The debate about how to address student cell phone usage in schools continues. There are some very strong opinions from multiple stakeholders - and the age of students bringing cell phones to schools keeps getting younger. The article below describes three different approaches, but the same goal remains. How do we create a healthy learning environment and healthy kids?

Notable Cell Phone Policies and Trends:

• Last year, Florida became the first state to crack down on phones in school. A law that took effect in July requires all Florida public schools to ban student cellphone use during class time and block access to social media on district Wi-Fi. Some districts, including Orange County Public Schools, went further and banned phones the entire school day.
• Oklahoma, Vermont and Kansas have also recently introduced what is becoming known as "phone-free schools" legislation.
• U.S. Senators Tom Cotton (Arkansas Republican) and Tim Kaine (Virginia Democrat) introduced legislation in December that would require a federal study on the effects of cellphone use in schools on students' mental health and academic performance. Theirs is one of several bipartisan alliances calling for stiffer rules for social media companies and greater online safety for kids.
• Nationally, 77% of U.S. schools say they prohibit cellphones at school for non-academic use, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. (This number is misleading. It does not mean students are following those bans or all those schools are enforcing them.)

Are you watching kids scroll through life, with their rapid-fire thumbs and a six-second attention span? Physician and filmmaker Delaney Ruston saw that with her own kids and learned that the average kid spends 6.5 hours a day looking at screens. She wondered about the impact of all this time and about the friction occurring in homes and schools around negotiating screen time—friction she knew all too well.

In SCREENAGERS, as with her award-winning documentaries on mental health, Delaney takes a deeply personal approach as she probes into the vulnerable corners of family life, including her own, to explore struggles over social media, video games, academics and internet addiction. Through poignant, and unexpectedly funny stories, along with surprising insights from authors, psychologists, and brain scientists, SCREENAGERS reveals how tech time impacts kids’ development and offers solutions on how adults can empower kids to best navigate the digital world and find balance.

Education Lane will occasionally include a poll to gauge opinions and information from educators about current topics in education. This information helps to guide us as we strive to provide schools with resources that are pertinent and helpful.

ISBE announced the following changes for Spring 2025 High School Testing:

• 9th grade students will take the preACT Secure 9 instead of PSAT 9
• 10th grade students will take preACT Secure 10 instead of PSAT10
• 11th grade students will take the ACT instead of the SAT

Here are some fast facts with a more thorough FAQ from ISBE attached below:

• The ACT will be digital with the same accommodations that the SAT included
• Many Illinois students will already be familiar with the ACT’s online testing platform, TestNav, as it is the same system used for the online administration of the Illinois Assessment of Readiness, Illinois’ accountability assessment for Grades 3–8
  
• ACT will offer full length practice tests free of charge
• 11th grade students will no longer take an additional science test since the ACT has a science component included in the test
• The state' has a 6 year contract with ACT. 2030 will result in bids for assessment testing to be re-evaluated
• All 11th grade students will be required to take the ACT during schoolwide administration even if they have previously taken the test. (There is an exception for less than 1% of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities who take the Dynamic Learning Maps Assessment)
• Districts can still choose to administer the NMSQT in the fall for National Merit Eligibility . Some students may elect to take the SAT on their own for specific college requirements.
• Illinois currently has the fourth most restrictive definition for proficiency in the nation. It is harder for a student to be considered proficient in Illinois than practically anywhere else. The result is that our current cut scores mislabel many students who actually are on track for college and career as “not proficient,” sending the wrong message to students and families. ISBE has begun assembling experts and stakeholders to a standard-setting process in summer 2025. ISBE will publish spring 2025 assessment data using new proficiency benchmarks on the October 2025 Illinois Report Card. You can follow along with the process and participate in public comment opportunities on the ISBE Every Student Succeeds Act webpage.
  

In FY24, Education Lane provided many schools with information on transitioning to the Digital SAT. Moving forward, Education Lane has a presentation to assist with the transition to Digital ACT and the suite of ACT assessments. To check availability or attend a session near you, please email cweber@educationlane.net.

Edutopia's popular series of short videos that break down effective classroom practices for every grade level in literally one minute—all in one place. How’s that for a quick win?

How helpful would it be to have links to all of our assessment and ISBE related websites in one place? You can find links to the following websites and resources at the link below:

• Illinois Science Assessment
• Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
• Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC)
• Financial Aid Grants and Scholarships
• College Illinois: 529 Prepaid Tuition Application
• ISBE grants and information
• School Safety Information
• Educator Licensure Information System (ELIS)
• ISBE School Report Cards

The articles below explore the influence of generative AI on education. Two researchers, Punya Mishra and Marie K. Heath posed the question “What does it mean for learners to trade off the zone of proximal development for ease of access to the creation of knowledge? What if in our pursuit of reducing the time it takes to do things, we’ve forgotten to consider the value of the experience we gain in the time it takes to do them?"

In a 2023 interview, professional basketball player Caitlin Clark shared about where her confidence stems from. “The time I put in in the gym, the hours working on my game, it just kind of builds my confidence up.” Is Clark different if she somehow magically and quickly knows how to shoot? Is the patina of her experience as valuable as she thinks and moves on the court?

(An excerpt from the article linked below.)