All articles tagged with #student achievement
The Glencoe High School band from Hillsboro, Oregon, will become the first Oregon band to participate in the London New Year’s Day Parade, showcasing their hard work and talent on an international stage, with over 70 groups participating in the event.
U.S. students in grades 3-8 are still experiencing a pandemic-related slump in reading, with scores not improving since 2019, while math shows slight recovery. A new public dashboard aims to provide more frequent and detailed data to help schools address these ongoing challenges.
A new report reveals that two-thirds of American students attended schools with high levels of chronic absence in the 2021-2022 school year, a significant increase from pre-pandemic levels. The data shows that nearly 14.7 million students were chronically absent, missing 10% or more of regular school sessions. This chronic absenteeism has had a detrimental impact on student academic scores, with math scores reaching their lowest rate since 1990 and reading scores at their lowest since 2004. Additionally, teacher shortages continue to plague school districts, with 44% of public schools reporting full- or part-time teacher vacancies, many of which are attributed to the pandemic.
Wentzville School District in St. Charles County has been facing various controversies, including a book ban and discussions on a transgender bathroom policy. These issues have overshadowed the district's positive achievements, such as its highest enrollment and academic growth. School officials emphasize the need for civil discussions and finding common ground to strengthen the district and meet the unique needs of all students in the community.
Five Alabama schools, including Cordova Elementary School, Mt. Carmel Elementary School, Creek View Elementary School, Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School, and Skyline High School, have been named 2023 National Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Department of Education. These schools were recognized for their academic performance and progress in closing achievement gaps. The Blue Ribbon award is the highest national honor given to schools by the U.S. Department of Education.
Math and reading scores among American 13-year-olds have fallen to their lowest levels in decades, with math scores plunging by the largest margin ever recorded, according to the results of a federal test known as the nation’s report card. The results, released Wednesday, are the latest measure of the deep learning setbacks incurred during the pandemic. Especially alarming to officials were outsize decreases among the lowest-performing students. Students at all achievement levels saw decreases, but while stronger students saw slides of 6 to 8 points, lower performing students saw decreases of 12 to 14 points, the results show.
Texas has taken over the Houston school district, replacing its democratically elected school board and superintendent with a board of managers appointed by the Texas Education Agency. However, research on previous district takeovers has shown no significant gains in student performance, and even some declines. Critics of the takeover say the district has made improvements since 2019 and question if the move is politically motivated against local Democratic control in a Republican-controlled state.
The Texas Education Agency plans to appoint a board of managers to take over the Houston Independent School District, the largest in Texas and the eighth-largest in the country, due to unacceptable academic ratings for Wheatley High School. The move has raised concerns among some Houston families and questions about similar takeovers nationwide. While state takeovers of school districts generally don’t result in major improvements, historically, districts are more likely to be taken over by the state if they serve relatively large proportions of Black students, Hispanic/Latin students, or students from low-income families.
The Texas Education Agency will remove Houston Independent School District's democratically elected school board and superintendent, replacing them with a "board of managers" after June 1. The move is in response to years of poor academic outcomes at a single high school in the district. Houston ISD, with 76 schools and an enrollment of nearly 200,000 students, will now be the largest district the agency has taken over since 2000. The TEA commissioner decides how long the board is in place, usually lasting two to six years.