Seeking Better Math Assessments
Posted on August 30th, 2010 by Jaimie Schock
Formative assessments can be a great teaching tool to help math instructors ensure their pupils are grasping the lessons. If problems are spotted, adjustments can be made before it’s too late. But, is there a better way to conduct them? Researchers aim to find out.
Filed under: K-12 Education News | 1 Comment »
Tags: Math, Math teachers, Mathematics, National Science Foundation, Research, Research on Learning
NASA and Georgia Tech have set up a series of distance learning courses for K-12 science teachers called the Electronic Professional Development Network, which is a free online set of courses designed to hep educators do a better job at teaching STEM subjects.
A Texas bioengineering professor believes that students will be more ready for college science and engineering if exposed to university-level research while still inhigh school. He’s testing that notion with the help of a $500,000 National Science Foundation grant that brings students into his neuro-tissue lab to help with engineering research and then studies their progress.
Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen recently signed an executive order establishing the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network, which will work to promote and expand the teaching of STEM subjects in schools across the state. The network will operate out of the state’s Department of Education, which will work with local school districts to coordinate STEM education activities, including curriculum and professional development. 
Defense contractor General Dynamics, facing an engineer shortage, has developed a program for developing young engineering talent. Eighteen seventh- and eight-grade students who have shown some math and science skills were selected for eCrew, which focuses on giving the students hands-on projects, like launching rockets and building working model cranes.
Early college high-school programs — a.k.a., dual-enrollment programs — are growing in popularity. The programs allow high schoolers to take college courses, and earn college credits, while still in high school. Historically, they were geared toward high-achieving students to keep them from getting bored. But, many are now aimed at low-income students at risk of dropping out.
So far, around 35 states have adopted the Common Core K-12 academic standards written by the National Governor’s Association and the Council of Chief State School Officials. But, will these standards be better than the statewide versions? Experts disagree, and it may be too soon to tell.
Congress approved and President Obama signed a $26.1-billion package of state aid that would help keep nearly 140,000 teachers nationwide on the job and continue extra funding to provide healthcare services to low-income households during the recession. The final vote in the House was 247-161, largely along party lines.
The National Science Foundation is providing $11.5 million over five years to a partnership that aims to enhance teaching and learning of grade 3-8 science in 12 New Jersey districts. 
