Top Stories
New SAT Delayed to 2016 The new version of the SAT college admissions exam that was due to be unveiled in 2015 is now being delayed until spring 2016. This change in the timing of the redesign will serve members in higher education by providing two years to plan for the redesigned exam, familiarize themselves with changes, and meet system and publication requirements. Salman Khan, The Most Influential Person In Education Technology Peter High, the President of Metis Strategy, writes about innovative ideas in the world of information technology. This article is an interview he conducted with Salman Khan of Khan Academy, the first among major players and influential people in the MOOC (massive open online course) landscape. Kids Right to Read Project: Book Challenges Increased in 2013 The Kids' Right to Read Project investigated three times the average number of book censorship incidents, adding to an overall rise in cases for the entire year, according to KRRP coordinator Acacia O'Connor. To date, KRRP has confronted 49 incidents in 29 states in 2013, a 53% increase in activity from 2012. During the second half of 2013, the project battled 31 new incidents, compared to only 14 in the same period last year. Tech sector concerned at slip in education standards in New Zealand
The fastest growing industry sector in New Zealand has reacted strongly to an international report that shows New Zealand has slipped backwards in education standards when compared to other OECD countries. Countries like Singapore, Poland and Germany rank above New Zealand and have positively increased their position since the last survey. Australia, Ireland and Denmark, despite also sliding backwards, still outrank New Zealand.
Oldest American Teacher Celebrates 100th Birthday
Believed to be the oldest working teacher in America, Zhelesnik - who is called Granny by everyone at the Sundance School - celebrated her 100th birthday yesterday with singing, dancing and, of course, her children. The home economics teacher joined the Sundance staff in 1995, when she was 81. She teaches cooking and sewing to the lower grades and offers after-school lessons in knitting and crocheting.
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Staff Highlight
We would like to introduce you to a member of our Digital/Video Content Project Team,
Anna Verratti
Anna grew up in the Panama Canal Zone, lived twenty-two years in Costa Rica and Mexico City where she taught ESL at intervals. She has a BA in English Literature and a MA in Education with emphasis in TESOL. After teaching high school Spanish in San Diego for fifteen years, she presently lives in Gig Harbor, WA where she enjoys segmenting and summarizing video content, including Spanish film correlations.
About Us
Founded in 1997, EdGate Correlation Services (EdGate) is a leader in the field of alignment solutions for educational companies around the world.
The EdGate Standards Repository is the most comprehensive collection of national and international educational standards in all subject areas.
Through the power of our technology and the professional experience of our subject-area specialists, EdGate provides accurate and continually updated correlations, on-demand correlation reporting capabilities, and effective website integration options.
EdGate can also deliver standards licensing, customized taxonomy solutions, correlation to assessment standards, and more.
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Welcome to The EdGate Observer!
Greetings everyone and Happy New Year,
In this month's newsletter, we focus on the most recent education news pertaining to Quality Counts 2014 State Report Card (Hot Topic), Smarter Balanced Assessment FAQ's (Common Core Update), ASAP Science videos (Client Solution), BETT Show and FETC 2014 (EdGate Services) and following up with new additions to the EdGate Standards Repository (Standards Update).
As always, EdGate is your source for staying current with new developments in education and the impact of educational standards.
Regards,
Sandra Schugren, EdGate General Manager
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Hot Topic
QUALITY COUNTS 2014: HIGHLIGHTS
Education Week started publishing Quality Counts in 1997, intended as a report card for assessing state progress in adopting educational policy measures in several areas. In an effort to make the report more relevant for educators and policymakers, this year's report (18th Edition) focuses on three performance-based categories: 1) K-12 Achievement, 2) Chance for Success, and 3) School Finance.
