Legislature considers state mandated curriculum for local schools
Posted: Wednesday, February 27, 2008
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- A bill that would for the first time require school districts to follow a state mandated curriculum was headed for debate in the Senate on Tuesday.
The bill represents a major turnaround from the long-held state policy that allowed local school boards to control the curriculum taught in their schools.
It requires public school districts and state accredited nonpublic schools to adopt a core curriculum before the start of the 2010-2011 school year for ninth through 12th grade and by the 2014-2015 school year for kindergarten through eighth grades.
The bill prohibits the state from requiring that school districts adopt specific textbooks or textbook series to meet the core curriculum standards.
It also requires the state education department to determine ways to measure whether districts have successfully implemented the core curriculum and report to the Legislature by Nov. 14, 2008.
Lobbyists for the Iowa Department of Education, Iowa Association of School Boards and The Iowa State Education Association, a teacher's union, registered in favor of the bill.
"It's an important piece of what it takes to improve instruction," said Margaret Buckton, lobbyist for the school board association. "There will still be district choices about what textbooks to offer. It's not like we all have to be on page 7 in the textbook on Tuesday."
Last year, lawmakers approved voluntary state standards in core subjects including English, math and science. The bill under Senate consideration takes the standards further with mandates and a time frame for implementation.
Buckton said the bill has the support of many in education because it is not so specific that it takes control away from teachers.
"We believe we need to have local control at the classroom level and the instructional level where it really matters," she said.
Samona Yentes, president of the Iowa Association of Christian Schools, said her group opposes the bill because private schools do not want the state to micromanage the curriculum.
"Our concern is in the details and whether or not the Department of Education would actually come in and micromanage the types of things we are teaching in the schools," said Yentes, who also serves as development director for Des Moines Christian School.
The bill passed out of the Senate Education Committee 9-6 last week with the Democrats and one Republican -- Sen. Dave Mulder, of Sioux Center, a retired college professor -- voting to move it to the Senate floor.
He said Iowa was the last state without statewide standards and it was apparent it was falling in its ranking of student achievement.
He said the bill, along with higher teacher pay, improved preschool education and other changes could help improve the state's standing.
The bill carries an estimated annual cost to the Department of Education of about $2.6 million from 2009 through 2015 to hire staff and implement the curriculum.
Gov. Chet Culver said in a statement that he favors the bill.
"I support mandating the core curriculum for all schools because it adds detail, rigor and relevance that will make our statewide content standards work," he said. "It also ensures that all of Iowa's students, regardless of where they live, are getting the education we know they need."
On the Net: Iowa Legislature: http://www.legis.state.ia.us
Iowa Department of Education Core Curriculum page: http://www.iowa.gov/educate/content/view/674/714/
The bill represents a major turnaround from the long-held state policy that allowed local school boards to control the curriculum taught in their schools.
It requires public school districts and state accredited nonpublic schools to adopt a core curriculum before the start of the 2010-2011 school year for ninth through 12th grade and by the 2014-2015 school year for kindergarten through eighth grades.
The bill prohibits the state from requiring that school districts adopt specific textbooks or textbook series to meet the core curriculum standards.
It also requires the state education department to determine ways to measure whether districts have successfully implemented the core curriculum and report to the Legislature by Nov. 14, 2008.
Lobbyists for the Iowa Department of Education, Iowa Association of School Boards and The Iowa State Education Association, a teacher's union, registered in favor of the bill.
"It's an important piece of what it takes to improve instruction," said Margaret Buckton, lobbyist for the school board association. "There will still be district choices about what textbooks to offer. It's not like we all have to be on page 7 in the textbook on Tuesday."
Last year, lawmakers approved voluntary state standards in core subjects including English, math and science. The bill under Senate consideration takes the standards further with mandates and a time frame for implementation.
Buckton said the bill has the support of many in education because it is not so specific that it takes control away from teachers.
"We believe we need to have local control at the classroom level and the instructional level where it really matters," she said.
Samona Yentes, president of the Iowa Association of Christian Schools, said her group opposes the bill because private schools do not want the state to micromanage the curriculum.
"Our concern is in the details and whether or not the Department of Education would actually come in and micromanage the types of things we are teaching in the schools," said Yentes, who also serves as development director for Des Moines Christian School.
The bill passed out of the Senate Education Committee 9-6 last week with the Democrats and one Republican -- Sen. Dave Mulder, of Sioux Center, a retired college professor -- voting to move it to the Senate floor.
He said Iowa was the last state without statewide standards and it was apparent it was falling in its ranking of student achievement.
He said the bill, along with higher teacher pay, improved preschool education and other changes could help improve the state's standing.
The bill carries an estimated annual cost to the Department of Education of about $2.6 million from 2009 through 2015 to hire staff and implement the curriculum.
Gov. Chet Culver said in a statement that he favors the bill.
"I support mandating the core curriculum for all schools because it adds detail, rigor and relevance that will make our statewide content standards work," he said. "It also ensures that all of Iowa's students, regardless of where they live, are getting the education we know they need."
On the Net: Iowa Legislature: http://www.legis.state.ia.us
Iowa Department of Education Core Curriculum page: http://www.iowa.gov/educate/content/view/674/714/
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LynnB wrote on Feb 27, 2008 8:47 AM: