"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Inclusion of "Deeper Learning" Competencies Varies in State Waiver Applications, New Alliance Report Finds: Report Argues That Students Need Deeper Learning Skills to Graduate from High School Ready for College and a Career; (2) Nation's Report Card: Average Eighth-Grade Science Score Increases; Achievement Gaps Narrow, But Large Gaps Remain; (3) "Mapping a Personalized Learning Journey": New Report Links Students' Interest in STEM to Technology in Classroom; and (4) "Preparing All Teachers to Meet the Needs of English Language Learners": New Report Identifies Promising Practices With ELL Students That General Education Teachers Can Employ. (Contains 1 footnote.)