In schools across Idaho, it’s SBAC season
This week’s K-12 headlines:
SBAC season, Round 3. It’s spring, and that means it’s time for Idaho students to take the SBAC, the online exam named for the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium that created it. The exam tests students against the Idaho Core Standards in math and English language arts. School officials say the testing process is going smoothly, but some officials remain concerned that their students have to spend about seven hours taking the exam. https://www.idahoednews.org/news/sbac-update-districts-report-fewer-glitches-long-test-days/
An attendance and funding rollercoaster. In Idaho Falls, kindergarten enrollment dropped significantly this year — perhaps because couples were skittish about starting families or having another child during the midst of the Great Recession. These volatile student numbers aren’t just an idle curiosity to school leaders. State funding hangs in the balance. https://www.idahoednews.org/news/caldwell-completes-past-due-audit-waits-9-million-withheld-funds/
An interview with Maria Eskelen Garcia. The president of the National Education Association was in Boise last week to speak at the Idaho Education Association’s annual meeting. The union leader is optimistic that the new federal education law will restore power to state and local educators, but she worries about the Trump administration’s proposal to push education dollars into private and charter schools. “We’ve got four years to protect and defend our vulnerable students.” https://www.idahoednews.org/news/union-head-sees-promise-essa-problems-trump-budget/
Inside an immersion program. In Boise’s Whittier Elementary School, nearly 250 students learn social studies, math, science, the arts — and a second language. They spend alternating days learning in English and Spanish. The popular program has a waiting list, and after passing a bond issue in March, the Boise district has plans for expansion. https://www.idahoednews.org/features/elementary-kids-learn-math-science-history-art-two-languages/
Supreme Court weighs in on fee case. In 2012, Russell Joki had hoped to sue a laundry list of state officials, saying student fees violate Idaho’s constitutional mandate for a free, common system of public education. A district judge sided with Joki on the constitutional question — but only after significantly narrowing the scope of the case and removing state officials from the fray. The state Supreme Court has upheld the lower court’s decision to narrow the scope of the case. https://www.idahoednews.org/news/supreme-court-upholds-procedural-decision-student-fee-case/
Kevin Richert is a reporter and blogger with Idaho Education News (idahoednews.org.) Idaho Education News is an independent news site focused on K-12 policy and politics, funded by the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation. Richert has worked in the Idaho news media since 1985, as a reporter, editor and columnist.
