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Charter schools movement grows in LAUSD, California
California added 104 new charter schools to its roster this year, including 19 in Los Angeles Unified, but it still has some 50,000 students on waiting lists for the independent campuses, according to a report released today. LA Daily News

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Building school district stability extends beyond the superintendent
The Los Angeles Unified School District board bought itself a little stability last week when it extended Superintendent John Deasy’s contract for a year by handing him a “satisfactory” rating in his annual evaluation. EdSource

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Los Angeles moves ahead with free citywide Wi-Fi plan
Los Angeles has taken another step toward creating a citywide Wi-Fi network that could potentially bring free broadband Internet to all its residents and businesses. The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to issue a request for proposals, starting the bidding process from vendors. KPCC

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How to grade a teacher
Editorial: As the recent job evaluation of Los Angeles Unified Supt. John Deasy showed, test scores and other metrics can be a useful addition to the assessment process — as long as they’re not allowed to substitute for the bigger, more meaningful picture. LA Times

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QEIA schools benefit from teacher training, collaborations
New research on the long-term impacts of California’s landmark 2006 funding program supporting 400 low-performing schools highlights the positive role smaller class size plays in student performance. But perhaps more surprising is how the Quality Education Investment Act has promoted educator collaboration, allowing more planning opportunities and alignment considerations. SI&A Cabinet Report

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‘Smarter’ exec embraces CA’s decision for Common Core tests
The executive director of Smarter Balanced, a consortium of states developing the new Common Core assessments, said he supports California’s decision to give the field, or practice, test in the new standards to all students next spring, rather than limit the pilot to a small test group as other states are doing. EdSource

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U.S. math, reading achievement edges up, but gaps remain
The reading and mathematics achievement of the country’s 8th grade students improved in the last two years, but the performance of 4th graders remains stubbornly mixed, with progress in math, but not in reading, according to test data. EdWeek