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If you are working your way through an education degree, you may realize more than others how much we struggle with the issue of literacy in America. Happily, the Internet provides more and more ways in which teachers can help children become lifelong readers; reading is the foundation for virtually every career one might choose to do.

One of the newer tools that aims to improve students’ reading skills will help libraries, schools, and other organizations evaluate how well their literacy programs are working. The FREE tool, provided by Thinkfinity Literacy Network, is the Verizon Literacy Program Self Assessment Tool (VLP-SAT).

“We believe this self-assessment tool can play a tremendous role in improving literacy rates,” Darling said. “It provides a roadmap with more scope and depth than any other tool currently available.”

This free, online tool provides individuals with a detailed questionnaire asking about a literacy program’s methods, parental involvement, the education level of students, and current methods being used to assess the success of the program.

The literacy provider is then given a “grade” of 1 to 5 in several different areas. The grades are indicative of whether or not an organization is using the research-based, proven methods that will help them achieve the best results possible.

If an organization scores a “3” or below in a particular area, the online tool gives them a list of resources created and recommended by education and literacy experts.

On the Thinkfinity website, browsers of the internet can explore the more than 55,000 research- and standards-based educational resources, which include free K-12 lesson plans, program assessment tools, teaching and learning tools, online courses, abundant research that highlights the importance of literacy development, and more.

Program staff will ideally use this tool as a benchmark in evaluating current practices of literacy organizations and schools and to find resources to improve various key areas.

Kathy Brown, senior vice president of public policy and corporate responsibility for Verizon has said that Verizon has a strong interest in providing philanthropy dollars “to help leverage… [individuals’] assets and skills and to start some sort of measurement…”

I think we’re off and running; online tools will only improve and enhance our literacy programs henceforth…

Scores for the TExES and ExCET tests – the exams teachers in the state of Texas are obligated to take – were released yesterday, March 1, 2010.

The State Board of Educator Certification (SBEC) requires teachers in Texas to take the TExES and ExCET tests as a means to ensure that individuals who have chosen teaching as a career are up to date with current methods and standards.

Minimum standards for passing the required tests were established with input from Texas educator committees and the SBEC. For both the TExES and ExCET exams, a minimum passing score is representative of the minimum competency level an entry-level teacher must possess and be able to demonstrate.

The TExES test scores are reported within a range of 100-300 points; 240 is a minimum passing score.

The test score range for the ExCET test is in the range of 0-100, with 70 being the minimum to receive a passing score.

Each of the tests is scored by evaluating the answers teachers provide; questions left unanswered do not count against the scores.

Score reports for the TExES and ExCET tests are available to Texas teachers via their ETS testing account. Individuals who have taken the tests are provided information about their passing status as well as other performance information and an explanation on how to read the report.

Teachers’ scores are automatically added to their certification files and are made available to TEA and to EPP, if applicable.

This Texas-required teacher-certification testing is a great tool for ensuring teachers are keeping up with practices that will allow students to receive the best public educations possible.

ACT Scores

Students planning to begin college in the fall of 2010 are understandably concerned right now about how they did - or will do - on the ACT; while colleges and universities, of course, look at a combination of factors when considering someone for admission, standardized test scores are key. Using scores on the SAT and ACT give admissions officers an easy tool to compare potential students.

In addition, schools realize that their ACT data is public, so they must depend on high numbers to keep their reputations intact. No one will consider a university “elite” or “highly selective” if they admit students whose average composite ACT scores are too low.

That leaves the students asking: What is a good ACT score? Each of four categories – English Language, Reading, Science, and Mathematics – receives a score between 1, being the lowest, and 36, being the highest. The four scores are then averaged together to generate a “composite score,” which is what most colleges and universities look at. An average composite score is around 20; in other words, 50% of test-takers have a score of less than 20.

The students who score a perfect 36 are few and far between – anyone scoring a 34 or 35 will fall in the top 1% of test-takers in the U.S. A score in the high twenties would be considered excellent and would likely earn a student the opportunity to interview with some of the more prestigious universities.

There are two more dates on which you can take the ACT test this year: April 10 and June 12. The registration deadline for the April test is March 5, 2010; for the June test, the deadline is May 7, 2010.