The December 2017 Beacon has Arrived!

Main Article - PED's STEM-Ready Standards

CESE is pleased to announce the publication of the latest Beacon, for December 2017. Edited by Becky Reiss, the new Beacon includes a President’s Message (Jesse Johnson), Editor’s Message (Rebecca Reiss), Next-generation Science Standards Versus New Mexico STEM Ready Standards. The Whole Story? (CESE), A Toon by Thomas, and Notes From The Trenches: Why we Lose Teachers (Lisa Durkin).

Here are some teasers from President Jesse Johnson's introductory article.

I am asking for an answer to a deeper philosophical question than just the wording of math and science standards and I think an earnest discussion regarding this needs to take place. What do we want for our students at the end of their public education? It is a seemingly simple question that is difficult to answer, and I do not believe that we have answered it. If we cannot answer the question of what the end game is, how can we expect to realistically evaluate our teachers, students and schools? Test scores alone do not account the effects of demographics, and leads good teachers in schools populated by impoverished minorities getting poor evaluations. ... If we cannot answer this basic question of what our students should get out of the school system, then we have lost our way. - Jesse Johnson

The Main article, "Next-Generation Science Standards Versus New Mexico STEM Ready Standards: The Whole Story?" 

Lisa Durkin's article

is a detailed account of the PED STEM-Ready Standards showdown. It includes the following sections:

• NM Science Standards: A History
• The Next Generation Science Standards: A History
• PED’S “NM STEM-Ready Science Standards”
• October 16, 2017: The Showdown
• The Aftermath

What is that Ruszkowski up to now?

This issue's "Toon by Thomas" also involves the Standards debacle.

You can catch up on past issues of the Beacon here.