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10-18-16 Education in the News

Star Ledger--N.J. has country's 2nd-best high school graduation rate

TRENTON — New Jersey high schools posted the second-best four-year graduation rate in America in 2014-15, according to new data released by the White House.  

The 89.7 percent graduation rate for New Jersey students was topped only by Iowa, which saw 90.8 percent of its students graduate from high school within four years of starting ninth grade.  

High school graduation rates are difficult to compare because each state has different requirements for graduating from high school. New Jersey is in the minority of states that require students to pass exit exams in math and English before they can graduate. 

Regardless, New Jersey's graduation rate consistently ranks among the highest in the nation and has increased by 6 percentage points since 2010-11. 

"We are proud to be national leaders in graduating high school students," acting state Education Commissioner Kimberley Harrington said. "It is a testament to the hard work of our school communities."

Graduation rates are also climbing nationwide. The country's 83.2 percent graduation rate in 2014-15 was the highest since the 2010-2011 school year, the first year all states began calculating their graduation rate in the same way. 

http://www.nj.com/education/2016/10/nj_has_americas_second-best_high_school_graduation.html

Adam Clark | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com | October 17, 2016 at 12:45 PM, updated October 17, 2016 at 6:59 PM

 

The Record--Bills to rein in college costs clears N.J. Senate committee

A package of 10 bills aimed at making higher education more affordable cleared the Senate Higher Education Committee on Monday.

The bills were recommended by a study commission last month called by Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester. The commission was charged with finding ways to address tuition and fees in New Jersey that average more than $13,000, making them among the highest in the nation.

Several of the bills would shift the traditional timelines for degrees in higher education.

For example, a bill dubbed the 3-Plus-1 program would allow students to obtain a degree after completing three years at a community college and one year at a four-year college instead of the more traditional plan of attending two years at community college.

http://www.northjersey.com/news/bills-to-rein-in-college-costs-clears-n-j-senate-committee-1.1678660

By JOHN C. ENSSLIN|STATE HOUSE BUREAU | The Record

 

Education Week--Level of Benefits at Issue in Special Ed. Case

Case could yield landmark ruling

Just how much benefit must a student receive through special education to meet the goals of the key federal law?

Four decades after the passage of what was to become the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the U.S. Supreme Court plans to take up that question in Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District.

Experts in special education law say the court's decision could mean as much to educators as the landmark case Rowley v. Hendrick Hudson Central School District, which in 1982 defined the central question of special education law: What is a "free, appropriate public education?"

Endrew F. "potentially will be as important as Rowley to shape what we do in special education for years to come," said Antonis Katsiyannis, the president of the Council for Exceptional Children and a professor at Clemson University with a focus on special education law. "[It's] very exciting to have the Supreme Court addressing the meaning of [free, appropriate education] again."

'Meaningful' vs. 'Some'

In Rowley, the Supreme Court said that the IDEA requires instruction that is "reasonably calculated to enable the child to receive educational benefit." The court intentionally declined to say just how much benefit would be adequate. "[C]ourts must be careful to avoid imposing their view of preferable educational methods upon the states," Chief Justice William Rehnquist wrote for the six-justice majority.

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2016/10/12/level-of-benefits-at-issue-in-special.html

Christina A. Samuels|October 11, 2016