Last week, the Minnesota Senate introduced a bill that would explicitly authorize schools and districts to do competency-based education. The bill’s purpose is to create space and opportunity for public schools to catalyze richer, more equitable, student-centered learning experiences. We break down the what and why of competency-based education—what it is and how it departs from conventional school models, and four reasons why it matters.
As students and teachers return from break, and legislators convene for the session, we’d like to take time to reflect on the past 12 months. After a year of partnerships cultivated and important work done, we’re resolved to make 2019 another banner year. In this post we look at highlights from the last year, and how they set us up for the new one.
Last week, MDE joined several other states when it released its updated Report Card as required by the ESSA. Many of the new reporting requirements focus on increasing transparency and providing families, educators, and students information about the performance of schools. We describe the Report Card requirements under ESSA as well as the changes MDE made to it.
The first weekend of December, more than 320 educators and supporters convened in Boston for the third Teacher-Powered Schools National Conference. Designing for Success, the theme of the sold out 2018 gathering, was tailored to attendees interested in professionalizing teacher roles and moving school decisions and design toward those closest to the students—teachers.
With our upcoming Teacher-Powered Schools National Conference kicking off November 30 in Boston, we’re taking a break from the blog until we get to the other side of this event. While we’re out, we hope you’ll check out some of our recent publications.
PELSB adopted rule for tiered licensure on October 12. What changes were made to rule? When will rule be effective? Is PELSB done with rulemaking? Read here to find out.
Earlier this week, Secretary DeVos announced the US Department of Education had approved New Hampshire as the second state after Louisiana to participate in the Every Student Succeeds Act’s Innovative Assessment Pilot. This post will provide an overview of both Louisiana and New Hampshire’s innovative assessments, as well as discuss other assessment flexibilities states are taking advantage of under ESSA.
On August 30, the Minnesota Department of Education released the first round of 485 schools identified to receive support under the state’s new North Star accountability system. This post will provide an overview of the processes for identifying schools for support and MDE’s Regional Centers for Excellence, as well as a deep dive into the two main levels of school support—comprehensive and targeted support.
On August 30, PELSB approved rule changes in order to address defects that the ALJ had found in the rule draft. On August 31, PELSB submitted their updates rules to the Chief ALJ, who has 5 business days to review and provide feedback. This post will provide an overview of some of the changes PELSB made to rule and the next steps in the rulemaking process.
Patrick Henry, a district high school in North Minneapolis that serves primarily low-income students and students of color, is part of a growing movement of public schools and districts around the country that are convening their local communities to create a Portrait of a Graduate—a “collective vision that articulates the community’s aspirations for all students”.
