This week in education news, West Virginia hasn’t externally tested whether the SAT test’s “Analysis in Science” section actually measures what students are learning in their science classrooms; New Teacher Center unveils new coaching standards; teachers face barriers to using data in the classroom, including a lack of time and training to put data to work for students; and national teachers group confront climate denial.

WV Hasn’t Externally Tested SAT’s Alignment To State’s Science Standards

The West Virginia Department of Education hasn’t yet had an external, independent study done of whether the SAT test’s “Analysis in Science” section actually measures what Mountain State students are learning in their science classrooms. The department, nevertheless, plans to report SAT science scores to the federal government, at least for last school year. Read the article featured in the Charleston Gazette-Mail.

New Teacher Center Releases Instructional Coaching Standards

The Santa Cruz, California-based New Teacher Center has released standards for instructional coaching programs and practices that are intended to improve teacher effectiveness, support teacher leadership, and create more equitable learning experiences for students. Read the brief featured in Education DIVE.

Climate Change Is Not Up For Debate. Why Do So Many Teachers Act Like It Is?

Is it hot enough for you? Five of the hottest years on record have occurred in the last eight years. It’s not just temperature. This summer, the Mendocino Complex Fire became the largest in recorded California history. From simple increases in temperatures to complex feedback effects on ocean currents, weather patterns, and hydrological cycles, the consequences of human-driven climate change are no longer distant theoretical threats, but the subject of near-daily headline news. And yet far too many students are still not learning about this urgent problem in their science classrooms. Read the commentary featured in Education Week.

Survey: More Than Half Of Teachers Say They Don’t Have Enough Time To Dig Into Data

More than 90% of teachers report using data — test scores, graduation and absenteeism rates, and behavior in the classroom — to understand how their students are progressing, according to the Data Quality Campaign’s (DQC) first-ever survey of teachers’ views on data. But the results, released Wednesday, also show that more than half of the 762 K-12 teachers responding — 57% — say they don’t have enough time during the school day to dig into students’ data, and more than 40% placed most of the responsibility for creating time to work with data on principals and district leaders. Read the brief featured in Education DIVE.

National Teachers Group Confronts Climate Denial: Keep The Politics Out Of Science Class

In response to what it sees as increasing efforts to undermine the teaching of climate science, the nation’s largest science teachers association took the unusual step Thursday of issuing a formal position statement in support of climate science education. Read the article featured on Inside Climate News.

Teach Like It’s Summer School All Year Long

Middle school teachers in southern Wisconsin’s Janesville School District spent the summer giving kids opportunities to learn while doing. They gave them real-world problems to solve, they sent them outside to explore, they prioritized hands-on projects. In this modern summer school, where more students enroll for the enrichment opportunities than to make up credits, teachers have a greater incentive to make learning fun. Read the article featured in The Hechinger Report.

I Work 3 Jobs And Donate Blood Plasma to Pay the Bills. This Is What It’s Like to Be a Teacher in America

Hope Brown can make $60 donating plasma from her blood cells twice in one week, and a little more if she sells some of her clothes at a consignment store. It’s usually just enough to cover an electric bill or a car payment. This financial juggling is now a part of her everyday life—something she never expected almost two decades ago when she earned a master’s degree in secondary education and became a high school history teacher. Brown often works from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. at her school in Versailles, Ky., then goes to a second job manning the metal detectors and wrangling rowdy guests at Lexington’s Rupp Arena. With her husband, she also runs a historical tour company for extra money. Read the article featured in TIME.

Stay tuned for next week’s top education news stories.

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