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Friday, July 16, 2010

King outlines plans for $48M expansion of troubled data system | GothamSchools

King outlines plans for $48M expansion of troubled data system | GothamSchools

King outlines plans for $48M expansion of troubled data system

The state education department will spend nearly $48 million over the next three years completing a database that will track students’ test scores, courses and teachers from the beginning of their schooling to the end.
The database system has been hailed by state education officials as a key tool in their reform efforts. It’s intended to help the state use student test scores and grades to judge not only schools and teachers but also the programs that trained the teachers, for example. Education officials also say the system will be instrumental in helping identify students at risk of dropping out of school early on.
The state already tracks some information about students from kindergarten through twelfth grade. The data system launched in the 2006-07 school year with an expected cost of $39.4 million over six years. The systemgot off to a rocky start, plagued by delays in reporting data.
In a memo to the Board of Regents in advance of their Monday meeting, State Education Department Deputy

Remainders: Bloomberg suggests parents get “an education”

  • Bloomberg: If you send your kid to a once-closing school, you need “an education.” (Daily News)
  • More concerns e-mailed in about the principal at Columbia Prep. (CityRoom)
  • Teachers, mark Staples’ teacher-discount-day on your calendars. (NYSUT)
  • Edward Cullen did pass the twelfth grade, and beyond, thank you very much. (Answer Sheet)
  • New Orleans is trying to rebuild its education system — and its school buildings. (Good)
  • One-time Race to the Top enemy Obey now favors spending more on it. (EdWeek)
  • A Wisconsin court finds that teacher e-mails are private. (Milwaukee J-S)
  • What it looks like inside the Gates Foundation’s Seattle headquarters. (The Guardian)
  • College students say they didn’t learn to write papers in high school. (Class Struggle)