Commentary; Posted: 4/9/03

New standards will replace Profile of Learning

Don Heinzman

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 ìNo Child Left Behindî 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 Minnesota Academic 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 2000 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.

The federal act was passed and signed into law by President Bush in 2001. It is designed for partial implementation in the 2003-2004 school year and for full implementation in the 2004-2005 school year.

Commissioner Yecke and her staff conducted a series of 13 meetings all over the state. They were 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 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 proposal 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 Profile of Learning will be dumped in this session of the Legislature. The Republican majority in the House and Gov. 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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