AM News: College Board Drops Its "1 Percent" Summer SAT Program

College Board Drops Plans for Summer SAT for Affluent NYT: Critics complained that the Aug. 3 test was unfair, because only students enrolled in the $4,500 course, held on the Amherst College campus, could take it.

New Survey Finds Teachers Have a Popularity Problem  Education Next: A new public opinion survey finds that the percentage of people taking a negative view of teacher unions is growing, with more of the public saying that that teacher unions are a stumbling block to school reform.

'Flipping' Classrooms: Does it make sense?  Washington Post Local: One of the biggest trends in classroom teaching is the “flipped classroom,” which lives up to its name: Students learn lessons at home — with the help of videos and/or other materials their teachers provide — and then do their “homework” in class, getting individualized help from the teacher and working with other students.

Computers Grade Essays Fast ... But Not Always Well NPR:  Some schools, looking to cut costs, are intrigued by so-called robo-readers, computer programs that grade students' writing and offer feedback. Some teachers find the programs helpful in the classroom, but skeptics say they're not always the best judge of writing ability. 

Study examines vocational certificates' big rewards USA Today:  Study finds certificates awarded through short-term vocational training programs can reap a bigger payoff than a bachelor's degree.

Thousands pack downtown Manhatten for Charter School Rally  GothamSchools: In what organizers are calling the largest gathering of public school parents ever in New York City, thousands turned out for a rally to support the charter school movement and to warn future politicians that their constituency is a sleeping giant in upcoming elections.

Comments

[Bruce]

The computer essay grading story is important because the formative use of the technology is so promising. I don't believe this technology is ready for the reliable grading of important examinations, but for frequent classroom practice the technology could prove a huge step forward. At Locke High School my ninth grade students used to write an essay every two weeks; I wanted to make it once a week, as it is in Oxbridge, but could never get through the essays fast enough, and so once every two weeks was the best I could do. With this technology I can imagine having them write more than once per week; my grading schedule would remain as it was, but in the meantime the students could write rough drafts and get feedback on them more frequently, and I would likely shift towards focusing on grading final drafts that the students were happy with and had gotten positive reviews on from both classmates and computer.

[Sarah]

Now that’s it’s pretty much confirmed extra SAT dates for the wealthy won’t be a reality, I’m interested to know why it was ever considered to begin with. It is, at first glance, and every look after, an unfair advantage.

[Sarah]

And, I still can’t believe roboreaders are the way of the future. Writing can’t really be quantified. There is no set measurement that makes one writer better than another.

[english learning]

Robo readers? Sounds odd. Students prefer human interaction, even if it comes at a slightly higher price.