Tennessee's new tougher tests and higher benchmarks took a toll on student achievement scores, but the results weren't as grim as education officials feared they might be.

Classrooms began using tougher curricula in the 2009-2010 school year, and the state passed more education reform legislation in January 2010 to compete in the Race to the Top grant program. Through that program, Tennessee received a half-billion dollars to improve schools.

To read the full article by Julie Hubbard, visit The Tennessean website.

Parents of children with learning disabilities need up-to-date information on how their state is serving students with disabilities. To help provide this critical information, the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) has just released newly updated Special Education Scorecards for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The scorecards present key information on a variety of special education topics for each state, including: enrollment, federal funding, performance, and ratings

To view the scorecards, visit the NCLD website.

The Center on Education Policy (CEP) has released a new report, States’ Progress and Challenges in Implementing Common Core Standards, on states’ progress and plans for implementing the voluntary K-12 common core state learning standards.

As more states sign onto common core standards in English language arts and math, CEP identifies the major changes these states plan to make, including changes to assessments, curriculum materials, professional development, and teacher evaluations. CEP surveyed state deputy superintendents from 42 states and the District of Columbia.

To view the new report, visit CEP's website.

Should parents know how well their children’s teachers score on effectiveness scales?

Using its federal Race to the Top grant, Georgia will start grading teachers in part on how much “value” they have added to a student’s learning, based on progress reflected in test scores.

“For teacher effectiveness measure, 50% will be based on the academic growth of students,” said Erin Hames, chief of staff at the Georgia Department of Education and the coordinator of the state’s Race to the Top efforts. But while parents will be able get the average teacher effectiveness scores for a school, they will not be privy to individual job ratings, says Hames.

Read more in this opinion piece by Maureen Downey in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution online.

The National Education Association (NEA) announced that it is creating a national, independent commission to study the teaching profession and to make recommendations on maximizing teacher and teaching effectiveness. The new Commission on Effective Teachers and Teaching (CETT) will use the wisdom and experience of 21 accomplished teachers (supported by researchers, policymakers, and academicians) who will examine the policies and practices governing the teaching profession and craft a new teacher-centered vision of teaching and the teaching profession. The panel will be chaired by Madaline “Maddie” Fennel, 2007 Nebraska Teacher of the Year and fourth-grade teacher from Omaha, Nebraska. For more information about CETT, visit the NEA website.