Momentum for the Common Core State Standards continues to grow, as detailed in this NY Times article. The article previews the Fordham Foundation’s 2010 State of State Standards report, which was released this week and finds that the Common Core ELA standards are more rigorous than 37 states and the Math standards are more rigorous than 39 states.
Meanwhile, states continue to respond to the standards. As July closes, nearly thirty states have officially adopted the ELA and Mathematics standards, including closely-watched Massachusetts, and states like California and Colorado have signaled intentions to adopt. Because the standards provides a boost for Race To The Top applicants who adopt by August 2nd, expect to see more states adding their names to the list in the next week to ten days.
As the NY Times article notes, however, there are myriad questions surrounding the path from adoption to implementation. In response, Academic Benchmarks continues to monitor these adoption and implementation efforts. For more information, please contact us at commoncore at academicbenchmarks dot com.
Academic Benchmarks is pleased to announce exciting changes within our organization that reflect our continued success and anticipated growth in the coming years. We see a great deal of opportunity ahead with advancing technology, an increased desire for innovation among our clients, and the recent release of the Common Core State Standards. As we work with our clients to improve our existing services and deliver new data services to bring additional value, we would like to inform you of a promotion and a group of new arrivals to the Academic Benchmarks team.
Matt Doherty, who has served as Vice President at Academic Benchmarks for the last two years, has been promoted to President. Matt has helped solidify the company’s position as the leader in standards data solutions and services within the K-12 industry. In his new role, Matt will provide the leadership for this next chapter in the Academic Benchmarks evolution. Kelly Peet, who founded the company in 2003, remains CEO and an active part of the Academic Benchmarks future. Kelly continues to provide the vision and technical direction as the company expands. He will also serve as the primary technology advisor for Academic Benchmarks offering and services.
Over the last three months, Academic Benchmarks has welcomed four new individuals who will directly improve the client experience with the company and its services. We are happy to bring the diverse experiences of the following people to our Client Support and Services, Sales, and Finance efforts: Tony Eggleton, Leah Hooper, Ed Hulefeld, and Angela Newman. We are also looking to bring more talented people aboard, particularly in our Product Development and Programming group. We welcome your recommendations!
We look forward to engaging our clients to learn how we can build better solutions with and for our growing base of education leaders. With a strong leadership team, our proven group of contributors, and new talented members, Academic Benchmarks is prepared to build upon the foundation our clients have helped establish.
June 18th, 2010 in
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The list of early adoption states for the Common Core State Standards continues to grow. Kentucky emerged as the early leader in February, adopting the standards in draft form. West Virgina and Hawaii (PDF) followed suit in May. Within a week of the June 2 release, three more states have added themselves to the list – Wisconsin (PDF), North Carolina, and Ohio. Several states, including Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Michigan, and South Carolina, are showing signs that adoption may happen later this month.
Academic Benchmarks plans to monitor the adoption and subsequent implementation information released from the states adopting the Common Core State Standards. For more information, please contact us at commoncore at academicbenchmarks dot com.
If you have followed the blog posts on the Common Core, you know Academic Benchmarks has studied each public draft of the Common Core State Standards over the last several months. By examining the standards, we grew to understand the data structures required to accurately reflect the standards and enable our diverse client base – content publishers, assessment providers, learning platforms, education technologies, and data systems – to apply the Common Core within their products and services.
Since the June 2nd release of the final Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and English Language Arts by The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers, the Academic Benchmarks Standards Management Group has worked to review the most popular standards set in recent history. Our work is nearly complete.
Within the next week, Academic Benchmarks clients will have the ability to receive the Common Core State Standards in the same digital format that they receive other state standards from Academic Benchmarks in the AB Standards RegistrySM. The Common Core State Standards will be provided to our clients through a one-time Data Conversion Service in which Academic Benchmarks will assign the Academic Benchmarks Globally Unique Identifiers, or “AB GUIDs”. This service enables our clients to identify and apply the Common Core State Standards within an existing AB Standards Database and across the AB GUID Network of education providers.
Clients who have indicated their interest in this service are being contacted presently. If your company would like to receive this service, please email commoncore at academicbenchmarks dot com. We will respond quickly with the appropriate documentation.
In parallel with the conversion of the Common Core State Standards, Academic Benchmarks has also begun the connection of these standards to the controlled vocabulary and taxonomies that helps power the AB reporting, alignment, and comparison services. We anticipate these services to be available to our clients during the first week of July.
This morning the Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSSI) released the Common Core for Math and English Language Arts. The intensive work has been spearheaded by CCSSO and NGA with the help and contributions of a diverse set of academic organizations, experts, and educators. This historic effort to develop a set of academic standards serves as a first step along the way to improvements in assessment, instruction, and professional development – all aimed to better serve students.
