Archive for the ‘College and Career Ready Students’ Category

Recently, a new education reform Bill was introduced by the Wisconsin education legislative chairs, Representative Kestell and Senator Olsen and is based on the work of the Read to Lead, Educator Effectiveness, and Accountability Task force work which took place during 2011.

The major elements of the bill include:

• Establishing a Read to Lead Development Council
• Identifying struggling reading and ensuring teachers are prepared to serve those students
• Creating a fair evaluation system for teachers and principals
• Aligning legislation with elements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Waiver

Governor Walker and Superintendent Evers released announcements on the progress made with the proposed legislation.

Over the last year Great Lakes West supported DPI in all three task forces by facilitating the task force meetings and bringing experts to the table. Great Lakes West congratulates Wisconsin on creating a collaborative process which led to high quality recommendations, and will continue to work with Wisconsin DPI as it transforms education in the state.

Resources to support the new Illinois Learning Standards online tool are now more convenient and accessible. The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has been working to help districts plan for and transition to the new Illinois Learning Standards. With support from the Great Lakes West Comprehensive Center, ISBE created an online tool for regional offices of education (ROEs) and districts to use in their planning. The planning tool is intended to help districts think through important questions as they transition to the new, more rigorous standards. In October, Great Lakes West provided several introductory webinars on the online tool to ROEs.

Access to the online tool and resources from the webinar, including an archive and the PowerPoint presentation, are now available on the new Great Lakes West Illinois Standards Web page. In addition to the online tool and resources related to the webinar, there are links to general Illinois standards, Common Core State Standards-related resources such as the ISBE Illinois Learning Standards Web page, and other Great Lakes West resources.

Online tool access is currently being limited to ROE coaches and district-level staff. If you are interested in what your district or region is doing to utilize the online tool, contact Great Lakes West for information on your district or region.