Alternate-Route Teacher Certification Programs Enrolling More STEM Candidates. Education Week (8/19, Sawchuk) reported that alternative-route teacher program officials across the U.S. “say they are seeing increasing enrollments from career-changers with strong backgrounds in the highly sought-after fields of math, science, and technology.” Yet the “extent to which school district officials are primed to take advantage” of larger talent pools in STEM fields “depends on those officials’ ability to negotiate the factors affecting the teacher labor market,” say experts “familiar with hiring practices.” Education Week notes that although many states have alternate STEM teacher certification programs, the tightening labor market for teachers means some well-qualified candidates will not find jobs.

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In the Classroom
Classes Post 100 Percent Proficiency On California Algebra I Exams. The Sacramento Bee (8/19, Lambert) reported that each “of the 118 seventh- and eighth-graders in Mark Freathy and Mary Chung’s classes at Elizabeth Pinkerton Middle School in Elk Grove was rated advanced or proficient in Algebra I, according to California Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) scores released Tuesday.” Principal Patrick McDougall said this is the first time in his career that he had ever seen 100 percent of any teacher’s students meet standards.

National Center for Science Education Grades States’ Evolution Standards. Education Week (subscription only) (8/12, Zehr) reported, “State science standards tend to cover evolution more extensively and better than they did nearly a decade ago, but at the same time, ‘creationist language’ has become more common in them, concludes a review of the standards in all 50 states and the District of Columbia” by the National Center for Science Education. The report gives “nine states and the District of Columbia…an A for their treatment of evolution.” Meanwhile, the study gave five states “a failing grade for their coverage of evolution.” Anton Mates, a public-information project director for the science education, said, “It’s better if [students] get the information [about evolution].” Francis Eberle, the executive director of the National Science Teachers Association, said that “his organization is in favor of states adopting common national science standards” that include evolution.

In the Classroom
Philadelphia District Test Scores Show Mixed Progress. The Philadelphia Inquirer (8/12, Graham) reported that for the seventh consecutive year, Philadelphia students “improved their scores on state reading and math tests.” Yet, data from the Philadelphia School District show fewer than half of district students “can read at grade level, and only slightly more can perform math at grade level.” In 2008-09, 52 percent of district students “made the grade in math, up 3 percentage points from last year.” Also, 48 percent of students “hit the mark in reading, up 2 percentage points.” If Philadelphia students continue their current progress, “it would take until 2123 for all students to reach proficiency,” yet, under NCLB mandates, all students “must pass state reading and math tests by 2014.”

North Carolina District To Allow Peace Activist To Compete With Military Recruiters.