Current Events
NCTE Convention, November 20-23, 2008 in San Antonio
Join thousands of K–12 classroom teachers, college faculty, administrators, and other educational professionals, as they gather to hear award-winning speakers, attend idea-packed sessions, share best practices, and test the latest teaching materials at NCTE’s 98th Annual Convention in San Antonio!
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Early Registration Rates (before Oct. 24):
Member - $210
Nonmember - $275
Student member - $90
Student nonmember - $100
First Freedom Student Competition, 2008-2009
The Council for America's First Freedom announces the 16th annual First Freedom Student Competition. This national essay contest offers 9th - 12th grade students an opportunity to compete for a $3,000, $1,500 and $750 award, as they examine the First Amendment and the history and relevance of religious freedom in America and the world today. For details, registration, a student flyer and classroom poster, visit: www.firstfreedom.org.
Leila Christenbury to receive NCTE Distinguished Service Award, June 13, 2008
Established in 1950 as the W. Wilbur Hatfield Award, renamed the Distinguished Service Award in 1969, the award is presented at the November NCTE Annual Convention (announced at the Opening Celebration on Thursday and formally presented at the Board of Directors meeting on Friday). A complete list of past recipients may be found on the web at http://www.ncte.org/about/awards/council/ec/106846.htm.
President-Elect Kylene Beers and her 2008 NCTE Distinguished Service Award Subcommittee, consisting of Carol Jago, Susi Long, and Jude Okpala have selected:
Leila Christenbury
Professor, English Education, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond
Read excerpts from the letter of nomination for Christenbury
The Fate of The Sentence: Is the Writing On the Wall? Washington Post, June 15, 2008
By Linton Weeks
The demise of orderly writing: signs everywhere.
One recent report, young Americans don't write well.
In a survey, Internet language -- abbreviated wds, :) and txt msging -- seeping into academic writing.
But above all, what really scares a lot of scholars: the impending death of the English sentence.
New Study: Kids Age 5-17 Believe Technology Will Supplement -- Not Replace -- Book Reading and Say They Will Always Want to Read Books Printed on Paper, CNN June 11
Tweens and Teens Who Participate in Online Activities Are More Likely to Read Books for Fun Daily
A new study released today finds that 75% of kids age 5-17 agree with the statement, "No matter what I can do online, I'll always want to read books printed on paper," and 62% of kids surveyed say they prefer to read books printed on paper rather than on a computer or a handheld device. The Kids & Family Reading Report(TM), a national survey of children age 5-17 and their parents, also found that kids who go online to extend the reading experience -- by going to book or author websites or connecting with other readers -- are more likely to read books for fun every day.
Has Modern Life Killed the Semicolon? Slate, June 20, 2008
When the Times of London reported in 1837 on two University of Paris law profs dueling with swords, the dispute wasn't over the fine points of the Napoleonic Code. It was over the point-virgule: the semicolon. "The one who contended that the passage in question ought to be concluded by a semicolon was wounded in the arm," noted the Times. "His adversary maintained that it should be a colon."
French passions over the semicolon are running high once again. An April Fool's hoax this year by the online publication Rue89 claimed that the Nicolas Sarkozy government planned to demand "at least three semicolons per page in official administrative documents."
From bad to verse: Vandals get classroom penance, Yahoo News, June 2, 2008
MIDDLEBURY, Vt. - Call it poetic justice: More than two dozen young people who broke into Robert Frost's former home for a beer party and trashed the place are being required to take classes in his poetry as part of their punishment.
Virginia Earns a Perfect Score for Academic Standards from the American Federation of Teachers
May 30, 2008
Virginia was the only state to receive a perfect score for academic standards from the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) in the union’s Sizing Up Standards 2008 report. The AFT evaluated Virginia’s nationally recognized Standards of Learning (SOL) and the academic standards of other states for clarity, specificity and content. The report by the nation’s second-largest teachers union cited Virginia as the only state in the nation to meet the AFT’s criteria for strong standards in English, mathematics, science and history at all grade levels and in all subject areas.
Schools Spelling Out New Strategies to Boost Word Skills, USA Today May 23, 2008
NCTE member Sandra Wilde says that in general, students of today read more and are, therefore, better spellers than their parents, but schools could improve the way they teach spelling.
At some schools, failure goes from zero to 50, USA Today, May 18, 2008
In most math problems, zero would never be confused with 50, but a handful of schools nationwide have set off an emotional academic debate by giving minimum scores of 50 for students who fail.
2 Colleges End Entrance Exam Requirement, New York Times, May 27, 2008
The number of colleges and universities that no longer require students to take the SAT or ACT for admission is growing as the schools become concerned about the validity of standardized testing.
Schools and School Divisions Recognized for Raising Achievement of Economically Disadvantaged Students,
VDOE April 30, 2008
Thirteen public school divisions and 118 schools are being honored by the Virginia Board of Education for raising the academic achievement of economically disadvantaged students. The awards are based on student achievement on state assessments during 2006-2007 and the previous school year.
Two Virginia poets share prize--Virginia Tech's Bob Hicok, U.Va.'s Charles Wright will get awards [April 28] in D.C.
A pair of Virginia poets will share the 2008 Rebekah Johnson Bobbitt National Prize for Poetry.
Bob Hicok, an assistant professor of English at Virginia Tech, and Charles Wright, the Souder Family Professor of English at the University of Virginia, will receive the award and read selections of their work Monday in Washington at the Library of Congress. The program, which will take place at the James Madison Building, is free and open to the public.
White House announces new reforms for No Child Left Behind
Education Secretary Margaret Spellings announced that among the proposed changes being made to the No Child Left Behind law is a new requirement that by the 2012-13 school year, all states would have to calculate their graduation rates in a uniform way.
