Big changes in the works for Madison's 2012-13 school year
Matthew DeFour:
Wisconsin students, parents, teachers and property owners will feel the impact of major changes rolling out in Wisconsin's public schools this school year.
This fall for the first time:
- The state will assign numerical ratings to schools based on various test score measures.
- Most students will start to see a new, more specific curriculum -- in math and language arts, and with literacy incorporated in all subjects -- in anticipation of a new state test in two years.
- And dozens of schools, including three in Madison, will take part in the state's new teacher evaluation system, which takes into account student test scores.
"This is huge," State Superintendent Tony Evers said. "I've been doing this for 37 years and I haven't seen this level of reform efforts."
The unifying reason for the changes is the end of the No Child Left Behind era and the national move toward a more rigorous set of standards for what students are expected to know at each grade level, said Adam Gamoran, director of the Wisconsin Center for Education Research at UW-Madison. In order to obtain a waiver from NCLB, Wisconsin had to adopt the accountability system, higher curriculum standards and a teacher evaluation system.
"This has nothing to do with the turmoil we experienced in Wisconsin last year," Gamoran said. "This is happening in every state in the country."
Related:
Posted by Jim Zellmer at August 27, 2012 4:25 AM
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