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SIIA DataContent 2013
AB will attend the SIIA DataContent Conference in Philadelphia on October 15-17.
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Click here to learn more about minor changes to the Colorado and Ohio document storage. 

For news on the latest in Standards Releases, read here.
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Is there a way for me to know which State-Modified standards are different from the original Common Core?

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September 27, 2013
AB Support Snapshot
 
Just back from EdNet Conference in Denver, we are excited to present the September 2013 edition of the AB Support Snapshot. We have worked to refresh and expand the type of information we provide to ensure you have the most updated information on the AB services you use as well as the policy and industry news that impact standards and educational resources.
 
Sincerely, 

 

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Academic Benchmarks 
EdNet 2013 - AB Trip Report
The EdNet conference, which has evolved into the networking event of the ed tech industry, celebrated its 25th year earlier this week. Attendance in Denver seemed to be steady as compared to the past fews years. Tablets, testing, digital content, state budgets and Common Core were the hottest topics of presentations and lobby conversations. Interestingly, three years after Common Core's release, discussions largely focused on the realization that Common Core is "not so common" in the ways that most had envisioned the standards. This sentiment mirrors what AB has witnessed as the inconsistent implementation patterns and states' desires to personalize the content and presentation of Common Core. 

What was our big takeaway from the show? More and more content is being created every day, but every day less and less of that content has been enabled with the descriptive metadata that will increase its discovery, relevance to the end user, and the ability for the content to move across district systems. I am happy to report that AB is working to resolve this market need and making great progress. Let me know if you'd like to learn more.

- Matt Doherty, President
In Case You Missed It
Common Standards in the News

Florida no longer fiscal agent of PARCC
In a September 23, 2013 letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Florida Gov. Rick Scott explained that the state will withdraw from its role as fiscal agent of PARCC. However, Florida officials are sending mixed messages about the role the state will continue to play in the consortium. Commissioner of Education Pam Stewart noted that Florida will remain part of PARCC, while Florida Department of Education spokesman Joe Follick remarked that the state is seeking alternatives to PARCC. According to the consortium, if a state is a governing board member, then it is automatically required to use the test in 2014-2015. Either way, this news may signal distress for PARCC considering Florida is the sole state fiscal agent of the consortium. Read Governor Scott's letter to Secretary Arne Duncan.

Kentucky's flip-flopping came to vote by Governor

Since Kentucky's adoption of NGSS in June 2013, signaling the first of six states to adopt the standards, its state legislature has been extremely active in attempting to repeal the standards from being implemented in schools. On September 23, 2013, Governor Steve Beshear overrode the state legislature's rejection of NGSS. Earlier this month, the Administrative Regulation Review Subcommittee shot down the standards in a 5-1 vote citing their inferiority to the state's current standards. Opposition to NGSS in Kentucky is the most aggressive of any state, so the Governor's override will only get NGSS advocates so far. In their 2014 session, the Kentucky General Assembly may vote to re-open the issue.

Featured Client

Certica Solutions

 

Certica Solutions provides performance management solutions to K-12 schools and districts, giving administrators and educators the ability to easily analyze, track and improve performance through better use of data. TestWiz™, Certica's comprehensive assessment solution, provides teachers and instructional leaders with the ability to create, administer and score assessments, as well as analyze and report on a wide range of local, state and standardized assessment data in a consolidated manner.
 

Leveraging Academic Benchmarks' GUIDs, TestWiz provides users with the ability to create assessments from either locally created items or items within commercially available item banks, either of which are aligned to standards, including the Common Core State Standards. Assessments created in TestWiz can be administered online via a simple student testing application, or via paper and pencil. As a result of customer interest in high quality, Common Core-aligned items, as well as PARCC and SBAC readiness, TestWiz supports commercially available item banks that leverage Academic Benchmarks' GUIDs for standards alignment, and such item banks can be licensed through the TestWiz application. For more information on TestWiz, click here.

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