You are receiving this email newsletter because you are a subscriber of Education Slice (formerly Principal News) or you signed up for our email newsletter on our site.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) loosened its COVID guidelines for isolation and testing in schools on Thursday. The CDC lifted previous recommendations that students quarantine if exposed to someone positive for the virus. The new guidance also drops recommendations that schools limit students’ contacts by cohorting them in groups during the day. And it said that schools should no longer conduct routine COVID testing for asymptomatic or unexposed students, suggesting schools consider doing that only in response to an outbreak, high community risk or a high-risk event at the school, like a prom or a large sports event. The new guidance ends last year’s “test-to-stay” recommendation that schools could test exposed students for the virus as a way to avoid quarantine, as well as its guidance that unvaccinated people or those not up to date on their vaccines quarantine after exposure. The agency’s general masking guidance for schools remains unchanged, recommending a mask in medium-level community risk areas for only immunocompromised or high-risk individuals or those with high-risk close contacts.

 

CNN

U.S. Department of Education

Politico

Build Strong Decoders | The Science of Reading in Practice

Research tells us how children best learn to read, but what does this actually look like in classroom practice? In a new webinar Dr. Julia B. Lindsey, an expert in early literacy development, curriculum, and instruction, and author of Reading Above the Fray, will share teacher-approved “essential instructional swaps” backed by the science of reading that educators can implement right away to help students become proficient readers. Dr. Lindsey will demonstrate these efficient and effective decoding routines that can be implemented in 15 minutes or less!

Watch the Recording

 

Only 48% of 5th graders passed the state's science standards exam, based on a score of 3 or higher. The Florida Department of Education considers that “satisfactory—may need additional support for the next grade/course.” Just 23% of the 5th graders were considered proficient or higher, with scores of 4 or 5. That means some 5th graders struggling in science are headed into middle schools, where science courses can get harder. Overall, 211,739 5th graders took the exam in 2022, covering questions about the nature of science, earth and space science, physical science and life science. Between 2012 to 2019, state science results for 5th graders ranged from 51 to 55%, depending on the school year. Then the pandemic hit, statewide testing in 2019-20 was canceled, and there was no data for 2020. In three districts, only 23, 26 and 27% of 5th graders earned passing scores. The top district was Nassau, in northeast Florida, where 70% of the 5th graders passed the state science exam.

 

Florida Phoenix

In a new nationally representative survey, one in four teachers said they were told by school or district leaders to limit their classroom conversations about political and social issues. The survey, released on Wednesday by the RAND Corporation, found that nearly one in three said they’d gotten those orders while working in a state with an official restriction on teaching about racism, sexism, or other contentious topics. However, even teachers in states without official policies also felt the pressure, with one in five told to limit their classrooms discussions. The survey is based on responses from nearly 2,400 K-12 teachers earlier this year, when 14 states had laws or official policies limiting how schools can teach about race, racism, or other forms of bias. Since then, three more states have added similar restrictions, and others are still considering them. The survey found that teachers of color who worked mostly with other teachers of color or with students of color were less likely to say they’d been told to limit their classroom conversations, suggesting their schools and the families they serve are more supportive of classroom conversations about race, racism, and bias, the researchers wrote.

 

Chalkbeat

Broward voters are to decide whether they want to increase their property taxes for the next four years to finance raises for teachers, hire more school security staff and bolster mental health programs in Broward public schools. The district is seeking to raise about $227m annually over the next four years, with about $177m slated for traditional Broward public schools and $45m for charter schools. The bulk of the funds (75%) would go toward raises for teachers and other eligible staffers. Up to 17% would be allocated for safety personnel and the remaining portion (about 8%) for mental health professionals. Early voting begins August 13 and runs through August 21. Broward is not the only school district asking voters to pay more this year for teacher compensation and school safety. The Miami-Dade school district will ask voters in November to extend its 2018 referendum that is set to expire in June. Miami is seeking to raise about $400m for teacher salaries and school safety. Other Florida school districts, including those in Palm Beach, Hillsborough and Martin counties, have also put referendums on the ballot for either August or November.

 

The Miami Herald

Flagler County is working to remedy complications after experiencing issues with a new app rollout this week. The new School Café app replaced a 25-year-old system to manage student lunch accounts but led to some long lines at lunch and some parents complaining that their kids didn’t have time to eat. Flagler County Schools’ Director of Food and Nutrition says the hang-up had to do with barcodes. "The barcodes that we used in our previous system read barcodes a certain way. We thought that was going to happen with the new system, and it doesn’t. That’s the short answer," laments Angie Bush.

 

Fox 35 Orlando

The majority of public high schools in U.S. News' 2022 Best High Schools rankings are traditional public schools, where students are assigned to their local school by district. However, the top 50 schools in the rankings look decidedly different, analysis shows. Most offer more advanced courses and either have selective enrollment – with requirements often including a minimum GPA, teacher recommendations and an entrance exam – or a lottery system. Half of the schools listed in the top 50 are either charter or magnet schools, according to data reported by state agencies to the National Center for Education Statistics, which was used in the rankings. And of the remaining 25, all but one of the high schools have selective admissions. Only 10.8% of all ranked schools are charter schools and 5.2% are magnet; among the top 50 schools, 14% are charter and 36% magnet. Meanwhile, the other half of the top 50 schools are considered traditional public schools (meaning they are not charter, magnet or private), although most have competitive admissions. All but one of these schools require an entrance exam, certain standardized test scores, a minimum GPA and/or teacher recommendations for admission.

 

US News and World Report

Volusia County Schools are still preparing for students to return to class on Monday and safety is top of mind. A meeting was held this with school officials and law enforcement to lay out their emergency plans for the new school year. The superintendent and school board members said every school will have at least one resource officer, along with a law enforcement radio to better communicate in case of emergency. Officers will also have access to all school cameras.

 

Fox 35 Orlando

More than four of every 10 educators said at least one teacher in their district has been physically assaulted or attacked by a student in the past year, a new EdWeek Research Center survey found. In addition, 10% of educators said they personally have been physically assaulted or attacked by a student, according to the survey of 1,042 district leaders, principals, and teachers conducted between July 27 through August 8, with principals the most likely to say have been targeted. Some educators suggest the rise in student misbehavior could be associated with challenges related to returning to in-person learning after extended periods of remote or hybrid instruction. Many educators who took the survey lamented that there are students who don’t know how to interact with other people in the classroom setting. “We had the worst year in terms of behavior and outbursts from students and parents we have ever had,” said a middle school principal in Michigan who took the survey. “It was a year of emotional outbursts that we weren’t prepared for.”

 

Education Week