Common Core

Districts Uncertain How To Prepare For Common Core Technology Needs.

Education Week (10/17, Davis) reports, "School districts are raising concerns about their ability to be technologically ready to give Common Core State Standards assessments to students online in two years. Administrators say they remain uncertain about the types of devices to buy, the bandwidth they need, and the funding available for technology improvements." The piece notes that observations indicate that districts are facing confusion and "anxiety" over how to prepare for the Common Core from a technological standpoint.

Experts Offer Advice On Common Core Technology Security Issues.

Education Week (10/17, Bock) reports on concerns about the security of digital tests associated with the Common Core Standards, and presents a number of solutions to various technology issues presented by "educational technology experts." Issues include bandwidth limits, out-of-date software, security risks associates with hackers, and software that can detect student cheating.

New York Officials Express Need For Funds To Implement Common Core.

Gotham Schools (10/17, Cromidas, Cramer) reports that New York City Deputy Chancellor Shael Polakow-Suransky has said in a written statement that "the city and other school districts desperately need additional funding if they are to raise academic standards," and that "even though the city has done more to integrate new learning standards known as the Common Core than other districts and states, it cannot adequately train staff or buy the materials it needs with the resources it currently has." Polakow-Suransky issued his call to Gov. Andrew Cuomo's education reform commission, the article reports.