October 2019

October brings its bright colors as the foliage changes from green, to yellow, to orange, and red as autumn sets in and leaves prepare to fall.

The bright orange pumpkins will soon illuminate doorsteps as they are carved into Jack-O-Lanterns in celebration of Halloween.

Nights begin to last longer yet the sun still has enough heat during the day that we must become aware of fire dangers.

Schools make preparations so students are ready to pursuit their own education as the last two months of the year (November and December) have a limited number of school days due to the upcoming seasonal holidays.

California reflects on the results of the California Assessment of Student Progress and Performance (CAASPP) as growth continues to be made yet much work remains to be done.


Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2019.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

Writing Clearly

Writing is perhaps the highest form of communication that humans have developed.

From the complex structure of computer languages, to the early remnants of hand imprints in caves, and the philosophical discussions in ancient Greece about public oratory vs. written record, writing has earned the top spot in many modern languages.

Writing is one of the last skills that English Learners master on their way to achieving language fluency and one of the first skills that are assessed in a student's progress.

It is a record that we create set to withstand the test of time.

It is written, proof read, edited, rewritten, and published as a final word.

It is open to challenge and criticism, to redaction and correction.

It is used as a source to inspire and create more writing.

It is poems, books, scrolls and scribbles that express thought and emotion.

Writing challenges the writer to conquer the dreaded writer's block.



Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2019.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

May 2018

May marks the final whole month of education.

It is time to assess what students across California have learned during the 2017-18 school year and wait for the results the CAASPP will reveal in the fall.

Local Education Agencies (LEA's) are also submitting the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) to their local County Office of Education for approval.

Students get ready for End-of-the-Year activities.
Seniors finalize their checklists as they prepare for graduation and start to get sized for caps and gowns; while Eighth and Fifth graders, in addition to Kindergartners, prepare for their promotion ceremonies.

Proud parents, friends, and relatives reflect on the passage of time as they see these kids, our students, take part in these rites of passage that mark their educational milestones.

So get ready to get a little nostalgic.  Let the melancholy flow through each one of us as we prepare to close the 2017-18 Academic School Year and make plans to give a big sendoff to the Class of 2018!  



Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2018.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

August 2017

Students get ready to head back to school.

Gone are June and July.

August now leads to a brand new school year.

Welcome back to the start of the 2017-18 school year!!!

To make things even more exciting, students will be fortunate enough to start school with a Solar Eclipse!

Right of the bat, educators are presented with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to start the school year.  A chance to reach across cultures and traditions from the beginnings of human civilization, and study every strand in STEAM, through this cosmic phenomena.

A way to reach out to the parents and family friends of students for involvement and participation in the educational process for this year.

California also awaits the release to the public of the 2017 CAASPP results.  The state's third year assessment should provide educators a clearer, more accurate view, of student progress and performance, as schools continue to work on preparing a leading workforce for the 21st century and beyond.

I want to take this opportunity to wish everyone: Students, Teachers, Parents, Principals, Support Staff, and all who make education a priority, an amazing and wonderful 2017-18 school year!

Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2017.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

2016 CAASPP Results

The results of the 2016 California Assessment of Student Progress and Performance (CAASPP) became available for the public to view on August 24th, 2016.  If you have not had a chance to view the results, I invite you to visit 2016 CAASPP Results and take a look for yourself.

As a whole, California students showed progress on both English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics (Math) state educational standards, with 49% of students performing at or above ELA standards and 37% of students performing at or above Math standards.  This is a 5% and 4% growth vs. last year results respectively.  Congratulations to all students, parents, teachers, educators, and stakeholders and educational leaders throughout California for a job well done! Let's keep the momentum going as we continue to settle in to the new school year.

The primary concern remains that more than 50% of students in California continue to perform below standard (51% ELA - 63% Math) so there is much work to be done and plenty of progress to be made as we continue to prepare students for both college and career.  The challenge remains to do our best so that students can meet and exceed the standards set so they may have the tools they need to succeed.



Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2016.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

August 2016

The 2016-17 School Year.Welcome Back!!!

It is that time of the year again.
It is time to get ready ... BECAUSE WE ARE GOING BACK TO SCHOOL!!!

MRCR Education is ready to get the 2016-17 academic school year ready.

The 2nd annual Better Together: California Teachers Summit was a great event to get things started, and to those who participated, our work will be #BetterTogether if we continue to collaborate with colleagues, students, parents, administrators, and all who care and want to be involved in #Education.

