The California Board of Education has voted unanimously to suspend the Academic Performance Index for the 2014-15 school year as the state works to develop a more comprehensive accountability system based on multiple measures.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced the move on Wednesday. [...]
Congratulations are in order for the talented young scientists, inventors and engineers selected to participate in the Student Technology Showcase at the CUE 2015 Annual Conference, which is the largest and oldest education technology conference in the state.
This year’s showcase will again feature the best curriculum-aligned student technology projects from across California. Here are the representative Orange County teams [...]
It's Friday, March 6, and we've got a weekly roundup of Orange County-related education stories you may have missed.
Click through for links to recent articles about OC schools.
To study history you have to become a detective.
Historians, like detectives, ask questions, analyze evidence for clues and apply investigative skills to reconstruct history.
Over 450 students from 32 schools and 11 districts accepted the challenge to be history detectives for the annual National History Day-Orange County competition. [...]
How can teachers address conflicts and behavioral issues in a manner that re-engages students -- and keeps them in the classroom?
That’s a question that has stirred plenty of discussion among educators. But the use of restorative practices is one potential answer that’s been gaining momentum in Orange County. [...]
“Foreordained” – meaning to dispose or appoint in advance – was the final word that officially clinched the title of Orange County Spelling Bee champion for 12-year-old Sarika Rau, a seventh-grade student from Sierra Vista Middle School in the Irvine Unified School District.
After four hours and 18 rounds of intense competition on Saturday, Rau walked away with a large trophy and a copy of Webster’s Third New International Dictionary. She also earned a bid to compete in the 88th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee, which will take place in Washington, D.C. in May. [...]
The Orange County Department of Education has announced the top classified school employees for 2015.
Established in 2008 by the California Department of Education, the Classified School Employees of the Year program annually highlights the contributions of employees who have performed exceptionally in support of public school students, from preschool through grade 12. Classified workers with a minimum of five years of service are eligible for the recognition, whether they serve at traditional schools, charter schools, district offices or county offices of education. […]
Local prevention organizations are joining forces to raise awareness about the dangers of underage drinking by staging a “Reality Party for Parents” in Lake Forest this Saturday.
Teen actors from the Santiago de Compostela Church Youth Ministry’s Friday Night Live chapter plan to portray typical party scenes exposing the perils of underage alcohol consumption, as well as the culture of binge-drinking. Participants will also voice concerns about adults who host drinking parties for minors. [...]
Working through a program called Friday Night Live, some enterprising students from Orange County are taking it upon themselves to promote traffic safety and prevent underage drinking.
And now they’re about to get a little extra help -- in the form of a $17,500 grant from the California Friday Night Live Partnership. […]
Marking a first in the 47-year history of the Orange County Academic Decathlon, five O.C. schools have been selected to advance to next month’s state decathlon in Sacramento.
Cheers rang out in a packed Orange Coast College auditorium on Feb. 17 night as perennial powerhouse Westminster High was named the overall team winner with 50,981.8 points. Along with a special plaque, individual medals and local bragging rights, the school will receive a $4,000 travel stipend from the Orange County Academic Decathlon Association, which joined OCDE in announcing this year’s winners. [...]
