On September 15, the U.S. Department of Education released the names of the 305 schools across the country that have been selected as 2011 National Blue Ribbon Schools. Among these institutions were 49 private schools, including St. Barnabas Catholic School in Indiana.
According to The News-Leader, St. Barnabas earned the honor based on several academic factors, such as a rigorous curriculum, high expectations and students' scores on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS). In fact, the school's performance was judged based on assessment scores from the last five years.
St. Barnabas uses the ITBS to evaluate its 730 students, the news source reported. The assessment measures test takers' abilities across several academic areas, including math, reading and language.
"Being named a National Blue Ribbon School is very exciting for our whole parish community," Principal Kimberly Browning told the news outlet. "Our past and current students, parents and teachers have worked diligently to achieve at the highest levels."
According to the news source, the U.S. Department of Education has awarded Blue Ribbons since 1982 to highlight examples of the best school leadership and teaching practices.
The state of New Jersey is looking to hold their public school systems responsible for ensuring that their students are up to par with all that's required of their grade.
In order to ensure that students are meeting national requirements in a number of subjects, the New Jersey Department of Education has announced that high school students must take a biology standardized test in order to fulfill graduation requirements, according to the Independent.
"Starting with this year, students are going to have to receive a passing score on the [New Jersey Biology Competency Test] NJBCT," Cresenda Jones, supervisor of mathematics and science for the Holmdel Township School District, told the news provider. "If they fail the test, then the DOE will require them to retake the test, but they have not provided information at this point about what that process is going to be."
According to the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association, in a practice run, nearly half of the 105,000 students who took the exam passed. In a new standard approved by the board, students must get 53 percent of the questions right in order to pass.
Many students go through the stress of preparing for standardized tests, as there's a lot of pressure with ensuring they increase their performance. Since the No Child Left Behind Act stipulates that public school students must increase their Adequate Yearly Progress each year, many work to ensure they receive high marks.
However, while students may feel the heat, teachers could be feeling it worse, according to Paragould, Arkansas's ABC affiliate, KAIT 8.
Teachers understand the importance of ensuring their students are ready for standardized tests, which is why they may take on the burden if the pupils do not excel in performance. Additionally, many schools are starting to hold educators accountable for a lapse in improved scores.
The news provider reports that many teachers at Paragould High School have been banding together to come up with effective lesson plans.
"If one teacher has really great ideas on how to help their kids in that particular area, then we share those ideas and then we work together," English teacher Jenny Hollis told the news provider.
There are some ways that teachers can take the pressure off of students, such as making the review process fun with games and continually offering practice tests to help pupils advance their knowledge.
As more states are moving toward education reform, the first step that a number of public schools are taking is changing how teachers are evaluated. A controversial practice, more states are choosing to base how a teacher is evaluated on standardized test scores.
Georgia is the most recent state to make this change, according to the Atlantic Journal-Constitution. After Georgia won the $400 million Race to the Top grant in August, the state education system promised to rethink its policies. Students' standardized test scores will now account for 50 percent of a teacher's evaluation.
"We strongly believe that the most important thing in a student's education is the quality of the teacher in the classroom," said Erin Hames, who will oversee the plan's implementation as a deputy chief of staff for Governor-elect Nathan Deal. "The heart of education improvement in Georgia has to be focused on the classroom and classroom teachers."
According to Georgia news station WALB 10, many teachers in lower socioeconomic levels are concerned by whether or not their students will be able to significantly improve.
Educators may want to consider adopting more social and emotional learning programs into their curriculum, as a new study has suggested that these kinds of lessons can help boost student skills overall.
The research published in the journal Child Development found that students who were placed in programs that included exercises such as recognizing emotions, maintaining positive relationships and achieving positive goals were found to have improved social and emotional skills.
"The findings highlight the value of incorporating well-designed and carefully conducted social and emotional learning programs into standard educational practice," said to Joseph A. Durlak, emeritus professor of psychology at Loyola University Chicago, the study's lead author. "Such programs do not detract from but can enhance academic achievement, while providing students with stronger skills in areas that are important to their daily lives and future functioning."
As a result of these findings, schools may want to think about creating social and emotional learning programs in order to help boost student's skills and achieve positive goals.
Bright Education Services & Testing
Powered by Compendium