Scribbling Women Project
The Scribbling Women Project dramatizes short stories by American women writers for broadcast on public radio and for presentation on their educational website (www.scribblingwomen.org). The site also features related curriculum and lesson plans. The project plans to focus on the work of Virginia writer, Mary Lee Settle, in the near future.
Virginia Eighth Graders Score Higher than Nation in Writing
For Immediate Release Contact: Charles Pyle
April 3, 2008 Director of Communications
(804) 371-2420
Julie C. Grimes
Communications Manager
(804) 225-2775
Virginia students outperformed students nationwide on the 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) writing test. The commonwealth’s eighth graders achieved an average score of 157, three points higher than the national average of 154. Virginia students scored significantly higher than students in 20 other states. Test takers in only seven states achieved significantly higher average scores.
While Virginia students outperformed their peers nationwide in writing for a third consecutive time, their average score was unchanged from 2002, and there was little change in proficiency levels. Ninety percent of Virginia students demonstrated at least basic writing skills on the 2007 test, and 31 percent met or exceeded the rigorous NAEP standard for full proficiency.
“Young people who communicate clearly and effectively stand out – especially in this era of text messaging and electronic chatter,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Billy K. Cannaday Jr. “While Virginia’s public schools produce some of the nation’s strongest writers, we must do more to equip students with the communications skills they need to compete in the global economy of the 21st century.”
Grade-8 NAEP Writing 1998-2007: Average Scores
| 1998 | 2002 | 2007 | |
| Virginia | 153 | 157 | 157 |
| Nation | 148 | 152 | 154 |
Grade-8 NAEP Writing: 2007 Proficiency Levels
| Below Basic | At or above Basic | At or above Proficient | Advanced | |
| Virginia | 10% | 90% | 31% | 1% |
| Nation | 13% | 87% | 31% | 2% |
The NAEP is the only nationally representative assessment of what American students know and can do in various subject areas. The writing assessment measures students’ narrative, informative and persuasive writing skills. Each student performs two of the 17 writing tasks included in the assessment and has 25 minutes to complete each task. Writing skills are categorized as “Below Basic,” “Basic,” “Proficient” or “Advanced.”
The 2007 writing assessment included samples of eighth graders representative of the nation and each of the 45 participating states. The eighth-grade sample for Virginia included 2,631 students in 108 schools.
In addition, a nationwide sample of twelfth graders was tested as part of the 2007 NAEP writing assessment. The average score of the nation’s seniors rose five points to 153, compared with 2002’s average of 148. State-level results are not reported for grade 12.
African-American eighth graders in Virginia achieved an average score of 142, compared with the national average of 140. Eighty-four percent of black students in the commonwealth demonstrated at least basic proficiency in writing, and 14 percent performed at the proficient level or better.
Grade-8 NAEP Writing 1998-2007: Average Scores--African-American Students
| 1998 | 2002 | 2007 | |
| Virginia | 140 | 140 | 142 |
| Nation | 130 | 134 | 140 |
Grade-8 NAEP Writing: 2007 Proficiency Levels--African-American Students
| Below Basic | At or above Basic | At or above Proficient | Advanced | |
| Virginia | 16% | 84% | 14% | <1% |
| Nation | 20% | 80% | 15% | <1% |
Hispanic students achieved an average score of 145 compared with the national average of 141. Eighty-two percent of Hispanic students tested at the basic level or better, and 18 percent performed at the proficient level or above. While the average score of Hispanic students in Virginia has declined since 1998, the changes are not considered significant because of the small numbers of students assessed.
Grade-8 NAEP Writing 1998-2007: Average Scores--Hispanic Students
| 1998 | 2002 | 2007 | |
| Virginia | 151 | 146 | 145 |
| Nation | 130 | 135 | 141 |
Grade-8 NAEP Writing: 2007 Proficiency Levels--Hispanic Students
| Below Basic | At or above Basic | At or above Proficient | Advanced | |
| Virginia | 18% | 82% | 18% | <1% |
| Nation | 21% | 79% | 17% | <1% |
Writing assessments in grades 5, 8 and 11 have been part of Virginia’s accountability program since Standards of Learning (SOL) testing began in 1998. Since then, the average score of Virginia eighth graders on the NAEP writing test has risen by a statistically significant four points. The NAEP standard for proficiency denotes competency over challenging subject matter. In contrast, passing scores on Virginia Standards of Learning tests and similar tests in other states are set to represent a minimum level of acceptable achievement for accountability purposes.
University of Virginia piloting adolescent reading attitudes survey, April 2008
The University of Virginia is currently piloting an adolescent reading attitudes survey in the state of Virginia. They are hoping to find middle and high school teachers who are willing to administer the survey to their students.
Middle and high school English teachers are needed to help uncover adolescent readers' attitudes about reading. Willing teachers will be asked to administer a 10 minute survey to their students and to fill out a brief cover sheet for the surveys. All participants' names and contact information will be kept confidential, and a prepaid, self-addressed envelope will be provided to return the completed surveys.
As a thank you for participating in the study, teachers will receive a brief report of their students' responses. Please email Dr. Michael McKenna, at adolescentreadingattitudes@virginia.edu if you are interested in participating.
State board, teachers clash on English curriculum, Star-Telegram, Mar 22, 2008
The group of teachers whose revisions to the state's [Texas] public school curriculum for English and language arts were rejected now objects to the standards that the State Board of Education is scheduled to vote on next week.
Members of the group said they oppose the inclusion of a reading list or suggested titles within the curriculum. They also disagree with the organization of the curriculum, also called the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, particularly the instruction of grammar in its own section.
To see articles posted over the last 12 months, go to Current Events Archives.