Education News: December 15, 2006

Following are some of the top headlines from the world of education for the week ending December 15, 2006.

Cheating Inquiry Clears Schools
(Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer, 12/15/06) 592 schools in Texas were cleared of misdemeanors yesterday in the ongoing investigation of state test scores. 105 schools remain under investigation. The investigation stems from the 2005 Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills. Caveon, a test-security firm, was hired to investigate test results and they flagged hundreds of schools. While sixty-five schools under investigation received on site visits, the remaining schools responded to inquiry questionnaires about, among other things, testing procedures. The investigation will continue into the new year.

Schools Face a World Standard
(Source: The Plain Dealer, 12/14/06) The Program for International Students Assessment, a world-wide test that gauges student achievement levels, is a test that United States students take collectively. Recently, Ohio has chosen to focus on the results that students in Ohio get, measuring state rather than national progress against the international spectrum. State education officials point to an increasingly globalized world as the impetus for such a decision.

High Schoolers in Arizona May Face Added Math
(Source: The Arizona Republic, 12/13/06): Arizona Governor Napolitano’s advisory panel recommends a third year of math added to graduation requirements. That would become 4 years by 2012. Governor Napolitano has encouraged Arizona to strengthen its school requirements to match improvements that other states are making. Other council recommendations of interest include raising the mandatory school age from 16 to 18 and dramatically increasing the graduation rate.

High Schools to Require Students to Pick Majors
(Source: The Miami Herald, 12/12/06): The A-Plus-Plus program, Florida’s state program to increase the value of middle and high school and strengthen graduation rates, is now requiring high school students to pick majors. Students can choose from a range of 440 majors and they can change majors from year to year. The state mandated 16 core requirements remain unchanged.