K12 Schools Must Fill Need For Digital Media Skills
There is a new urgency to teach digital media literacy as a study finds students are taking online information for granted
American High School Students Fall Behind Other Countries
While U.S. students in low grades are faring about average or better in mathematics and science compared with those in other countries, high schoolers are outperformed in both subjects, according to a new federal report.
The Condition of Education 2006 report by the National Center for Education Statistics painted a mixed picture after analyzing tests administered internationally in reading, science and math.
Three different tests were administered internationally for students, each targeting different age groups and subjects.
Nobody quite knows what goes into [the tests], and so nobody knows what to make of it. -Bruce Hunter, associate executive director, AASA
The results are important for political and business leaders but are of little meaning to district administrators, says Bruce Hunter, associate executive director of the American Association of School Administrators. "Nobody quite knows what goes into [the tests], and so nobody knows what to make of it," he says.
The tests' focus also is somewhat at odds with U.S. curricula, he says. The international tests probe a few academic skills in-depth, he says. "Our curriculum promotes broad coverage, so kids get a wider exposure in math, but it's not as deep," Hunter says.
The results could ultimately influence what's taught in the U.S., he says, as policymakers deepen the curricula. And that means districts may be asked to spend more time on a narrow range of content areas in a subject, such as Algebra, he says.
"I think it already has had an effect," he says. "I think that the curriculum has changed over the last 15 years, narrowing and going more in depth, and that's reflected in our standards." -Kevin Butler
Among the Findings:
U.S. students performed relatively well in reading literacy compared with international peers.
U.S. fourth graders were in the middle of the pack among countries tested in math. Eighth graders between 1995 and 2003 boosted their international standing.
As they did in math, eighth graders in science improved their relative standing internationally between 1995 and 2003. Fourth graders were above the international average, but showed no improvement.
But U.S. 15-year-olds performed worse in math, on average, than many of their international peers on a test focusing on students' ability to apply math skills to everyday situations. They also performed worse on a test of real-word application of science knowledge and skills.
One System for One Graduation
A new report explains what some educators and policymakers have been saying for years: The nation needs one system to measure graduation rates.
Who's Counted? Who's Counting? Understanding High School Graduation Rates, by the Alliance for Excellent Education, notes needed changes:
-States should calculate comparable, accurate and disaggregated graduation rates, and use them for NCLB reporting;
-Longitudinal data systems should track individual students over time;
-The U.S. Department of Education should mandate schools to report the number of diploma recipients, ninth grade repeats, and those who transfer in and out.
Open Ed Technologies
The U.S. needs to catch up to the rest of the world when it comes to open technologies
in education. And the Consortium for School Networking is doing just that, having launched a new Web site as part of its K-12 Open Technologies Leadership Initiative.
The site is designed to help chief technology offi cers and educators adopt and use open technologies-from planning, evaluating, decision-making and implementing.
"This is CoSN's leadership initiative," CoSN's chief executive offi cer Keith Krueger says. "We need to increase the capacity and understanding of chief technology officers in school districts to understand the value of involving their networks to be more 'open.' "
Jim Klein, director of Information Services & Technology at the Saugus Union School District in California, says, "This [site] is one-stop shopping for educators" interested in knowing about open technologies."
An aspect of "openness" is open content-or when a student or teacher creates information and then allows others to add information or context, such as at the Wikipedia site. When it comes to blogging or podcasting, for example, teachers can share educational content. "It [open content] builds a culture of open collaboration," which will increase student learning, Klein adds.
Rae Ann Alton Cooper of IBM Global Education, one of the site's sponsors, says this is about enabling educators to innovate and building on top of open standards. IBM says this model lowers the total cost of ownership and allows customization to meet student needs, she adds. www.k12opentech.org
Defining Open Technologies
Open technologies include open-source software, open standards and
open hardware.
Open source means software that is publicly distributed and maintained
by volunteers or commercial companies. It includes operating systems for
servers and desktops; applications, such as OpenOffi ce and databases;
and open content like text and lessons.
Open standards refer to the rules for interoperability and data exchange
established by such recognized bodies as Schools Interoperability Framework
Association.
Open hardware refers to computers that run open standards-based software
like Nokia 770 Internet Tablet, relying on Linux.
Source: k12opentech.org
Test-Makers Wanted
There are plenty of tests these days, but not enough experts to ensure they are fair and accurate, a more common issue recently.
Psychometricians, or trained specialists who create and evaluate tests, are entering the workforce at a trickle and those who do are often choosing high-paying jobs over ones serving the public sector.
