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Can computers really grade essay tests?
Can computers really grade essay tests? The National Council of Teachers of English say "no," even if there is new software that says "yes."
New software described in this New York Times story allows teachers to leave essay grading to the computer. It was developed by EdX, the nonprofit organization that was founded jointly by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and that will give the software to other schools for free. The story says that the software "uses artificial intelligence to grade student essays and short written answers."
Read full article >>Associate/ Full Professor | Wayne State University
How arcane rules -- not student achievement -- drove No Child Left Behind
If No Child Left Behind was supposed to be about anything, it was improving student achievement. Here's an important piece about how it wasn't really student achievement that affected NCLB outcomes but, rather, tiny differences in arcane rules. This was written by Matthew Di Carlo, senior fellow at the non-profit Albert Shanker Institute, located in Washington, D.C. This originally appeared on the Shanker Blog blog.
Yet a new Pearson problem with testing
On the same day that I published a brief history of problems that Pearson, the education giant, has been having with standardized testing (going back years and across a number of states), I learned of yet a new Pearson problem from David Steensma, a doctor at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School. Here's the e-mail he sent me on Wednesday:
Admissions 101: why smart, poor students are dumb
Selective colleges get plenty of applications from the top-scoring children of affluent parents, including many in this region. What the colleges need, their admissions officers say, are more high-achieving, low-income applicants. Places such as Georgetown and Duke don’t like being called country clubs for the rich. They want more academically talented poor kids. Why aren’t they applying?
Read full article >>David Petraeus to Join CUNY as Visiting Professor
Free College Options Still Exist, for Those Willing to Roll Up Sleeves
Mark Wahlberg to Alexandria students: Stay in school
Mark Wahlberg, one of the world’s most successful high school dropouts, stopped by T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria on Wednesday morning to encourage students to stay in school.
The multimillionaire Hollywood producer, actor, former rapper and model dropped out of high school in the ninth grade. But now, the 41-year-old father of four is pursuing his diploma through an online credit-recovery program.
Read full article >>Assistant Superintendent (Office of Student Learning and Partnership) | Oregon Department of Education
Harvard Medical School to Close Primate Research Center
Maryland ‘on track’ on federal teacher evaluation deadline, state says
Maryland officials say they are confident the state will meet federal deadlines to develop new teacher evaluation systems requiring the use of standardized test scores.
It’s a sharp turnaround for the Maryland State Department of Education. In December, the U.S. Department of Education told Maryland officials the state was at risk of losing about $40 million in Race to the Top Funds for falling behind on developing new teacher evaluation systems. About a month later, the federal agency released a report showing Maryland was behind in implementing Race to the Top requirements.
Read full article >>D.C. tuition grants may face budget cuts
Federal budget cuts and surging demand for student aid may limit awards this year from a popular D.C. scholarship fund that aims to provide up to $10,000 annually for residents to attend public colleges outside the city, officials said Wednesday.
Read full article >>Pep rallies, music videos and cash aim to inspire students on D.C. tests
The cafeteria at Savoy Elementary in Anacostia was rocking. Cheerleaders cheered, students in school T-shirts chanted and the principal gave a go-get-’em speech.
But this was no pep rally of yore, building excitement for a football team. This was all about getting psyched for a standardized test — the D.C. Comprehensive Assessment System, or D.C. CAS, a bubble exam that students across the city are taking this week.
Read full article >>Students in D.C. region can't formally 'opt out' of standardized tests
Though parents in some other states are formally "opting out" of high-stakes standardized tests and keeping their children at home on test days, officials in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia say it is not permitted in their jurisdictions.
