Connecticut school districts are today getting their first look at SBAC results, and the state Department of Education anticipates releasing state-level results sometime between August 31 and September 5, according to spokeswoman Kelly Donnelly. Earlier this month CEA held a press conference urging caution and highlighting the many problems with SBAC that teachers have witnessed.…
DetailsTeaching history is all about telling stories. Now Connecticut students have the chance to get a personal perspective on how stories shape history—thanks to a Connecticut Historical Society project titled Connecticut Kids: Your Objects, Your Stories. The project encourages children to share an object that represents a personally significant story. It’s part of a larger…
DetailsTired of listening to so-called experts pontificate on “fixing” education? Want to help reject the test, label, and punish ideas of so-called education reformers? Want all students to have a real opportunity to learn? Join us in Londonderry, New Hampshire on Wednesday, August 19, to support education reform done right. Teachers need to send a…
DetailsWith only a couple of weeks left before many Connecticut schools are back in session, teachers are preparing their rooms and assembling the supplies they’ll need to welcome children back to the classroom. The youngest students often require the most focus on getting comfortable with the classroom environment—after a two-month break, or for the very…
DetailsThere are just a few short weeks of summer left before educators and students will find themselves back in the classroom. To prepare, check out the tips, strategies, and ideas compiled by NEA below. Ten Must-Haves for New Teachers Classroom Management Tips to Start the School Year Strong How Physical Activity Can Help Improve Academic…
DetailsMore than a dozen Connecticut Teachers of the Year (TOY) wrapped up a three-day trip to the Mystic Seaport today. The TOY finalists and semi-finalists were not vacationing, but learning. The teachers spent their days in educational workshops and participated in hands-on activities and guided tours of the Seaport, learning how to improve lesson plans…
DetailsConnecticut’s new Mastery Examination Committee—created in June by lawmakers to examine the state’s eight-hour, standardized SBAC test for third through eighth graders—should convene as soon as possible to get assessment right for children. CEA President Sheila Cohen said, “All indications are that this test is not a valid indicator of student knowledge and skills. This…
Details“Sadly, too many teachers have been trapped in mindless data exercises that irresponsibly neglect the story behind the numbers, turning children into faceless numbers,” Madison Public Schools Superintendent Thomas Scarice writes in an opinion piece for CT Viewpoints today. Scarice says that it is the stories, the context behind moments that ultimately matter in a…
DetailsTo become the best teacher you can be you need time to engage with quality professional learning, make connections with fellow educators, and receive support from your teaching colleagues. Every August Connecticut teachers come together to do just that thanks to CEA’s Summer Leadership Conference. On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this week 370 CEA members are…
DetailsNEA Government Relations Director Mary Kusler told Connecticut teachers gathered this morning for the start of the CEA Summer Leadership Conference that the Congressional Conference Committee finalizing an overhaul of federal education policy will make key decisions after Labor Day. “We can start the school year with optimism that we can get this done,” Kusler said. She…
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