Soon, it will also be time to assess how California students performed in the CAASPP, and how much progress they achieved.

We hope that everyone is as exited as we are to begin this new school year, and we wish everyone a successful year.

Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2016.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

February 2016

February first is here, and we are halfway through the school year.

This always shortened month  brings with it a variety of holidays and activities like Presidents Day, Valentines Day, Lunar New Year, and African American history month.

This always shortened month, however, does have, as it does every four years, the added bonus of an extra day on leap years, as this year happens to be.  And on this first day of February, the selection process by which a US President is elected kicks off with the Iowa Caucus.  February is the last month of Winter.

For many educators, February can mean the start of a second semester.  A second chance to make improvements to education.  The second attempt at assessing the performance and progress of students across the state of California through the CAASPP.  A new opportunity to adjust and execute an educational path that can help us reach the end of 2015-16 with great growth and standard success.

Manuel R. CortezRodas
EDUCATOR

Copyright 2016.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

January 2016

Welcome Back Educators!

It is time to kick-off 2016.

Soon.  The class of 2016 will complete its educational journey, and become prepared to be promoted towards a higher level of achieveable education.

Soon.  Some time in the late spring.  The second year of CAASPP (California Assessment of Student Progress and Performance) will take place.  Care must be taken that California education and educators do their best to prepare students, do not become complacent or over-confident, and avoid a dreaded Sophomore slump.  Together, we should look forward towards continued growth and success in education for 2016.

MRCR Education continues its commitment to education particularly in the areas of EL's (English Learners), STEAM (Science-Technology-Engineering-Arts-Mathematics), and HAST (Humanities-Arts-Science-Technology)

Thank you to our blog visitors and @mrcreducation Twitter followers for your support.


Manuel R. CortezRodas - Chief Educator/Founder

Copyright 2016.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

2015 CAASPP Overview for English Learners

It takes time to develop skills such as speaking, reading, and writing in any language.  It follows that it would take additional time to develop and improve such skills in an additional language.  Such is the main challenge that English Learners face as they enroll in schools throughout California.  Without these, and many other skills, it can become difficult to continue the learning process, be sociable with one's piers, or even be prepared for higher education or the professional world.

Data from the 2015 California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) clearly demonstrates this challenge among English Learners (EL).  As a group, it is expected that their scores on English Language Arts (ELA) be below that of students whose home language is English.  This is why English Language Development (ELD) programs are carefully constructed to help EL's develop and improve language skills as they undergo this transition process.

English Learners are one of the groups with a large potential for growth in CAASPP scores as they gain the English language skills that will allow them to fully express their knowledge and ideas.  They must continue to receive such ELD services as they may require in order to succeed.  California educators should make helping EL's a priority as they will, in time, become fluent mainstream students.

Overview of 2015 CAASPP for EL's

Mathematics

• 11% of EL students in CA meet or exceed standards
• 24% of EL students in CA are near standards
• 65% of EL students in CA did NOT meet standards

English Language Arts

• 11% of EL students in CA meet or exceed standards
• 24% of EL students in CA are near standards
• 65% of EL students in CA did NOT meet standards

Manuel R. CortezRodas - Chief Educator/Founder

Copyright 2015.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

2015 CAASPP Overview for California

On Wednesday, September 9th, 2015, the California Department of Education released the results of a new assessment, CAASPP.  

The California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) is the new metric for student assessment and it measures a student's preparedness for college and careers.  

CAASPP is an assessment that students take online in the spring and is reflective of the Common Core State Standards, Next Generation Science Standards, College and Career Readiness, and many other areas that students should meet or exceed.  

This is the first measurement of the CAASPP.  It is the first step into the future of student assessment in California.  As California steps forward into the 21st century it should keep focus on growth, development, and closing the achievement gaps across all student groups.  

There is much work that needs to be done.  

Let's get to it! 


Overview of 2015 CAASPP

Mathematics

• 33% of CA students meet or exceed standards
• 29% of CA students near standards.
• 38% of CA students did NOT meet standards.

English Language Arts

• 44% of CA students meet or exceed standards.
• 25% of CA students are near standards.
• 31% of CA students did NOT meet standards.

Manuel R. CortezRodas - Chief Educator/Founder

Copyright 2015.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.