For a view of the the final release visit the Common Core website.
Academic Benchmarks is now collecting the Common Core Math and ELA standards along with the corresponding College and Career Readiness (CCR) standards. These standards will become part of the AB Standards Registry in the coming weeks. AB Clients will have the ability to align existing resources to the Common Core as well as compare standards across state or international boundaries. For more information, please contact us at commoncore at academicbenchmarks dot com.
The historic final product of the Common Core State Standard Initiative (CCSSI), which has been driven by the commendable efforts of CCSSO and NGA, is scheduled to be released on June 2.
Some states have already elected to adopt the Common Core – including Kentucky, Hawaii, and Maryland – and will soon begin planning for the implementation process.
Academic Benchmarks is prepared to incorporate the Common Core for Math and ELA standards alongside the nearly 2 million standards records of the AB Standards Registry. Once released, the Common Core will be made available in a short few weeks to AB clients in digital format with the market adopted identification numbering system, pending the CCSSI determination of publication guidelines. Please contact commoncore at academicbenchmarks dot com with any questions.
We are looking forward to traveling out to San Francisco for the annual SIIA Ed Tech Industry Summit. The list of attendees and the agenda looks to make this a productive few days. We hope to see you there. If you would like to schedule time to sit down, please contact Matt Doherty via email at blog at academicbenchmarks dot com.
For more information on ETIS, you can follow them on Twitter @SIIA_Education and with hashtag #ETIS.
Academic Benchmarks is a Contributing Sponsor at the AEP Content in Context Conference in Washington, DC on June 6 – 9. If you will be at the show or in town that week, please reach out to us to arrange some time to sit down. We look forward to seeing you.
StarrMatica Learning Systems received the award for Best Use of Innovation in a Teaching Environment at the prestigious Prometheus Awards sponsored by the Technology Association of Iowa. This award recognizes an innovation that supports educators and improves educational opportunities for students. It was presented by Judy Jeffrey, Director of the Iowa Department of Education, at a black tie event held at The Meadows in Altoona on April 6th. 550 members of the Iowa business and technology community were in attendance.
“I am fortunate to have started my business in Iowa,” Emily Starr, StarrMatica’s President and CEO, said during her acceptance speech. “As a classroom teacher, I had zero business experience, so the support and guidance I received from Ann Hutchinson at the Eastern Iowa Small Business Development Center was and still is crucial to StarrMatica’s success. And I am incredibly grateful to the wonderful Iowa and Illinois teachers and administrators who were willing to take a chance on a new and innovative technology product.”
StarrMatica Learning Systems is an education publishing company specializing in digital content for interactive whiteboards. StarrMatica helps K-6 elementary teachers utilize technology in the classroom to improve student learning via cutting edge online interactive learning tools and hands on professional development. StarrMatica has offices in Delmar, IA, and Clinton, IA, and is owned and operated by former Central-Clinton Schools fourth grade educator, Emily Starr. Emily left teaching in 2005 to focus on establishing StarrMatica as the leading interactive whiteboard content provider nationwide. Go to www.starrmatica.com or call 563-219-2111 for more information
TAI is a member-based, nonprofit organization accelerating the success of Iowa’s technology industry. TAI creates and sustains a positive environment for technology-based economic growth and job creation through innovation, advocacy, and leadership. TAI members include organizations of every size, involved in every aspect of technology creation, production, application and education in Iowa. Go to www.technologyiowa.org or call 515-280-7702 for more information.
AbleNet and MAXIMUS Announce Alliance To Provide Special Education Data Capture and Reporting Program to Nation’s School Districts; Seamless Integration of AbleNet’s Web-based IEP Data Collection, Analysis, and Management
ST. PAUL, Minn. & RESTON, Va.–(via BUSINESS WIRE)–AbleNet, Inc. and MAXIMUS, Inc. announced today an alliance to provide Flourish™, AbleNet’s special education data collection, analysis, and management software, with the MAXIMUS TIENET® special education management solution.
Together, these two products provide a powerful tool for school administrators to record, track and assess the performance of students in special education programs and meet Individual Education Program (IEP) requirements. The MAXIMUS TIENET software solution helps school districts manage their special education instruction, assessment, and intervention activities while meeting federal requirements. The AbleNet Flourish product enables educators to capture the ongoing essential IEP goal/objective data and conduct further analysis and integration to assess each student’s progress in meeting all IEP goals. This helps school administrators and educators track the progress of students in special education, and connect that progress to state education standards. In addition, this individual data can be placed in aggregate to view programmatic improvements and the effects of district wide initiatives in special education. Read the rest of this entry »
