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OREGON STATE BOARD BANS NATIVE AMERICAN-THEMED MASCOTS — In a 5-1 vote, the Oregon State Board of Education banned Native American-themed mascots. Schools there have until 2017 to get rid of all references to tribal customs and traditions in sports or will face state funding cuts. Supporters of the ban have worked for years to [...]

BILL REQUIRING COLORADO COMMITMENT TO ASSESSMENT CONSORTIA RESCUED AT THE LAST MINUTE — A bill requiring the Colorado State Board of Education to commit to joining one of the consortia developing assessments for the Common Core State Standards was rescued at the last minute and will be sent to Gov. John Hickenlooper for signature. As [...]

UTAH BOARD CHANGES STATE’S STATUS IN SMARTER BALANCED CONSORTIUM — The Utah Board of Education voted to change the state’s role in the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium from that of a governing member to an advisory member. Since governing members of the Consortium must adopt the assessment it develops, the Utah board decided to change [...]

COLORADO STATE BOARD OPPOSES SENATE BILL THAT REQUIRES COMMITMENT TO A TESTING CONSORTIUM — A week after the Colorado State Board of Education voted to oppose a measure that would require it to join a multi-state assessment consortium, the Colorado Senate passed proposing that very mandate. While the state board is participating in both the [...]

VERMONT BILL WOULD SHIFT AUTHORITY OVER STATE CHIEF FROM BOARD TO GOVERNOR — A bill to transfer the authority to hire the state education chief from the Vermont State Board of Education to the governor awaits the governor’s signature. The measure creates a cabinet-level secretary of education and converts the department of education into an [...]

MAINE LAW MANDATES NEW SYSTEM FOR TEACHER EVALUATIONS — A new Maine law requires districts to implement educator evaluation and professional development systems and authorized a new panel to develop the evaluations. The new body could also create criteria for local districts to follow as they set up their own evaluation plans for teachers and [...]

ARIZONA STATE BOARD GIVEN AUTHORITY TO OK MASTERY-BASED PROGRAMS — The Arizona State Board of Education can now approve competency-based college- and career-readiness programs. A new education reform law allows students in 7th through 12th grades to receive credit based on subject mastery instead of meeting the traditional seat time requirements. The new law is an extension [...]

UTAH STATE BOARD INCUMBENTS WILL NO LONGER GET NOMINATION PREFERENCE — The practice that gives Utah State Board of Education members seeking reelection an automatic pass for nomination is coming to an end. Instead, sitting board members must first be approved by the nominee selection committee that vets all other prospective board contestants before nominations are approved by the governor. [...]

GEORGIA STATE BOARD ACTS TO REMOVE ALL MEMBERS OF COUNTY BOARD — In a unanimous decision, the Georgia State Board of Education recommended the removal of every member of the Miller County school board after it failed to reconcile its dysfunctional relationship with the local superintendent. A state law passed last June permits the state [...]

ARKANSAS SBOE REJECTS PROPOSED MERGER OF SMALL DISTRICTS — The Arkansas State Board of Education turned down the merger request of two low-enrollment, rural school districts. The nine-member board rejected the merger when the panel deadlocked at 4-4 with one abstention. The application to join the 330-student Lead Hill district with the larger Ozark Mountain district [...]

MINNESOTA SCHOOL DISTRICT APPROVES ‘UNPRECEDENTED’ SETTLEMENT IN BULLYING SUIT — The Anoka-Hennepin School District, Minnesota’s largest, settled a lawsuit brought by six current and former students who charged the district with inadequately responding to persistent physical and verbal harassment related to real or perceived sexual orientation. The consent decree creates a five-year partnership between the district [...]

CONNECTICUT SUPREME COURT OVERTURNS STATE’S TAKEOVER OF BRIDGEPORT SCHOOL DISTRICT — The Connecticut State Board of Education’s vote last July to take over the Bridgeport Board of Education was nullified this week in a ruling by the state Supreme Court. Bridgeport’s mayor and a majority of the city’s education board approached the state board last summer [...]

GEORGIA STATE BOARD WAIVES CLASS SIZE REQUIREMENT — The Georgia State Board of Education waived the class-size cap for districts for the fourth consecutive year. The ruling was based on anticipated student population growth alongside a $1 billion shortfall for districts, resulting in fewer teaching and personnel positions. Additionally, district officials are permitted to use [...]

NEW YORK ANNOUNCES STATEWIDE DEAL WITH UNIONS ON EDUCATOR EVALUATIONS — Hours before a deadline imposed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, he, along with state education officials and teachers union leaders, announced concord on the teacher evaluations format approved by the state Board of Regents last year. Teachers will be classified as “ineffective,” “developing,” “effective,” or [...]

The U.S. Department of Education approved the waiver requests of 10 states from certain requirements in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in return for implementing a host of state-driven initiatives. The states– Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma, and Tennessee–must implement college-and-career-readiness standards, develop teacher evaluations tied to student [...]

TEXAS STATE BOARD OKS MATH STANDARDS; REJECTS LINKED EXAMS UNTIL MONEY ALLOCATED TO BUY MATCHING TEXTBOOKS — The Texas State Board of Education gave preliminary approval to new math standards, but also decided state standardized tests will not reflect the new standards until the legislature allocates funds to buy textbooks to match. The new standards [...]

CONNECTICUT BOARD APPROVES DEPARTMENT-WIDE OVERHAUL — The Connecticut State Board of Education unanimously approved education Commissioner Stefan Pryor’s plan to revamp the state education agency. The reorganization will create several new high-level positions, including a chief operating officer and other chief officers who will oversee improvement efforts on academic achievement, the education workforce, and turning around [...]

COLORADO STATE BOARD CLARIFIES RULES FOR CHARTER AUTHORIZERS, APPROVES NEW ONLINE CHARTER SCHOOL REGULATIONS — Using a model of best practices recommended by the National Association of Charter School Authorizers, the Colorado State Board of Education for the first time adopted policies to guide charter authorizers. The rules are in line with a legislative committee [...]

COLORADO STATE BOARD APPEALS EDUCATION FUNDING DECISION TO STATE SUPREME COURT — The Colorado State Board of Education will appeal to the state Supreme Court a recent district court ruling that holds the state’s school funding formula is unconstitutional. The board made the decision on a 4-3 vote. In December, state District Court Judge Sheila [...]