As state education officials weigh whether to fully embrace a new assessment program reflecting the national Common Core curriculum, preliminary data released Monday shows students taking the new test appeared less likely to hit or exceed grade-level standards.
Advocates for the PARCC exam, offered by some Massachusetts schools this year as part of a two-year trial, said the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's statewide test results support their belief that PARCC is a more accurate measure of a student's capability to succeed in college or a career than the existing MCAS test.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A federal judge overseeing a trial over control of the nation's oldest synagogue and ceremonial bells worth $7.4 million said on Friday there is no "smoking gun" in the battle between the congregation that worships at the 250-year-old Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, and the nation's first Jewish congregation, in New York.
U.S. District Judge John McConnell made the comments during closing arguments in the lawsuits the congregations brought against each other. The two sides have argued bitterly about the smallest details, each claiming it owns the bells and disagreeing over what rights and responsibilities each has regarding the synagogue itself.
