ACADEMIC STANDARDS GET PUBLIC HEARING

Missourians on Thursday will have a chance to tell state education officials what they think of a list of skills the education department says Missouri students should learn.

Seven public hearings will be held Thursday across Missouri to gather comments from the public about the Show-Me Standards, a set of 73 academic objectives from six subject areas. The academic performance standards are required under the Outstanding Schools Act of 1993.

In Southeast Missouri, a meeting will be held in Poplar Bluff. All of the meetings are scheduled from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

"The public hearings will not be debates or question-and-answer sessions," said Orlo Shroyer, assistant commissioner of the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. "Each hearing will be a formal process designed to allow people to state their views."

The State Board of Education is expected to adopt the standards at its Jan. 18-19 meeting.

The proposed academic standards are intended to clarify what Missouri students should know and be able to do by the time they graduate from high school.

The standards, crafted by consultants and educators, are supposed to check knowledge and performance in math, science, fine arts and health-physical education.

Critics say the standards are vague, subjective and impossible to test and reflect low expectations of students.

For example, one goal says students "will demonstrate within and integrate across all content areas the ability to analyze the duties and responsibilities of individuals in societies."

But how is that tested? Critics label the standards as outcome-based education, which places more importance on how a student feels than what a student learns.

Critics also question if education officials really want public comment, based on the time of the meetings. Most people, including educators, will have to take time off work to attend.

At the hearings, a court reporter will record each speaker's remarks. A transcript of the hearings will be given to the eight members of the State Board of Education before their January meeting.

Speakers are asked to limit comments to three minutes. Those with longer statements may submit remarks in writing.

Dr. Richard Bollwerk, Cape Girardeau acting superintendent, will attend the meeting, looking for clarification about the standards and testing, which is the next step of the process.

This is a second draft for the academic guidelines. The State Board of Education rejected a draft earlier this year, saying the standards were too vague.

The substantially rewritten version under consideration now is still drawing criticism.

"The new edition is a little more clear, but how do we adapt our curriculum to meet these standards?" Bollwerk said. "It's still a little vague to us."

He also wonders about the next step in the reform process -- a new way to test students. In reform lingo, testing is called performance assessment.

Traditionally, tests are objective with right and wrong answers. Performance assessments are more subjective; students perform tasks and projects to demonstrate what they know.

Bollwerk, who has supervised testing in Cape Girardeau, would like to see what the state has in mind for the performance assessments. Education department officials said the tests would be ready this year, but when the standards were sent back to the drawing board, the tests were put on hold.

"People have not had enough time to go from objective type of tests that we are real familiar with to basing students' progress on performance activities," he said.

Even professional educators have questions about how to grade these activities and how to test large groups of students.

Although Scott City schools are sending a representative to the meeting Thursday, the school will not likely comment on the proposed Show-Me Standards. Jackson schools aren't sending anyone to the meeting.

Standards at a glance

Where to get a copy of the Show-Me Standards:

The local public school district has copies in the offices of the superintendent or the principal.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has put the proposed standards on its home page on the World Wide Web. The Internet address: http://services.dese.state.mo.us/standards/.

Requests for faxed copies should be directed to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in Jefferson City at 314-751-3469.

Local chambers of commerce have been sent copies by the Missouri Chamber of Commerce.

Copies will be available to the public during public hearings to be held Thursday night at seven locations around Missouri.

source: The Associated Press