In just the first week of July, the number of library aide positions at LAUSD being “separated” from the district was reduced to 14 from 22. Superintendent Ramon Cortines is trying to find ways to save the remaining positions before the school year begins next month. “These 14 ladies got notices that say they are...

In the new school year, parents who have children in accelerated math programs at LA Unified will have to sign a “contract” acknowledging that their child must keep a B grade or better to stay in the class. If the student doesn’t keep at least a B, there will be a parent-teacher meeting to form...

California is woefully deficient in providing quality math education to low-income students and students of color and needs to make a better coordinated effort as it switches to the new Common Core State Standards in math (CCSSM), according to a new report from Education Trust-West. Fifteen percent of low-income eighth-grade students in California earned proficient...

Lest supporters of the Common Core State Standards were feeling any tremors of vocal opponents around the country, a group of 500 business, community, education and parents groups came together on Sunday to offer their unequivocal support for the new testing regime in California. Under the banner of Children Now, a statewide advocacy group for...

A practice run of the Smarter Balanced test taken by a sampling of LA Unified students last month exposed an alarming number of technological weaknesses that left a third of participating schools unable to access the computerized exam, a new survey shows. “The readiness test pointed out areas that need improvement and repair prior to...

LA Unified will be conducting a district-wide dress rehearsal on Thursday for the upcoming Smarter Balance exam, California’s new standardized test assessing students on Common Core State Standards. The aim is to identify and resolve any glitches in the technological infrastructure before the tests are given, Lydia Ramos, a district spokesperson told LA School Report....

In its first meeting of 2015, the LA Unified school board tomorrow will debate a range of issues, from students’ eating alone to farm workers’ pay. But it’s the issue of state testing that will have the most immediate and significant impact on more than 300,000 district students. Adding a powerful voice to the growing opposition...

* UPDATED Gov. Jerry Brown‘s proposed state budget for 2015-2016, released today, includes $52 million more in K-12 funding than last year’s budget. The increase, which would bring the state’s K-12 education spending to $47.12 billion, a one-tenth of 1 percent increase over last year, includes more money for Common Core implementation, Internet infrastructure, special education, emergency...

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today announced that 227 school sites, including 33 in LA Unified, will share nearly $27 million in Broadband Infrastructure Improvement Grants (BIIG) to help school districts increase their ability to administer the state’s new online tests this spring. “These state grants provide the critical last step needed to...

Gov. Jerry Brown had a few words to say about public education in his State of the State address today. In effect, he saluted his effort to return more control over spending to the state’s school districts. Here’s what he had to say: “Last year, I spoke of the principle of subsidiarity, a rather clunky...