Caledonia Argus

Parents, teachers should review revised standards

Posted: 4/8/03

by Don Heinzman, editorial contributor for ECM Publishers, Inc.

Parents and teachers still will have some time to react to a set of revised standards on math and language arts that will determine what students must learn in Minnesota to comply with the Federal No Child Left Behind law.

The Department of Children Families and Learning, using a committee of select educators and parents, had prepared the first draft of these standards which have come under fire as having been developed hastily to take the place of the Profiles of Learning that Republicans are determined to scrap.

The profiles are under siege because critics contend they are unworkable and loaded with paper work. They are doomed.

The new standards are on a fast track to be approved by the Minnesota Legislature this session and incorporated into the curriculum this fall.

New Minnesota Education Commissioner Cheri Pierson Yecke, selected an 80-member committee from 2,000 applicants who wrote the standards. These were developed by grade levels and subject matter, using outside respected education groups. When adopted, these standards will be in compliance with the No Child Left Behind Legislation that requires grade-level standards and tests for those standards.

Commissioner Yecke and her staff conducted a series of 13 meetings all over the state and was bombarded by critics who claimed the standards are not well coordinated and in some cases may be too difficult for specific grade levels. This is particularly true in standards for 6-8 grade mathematics.

Anyone can read the revised standards by visiting http://cfl.state.mn.us after April 15. At the same time, they can read the comments about these standards. Already, Commissioner Yecke has received 500 e-mails about the first draft of the standards.

As a result of of criticism and many suggestions, the commissioner wisely changed her timeline before going to the Legislature. In the meantime, the standards are being re-written by writing teams. They take into account particularly the content proposed for grades 6-8 and the standards proposed for grades K-2.

Passing the standards in the Legislature will not be easy, particularly in the Senate where Sen. Steve Kelley, DFL-Hopkins, has a bill based on a set of rules to improve the Profiles of Learning. Commissioner Yecke claims the public no longer supports the profiles and she isnít interested in merely tweaking them.

Supporters of Kelleyís approach say his is a more reasoned approach based on profiles already embedded in the system and would not be such a radical change.

Commissioner Yecke is adamant on one point. This is not an attempt by the state to dictate how the standards should be taught. How the standards are taught will be left up to the local school districts.

The bottom line is that the Profiles of Learning will be dumped in this session of the Legislature. The Republican majority in the House and Governor Tim Pawlenty oppose them

New standards will replace the profiles. If parents are concerned about what their children will be expected to learn they should view the revised standards on the CFL Web site April 15. From now on, parents and teachers who oppose the revised standards, will have to react to their individual legislators on this important matter.

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