Serendipity35

Here's an unusual story concerning standardized testing. Some concerned parents in New York have drawn up a bill of about $38 million to Pearson LLC for using their children as uncompensated research subjects in field tests of their commercial product development process.

They came up with the amount by calculating the value of their children’s free labor and included the opportunity costs of lost instructional time and resources, plus the real costs to schools of administering the June tests.

The invoice was shown at a press conference on June 6. It was also noted that at they were aware of at least 37 New York City schools that  had parents opt their children out of the tests and 30+ schools on Long Island saw test refusals. 

more info at http://ednotesonline.blogspot.ca/2013/06/reposted-with-invoice-parents-present.html

The Saylor.org Summer School project allows students to potentially pick up credit through one of their partner schools or many others that are willing to take a look at NCCRS-recommended exams. On the Saylor blog, I saw that:

...the CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies [is] helping to spread the word and reminding folks how our summer school courses can be used as electives or to fulfill certain core requirements. How can this news help you? We know you probably don’t attend CUNY. So how does this apply to you? Well, maybe as a source of motivation: why not take one of our courses and see what your Registrar’s Office is willing to do for you in terms of credit? Ask some questions, pitch the idea, give it a whirl! If you or your school has questions, we at the Saylor Foundation are just a phone call or email away.

FREE WEBINAR:  A Toolkit to Rethink Planning and Designing a Next Generation Learning School Model

Thursday, June 13, 2013, 3:00-4:00 PM ET 

Speaker: Dave Edwards, Quality Assurance Director, iNACOL

Are you a forward-thinking educator interested in starting an innovative K-12 next generation learning program or moving your current program to the next level? If you are, you have probably been looking for that resource to help you start the planning and designing process. Well, look no further. In this iNACOL Special Edition Webinar, participants will be introduced to RETHINK: Planning and Designing for K-12 Next Generation Learning, a toolkit created
by Next Generation Learning Challenges (NGLC) and iNACOL to guide district, charter, and school leaders as they conceptualize, design, and develop a next generation model school. This toolkit can help you and your team understand next generation learning and the need for change; gain a working knowledge of the planning and change management processes; plan and design a framework for next generation learning; and understand how to ensure quality and continuous improvement for your design. This flexible and dynamic resource offers links to existing communities who are currently planning for and/or implementing next generation learning. It also offers an overview of critical topics, each of which includes an introduction, a set of guiding questions, and resources and tools centered on the topic that you and your team will need to tackle while planning and designing your program. So, what are you waiting for? Join in the webinar to learn more and give your students the powerful learning opportunities they’ve been waiting for!

Register

NextGenU.org describes itself as "the world's first portal where anyone, anywhere in the world can access university and graduate-level courses for interest or for credit through recognized accredited institutions and organizations. The credit (or interest) is the important word in this new site.

At this point, they concentrate the courses, certificates, residencies primarily in the health sciences.

They work in collaboration with experts and professional organizations for quality assurance and endorsement, and use cutting-edge educational innovations, including computer-based learning resources, local and web-based peer-to-peer interaction, and mentoring experiences.

NextGenU.org is your portal to the world’s first free, accredited, higher education. Starting with a focus in the health sciences, NextGenU.org partners with leading universities, professional societies, and government organizations like the U.S. CDC, Grand Challenges Canada, and the World Health Organization. NextGenU.org’s accredited partners give learners credit for this training (or institutions can adopt them and use them with their students), all for the first time ever for free (and without advertisements). All our courses are competency-based, and include a global peer community of practice, and local skills-oriented mentorships. Founded in 2001, we launched our first full course (Emergency Medicine) in March 2012, and have students registered in over 80 countries: initial data show that NextGenU’s training performs comparably to traditional American medical schooling. Please come learn more about us or have a look at our available courses.