Page 5 - Deb Mccarthy News Today

Nearly 20 education and business leaders are calling on the attorney general not to certify as ballot eligible an initiative petition removing the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) exam as a high school graduation requirement.

Attorney General Andrea Campbell has until Sept. 6 to certify the question, which seeks to remove the MCAS as a high school graduation requirement.

BOSTON — Saying it improperly mixes two unrelated topics, nearly 20 education and business leaders are calling on the attorney general not to certify as ballot eligible an initiative petition

Detroits Wayne State University is gearing up to establish an institute on brain health, thanks to a $20 million donation. The Ben L. Silberstein Institute for Brain Health will find its home within Wayne State Universitys Integrative Biosciences Center, under the leadership of Dr. ...

As the waters recede from the biggest storm to hit southern California in decades, lawmakers in Sacramento are considering a bill Wednesday to make schools more resilient. Senate Bill 394 would require the California Energy Commission to create a statewide plan to help school districts integrate climate resilience and sustainability into their master plans. Andra Yeghoian, chief innovation officer at the nonprofit TenStrands, which supports the bill. ...

Parents and educators in Massachusetts are joining forces to end the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) high school graduation requirement. Theyre combining two ballot initiatives, which would require the state to replace the standardized exam with local certification of academic success to earn a degree. Lexington public high school parent Shelley Scruggs said it would also work retroactively to ensure those denied their diploma for failing the test can attain one. ...

The new school year is approaching and schools in Oregon are using data to figure out what students need to feel like they belong. The organization YouthTruth conducts surveys of students to understand more about their experiences in school. With help from the Coalition of Oregon School Administrators, the group analyzed survey responses from more than 68,000 Oregon students from the last two school years. ...

Attempts to ban books in libraries are increasing across the country, but a small group of residents in one Washington County are going even further. They want to completely close the local library. Voters in rural parts of the Columbia County Rural Library District will decide this November whether to close the Dayton Memorial Library. ...

The ballot measure would remove the standardized test as a graduation requirement, but would not eliminate it altogether.

The board of the Massachusetts Teacher Association voted unanimously to back a ballot question eliminating the state's MCAS exam graduation requirement on Sunday, kicking off the next step in the prominent campaign.