Friday, October 3, 2008

Student Test Scores to Rank Teachers

It had to happen sooner or later. Jennifer Medina has a story in The New York Times that relates that the New York City Schools will use student standardized test scores to rank teachers. While in Teachers to Be Measured Based on Students’ Standardized Test Scores, Medina notes that the rankings won't be used for tenure or pay increases, the move is a step closer to that eventuality.

Busy Week at Science@NASA

Dr. Tony Phillips has cranked out three articles this week on his Science@NASA site. Science@NASA articles are generally appropriate for middle and high school students and are available in web format and as audio files. This weeks offerings are:

• Spotless Sun: Blankest Year of the Space Age
• MESSENGER Returns to Mercury
• How Round is the Sun?

Boring History Books

The Associated Press is reporting that the Indiana Board of Education found the current offering of social studies textbooks so boring, they "tried to reject the list of social studies texts." Indiana Board of Education bored by history books tells of one key board member, an aide to the Governor, saying, "They were dry as dust to me."

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