Iowa House backs move to give state more control over curriculum
7:42 AM
Posted: Tuesday, April 15, 2008
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Iowa would adopt a basic curriculum for public and private schools under a measure overwhelmingly approved Monday by the House.
The bill now heads to the Senate, which has approved a similar version. The measure will then likely be sent to Gov. Chet Culver, who has been a strong supporter of the plan.
Iowa has long left curriculum standards to local school districts, but those calling for a change said the state needed to update its system in the face of an increasingly complex global economy. The new rules would replace current voluntary guidelines.
"We are the only state that doesn't have any statewide measurements," said Rep. Cindy Winckler, D-Davenport, the main backer of the measure.
The House approved the measure on a 97-3 vote, sending it back to the Senate where supporters said they were confident that minor differences could be worked out in the closing days of the legislative session.
Lawmakers and state education officials have wrestled for years with the notion of adopting curriculum requirements. The guidelines approved Monday included high school requirements of at least four years of English and language arts, three years of math, three years of science and three years of social studies. State education officials could add to that curriculum by requiring courses on topics such as financial literacy.
Although the plan also cover middle-school and elementary students, those guidelines would only be advisory.
School districts that didn't meet the curriculum guidelines would risk losing state accreditation.
There has been more disagreement about whether the new standards should apply to private as well as public schools. Some conservatives sought to exempt private schools, arguing those they should be free to design their own curriculum.
Rep. Dwayne Alons, R-Hull, said such a requirement would blur the distinction between public and private schools.
"Are we going in the direction where there won't be any more nonpublic schools?" Alons asked.
Others rejected that argument, noting that most private school advocates have sought to obtain state accreditation to demonstrate the quality of their schools.
The Iowa Catholic conference also supports the shift, and 75 percent of the private school students in the state attend Catholic institutions, said Rep. Mary Mascher, D-Iowa City.
While private schools don't get direct payments from the state, they do receive state dollars to aid in buying textbooks and transporting students, and parents get a tax break for private school tuition.
Private schools have long had the option of rejecting the state regulation and giving up the money, but most have routinely decided to take the money.
"If you are going to take the money you ought to be willing to abide by the model core curriculum," said Mascher. "The tail should not be wagging the dog."
Under the measure, schools would have to offer the core curriculum beginning in 2010. A series of measurement and assessment requirements would go on the books in the following years.
The bill now heads to the Senate, which has approved a similar version. The measure will then likely be sent to Gov. Chet Culver, who has been a strong supporter of the plan.
Iowa has long left curriculum standards to local school districts, but those calling for a change said the state needed to update its system in the face of an increasingly complex global economy. The new rules would replace current voluntary guidelines.
"We are the only state that doesn't have any statewide measurements," said Rep. Cindy Winckler, D-Davenport, the main backer of the measure.
The House approved the measure on a 97-3 vote, sending it back to the Senate where supporters said they were confident that minor differences could be worked out in the closing days of the legislative session.
Lawmakers and state education officials have wrestled for years with the notion of adopting curriculum requirements. The guidelines approved Monday included high school requirements of at least four years of English and language arts, three years of math, three years of science and three years of social studies. State education officials could add to that curriculum by requiring courses on topics such as financial literacy.
Although the plan also cover middle-school and elementary students, those guidelines would only be advisory.
School districts that didn't meet the curriculum guidelines would risk losing state accreditation.
There has been more disagreement about whether the new standards should apply to private as well as public schools. Some conservatives sought to exempt private schools, arguing those they should be free to design their own curriculum.
Rep. Dwayne Alons, R-Hull, said such a requirement would blur the distinction between public and private schools.
"Are we going in the direction where there won't be any more nonpublic schools?" Alons asked.
Others rejected that argument, noting that most private school advocates have sought to obtain state accreditation to demonstrate the quality of their schools.
The Iowa Catholic conference also supports the shift, and 75 percent of the private school students in the state attend Catholic institutions, said Rep. Mary Mascher, D-Iowa City.
While private schools don't get direct payments from the state, they do receive state dollars to aid in buying textbooks and transporting students, and parents get a tax break for private school tuition.
Private schools have long had the option of rejecting the state regulation and giving up the money, but most have routinely decided to take the money.
"If you are going to take the money you ought to be willing to abide by the model core curriculum," said Mascher. "The tail should not be wagging the dog."
Under the measure, schools would have to offer the core curriculum beginning in 2010. A series of measurement and assessment requirements would go on the books in the following years.
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rural_living wrote on Apr 15, 2008 12:41 PM: