virtues Charter School

Top scholars in education, philosophy and psychology gathered at Loyola Marymount University for a first-of-its-kind conference on the importance of teaching intellectual character and intellectual virtues in schools.

The conference was the brainchild of Jason Baehr, a professor in the Philosophy Department of the Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts.  Baehr received a $1 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation last year to develop a curriculum and a charter school to be used as models for educating children in intellectual virtues.

Intellectual virtues are the character traits of a good thinker or learner. They include curiosity, open-mindedness, attentiveness, creativity, intellectual humility and intellectual perseverance.

Baehr opened the two-day conference by telling the more than 120 participants that the purpose of the event was “to expand knowledge behind the theory and practice of intellectual virtues in education.”  

Internationally known scholars discussed and debated intellectual virtues, why they are important to education, and what it looks like in the classroom when you educate to encourage these traits.

Ian McCurry, an English teacher at the Opportunities Unlimited Charter High School in Los Angeles who has been training with Baehr’s team, demonstrated how he focuses on intellectual virtues in his teaching. He’s reorganized his class, giving students assigned roles in discussion groups and letting students evaluate each other on their participation and responsiveness.  

McCurry told the group that when he started training in intellectual virtue techniques, “I was teetering on the edge of burnout with teaching and wasn’t getting through to my students.” The training has “helped renew my love of teaching and helped me make some of my students more engaged in the learning process.”

Scott Crass, a math professor at California State University, Long Beach, demonstrated an intellectual virtues geometry class where he used plastic toys to show how angles create spherical shapes; then he described how to involve students in activities to help them observe and assess what they’ve seen.

“It produces a deeper understanding of mathematics,” Crass told the group. “Math is exploration. If you are not exploring, you’re not doing mathematics.”

Using many of the techniques demonstrated and debated at the conference, Baehr and his team will launch the Intellectual Virtues Academy charter school in the Bixby Knolls area of Long Beach this fall, with two sixth-grade classes of about 25 students each.  

School organizers have hired a principal and are in the process of hiring two teachers and finalizing the curriculum. The school will have its first parent/teacher meeting in the next few weeks. Organizers hope to add seventh- and eighth-grade classes over the next two years.

For more information on the Intellectual Virtues and Education Project at LMU go to http://intellectualvirtues.org/.

View the original article here