Posts tagged Options Pcs
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Morning bell: Progress and delay on the special education front
Special ed legislation advances: The DC Council’s Education Committee unanimously approved legislation that would speed the delivery of services to children with disabilities. The full council will vote on it in the fall. (Post) Keep reading…
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Private school says it could have taken over troubled special needs charter if it had been asked earlier
A troubled DC charter school for kids with special needs will stay open for one more year under the management of a court-appointed receiver. But a private DC-area school with experience in special education could have taken over the school if it had been contacted earlier, according to an official at the school. The Public Charter School Board (PCSB) voted yesterday to allow… Keep reading…
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Morning bell: Anxiety continues over boundary change proposals
The end of neighborhood schools?: Proposals from the DC committee on student assignments have led some to wonder if school lotteries are the wave of the future. (Post) Changes could hurt schools that are working: Councilmember Mary Cheh says the student assignment proposals could “wind up ruining” Ward 3 schools, and some parents whose current assigned schools… Keep reading…
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Morning bell: Charter board reverses course on school for at-risk kids
Troubled charter may stay open: After initially seeking to close Options, a school for at-risk students where officials have been charged with self-dealing, the Public Charter School Board now says it will ask DCPS to run the school’s academic programs next year. (Post) DC students eating more free breakfasts: The number of students getting free breakfast has increased… Keep reading…
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Morning bell: What to do when the snow falls
Differing views on snow days: Some parents in the DC area feel that schools close down more often than they should, and some in Loudoun were particularly upset when the county canceled classes for an entire week that included midterm exams. But a Harvard study says that weather-related shutdowns may actually be better than the alternative in terms of effects on academic achievement. … Keep reading…
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Morning bell: Many DC residents are giving the mayor a thumbs down on school quality. Will a new official help?
Most DC residents give low ratings to public schools: Approval ratings have doubled since the mid-1990s, but a Washington Post poll shows that only 38% think Mayor Vincent Gray has done a “good” or “excellent” job improving DC’s schools. Former school official named to head DCPS effort to improve secondary schools: Former Interim State Superintendent… Keep reading…
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Morning bell: Mistakes have been made
Some DC teachers got erroneous evaluations: DCPS revealed that 44 teachers received evaluations based on a mistaken calculation of the “value” they had added, as reflected in their students’ test scores. Half were rated too highly, and the other half too low. (Post) More troubles at charter school: New court filings allege that a former senior official… Keep reading…
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Morning bell: Festivities for DC test gains, but not for graduation rates
DCPS celebrates test gains compared to other cities: Officials exulted in recent results showing DCPS as the only large city school district to make major gains across the board on tests given nationwide to 4th and 8th graders. But DC’s ranking is still below the urban average, and its achievement gap is the largest of any big city. (Post) But graduation rates only inched… Keep reading…
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Charter board failed to act on violations of special ed law
Last night the DC Public Charter School Board (PCSB) took the first step towards closing a school serving many students with special needs that has been accused of numerous failings. However, newly released documents show that the PCSB knew of widespread violations at the school in June of last year and took no apparent action. DC’s Attorney General has alleged that former… Keep reading…
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Morning bell: Middle schools in the spotlight
One DCPS middle school dies: Shaw MS entered a downward spiral after the murder of its principal in 2010 and was closed at the end of the last school year. (WAMU) And the birth of another is delayed: In the wake of controversy over the quality of DCPS’s middle school offerings, officials announced that the opening of Brookland MS will be delayed one year, until the fall of 2015. Keep reading…