In the K-12 Achievement category, Massachusetts scored a "B" and Mississippi scored an "F". Half the states scored a D+ or lower in the K-12 Achievement (2014) State Report Cards, and the nation as a whole showed a very slight improvement from 69.7 in 2012 to 70.2 currently. Another highlight shows the poverty gaps for 4th grade reading and 8th grade math have widened since 2011. The following summarizes the U.S. Average scores for each category:
� K-12 Achievement (2014) = U.S. Average C- (70.2)
� Chance for Success (2014) = U.S. Average C+ (77.3)
� School Finance (2014) = U.S. Average C (75.5)
The entire report is available online at http://www.edweek.org/ew/qc/index.html, including links to previous year's reports.
For more information on what these indicators mean, visit: http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/01/09/16sources.h33.html
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Common Core Update
SMARTER BALANCED ASSESSMENTS - FAQ'S
Are schools prepared to roll out the new Common Core Assessments in the upcoming 2014-2015 school year?
As school leaders bolster their preparations for Common Core testing, many critics are speaking out in opposition to the standards and the new online assessments, specifically citing a lack of funding, manpower, poor or non-existent school infrastructure to support the online assessments that will accompany the standards, and lack of computers to deliver the assessments.
The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) provides detailed and valuable information through their website to help teachers, administrators, and state policymakers navigate and transition to the new assessments. Their list of 38 Frequently Asked Questions can be found at: http://www.smarterbalanced.org/resources-events/faqs/
Here is an example of a FAQ concerning lack of school infrastructure and computers to deliver the assessments:
Question #38 - What if my school or district does not have the infrastructure to support computer adaptive testing:
Answer - Smarter Balanced is committed to helping states transition successfully to next-generation assessments. The assessments are being designed to work with the computing resources in schools today. The assessments can be offered on very old operating systems and require only the minimum processors and memory required to run the operating system itself (for example, the summative assessment can be delivered using computers with 233 MHz processors and 128 MB RAM that run Windows XP). Likewise, the file size for individual assessment items will be very small to minimize the network bandwidth necessary to deliver the assessment online. A 600-student middle school could test its students using only one 30-computer lab. To assist states that have not yet made the transition to online testing, the Consortium also will offer a paper-and-pencil option for the first three years of operational testing.
The SBAC Practice Test is available to schools and districts for training, professional development, and discussions with parents, policymakers, and other interested stakeholders.
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Client Solution
ASAP SCIENCE - YOUR WEEKLY DOSE OF SCIENCE
ASAP Science's videos on YouTube are attracting a lot of attention these days. The intent of the videos is to take seemingly complicated problems and explain them in simple terms using animation and graphics.
Many of EdGate's clients have video content that is used in the classroom to help students learn or reinforce concepts. However, most of the videos are full length and require segmenting to hone in on specific highlights in the video. This helps teachers target the exact section of the video needed to teach a concept. EdGate specializes in video segmenting and creating metadata for these segments. Additionally, EdGate Correlation Services provides the alignment of the videos and segments to educational standards. Having the correlated segments provides the end user with access to aligned curriculum materials that target the concept(s) being taught.
By: Kathleen Ideguchi
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EdGate Services
We would like to take this opportunity to thank our clients for your business in 2013 and look forward to our continued success in 2014!
This month, EdGate's National Account Manager, Leslie Kolber, is attending the BETT Show (British Educational Training and Technology Show), which is an annual trade show in the United Kingdom that showcases the use of information technology in education. Following BETT, Leslie will also attend the FETC 2014 Conference in Orlando, Florida. The FETC (Future of Educational Technology Conference) is a content-rich conference that brings education leaders and technology experts together to exchange techniques and strategies for teaching and learning success.
If you are attending either conference, have questions about correlation services or are interested in a demo of the EdGate Curriculum Matrix, contact Leslie to schedule a time to meet at [email protected].
To find out more about EdGate products and services and how our team can work with you, please contact an Account Representative today. To reach Leslie Kolber, please email her at [email protected] or to reach Tracy Olstad, please email [email protected].
The "EdGate Advantage is
YOUR Advantage"
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