Your donation will help us produce journalism like this. Please give today.

California officials reject federal government’s push to administer old science tests 

California education officials have decided that students will take only one statewide standardized test in science this spring, a pilot test based on new standards known as the Next Generation Science Standards. The decision, made in recent weeks, pits state education officials against the U.S. Department of Education, which told California officials in a Sept. 30 letter that they must continue to administer the older science based on standards adopted in 1998 and publish the scores on those tests. By Pat Maio, EdSource

• California awarded nearly $53.6 million to improve low-performing schools, EdSource
• Noose allegedly placed around black high school football player’s neck in Mississippi, Los Angeles Times
• Teachers use election to discuss weighty issues, worries, Associated Press
• Sparking curiosity in STEM, in and outside the classroom, Huffington Post
• What are the main reasons teachers call it quits? NPR
• The Pokémon Go effect: How augmented reality could reshape classrooms via better education apps, The 74
• CCSA ranks a school it vehemently defends as a 1 out of 10, School Data Nerd
• Schools promote safety, respect and responsibility during Digital Citizenship Week, LAUSD Daily