CAPE WILL PICK, CHOOSE ACADEMIC STANDARDS

Cape Girardeau public schools won't necessarily use all of the recently endorsed Show-Me Standards, provided they are approved by the State Board of Education next week.

"We will look at those individually and adopt or revise some," said Dr. Lanny Barnes, curriculum coordinator for the district's A+ Schools program.

Educators and lawmakers who make up the Commission on Performance, which is chaired by Gov. Mel Carnahan, endorsed the Show-Me Standards Tuesday. Despite the endorsement, local school boards can decide what subjects to teach and how to teach them.

The academic standards are based on what top educators think students should learn before graduation. But critics say the standards are rooted in outcomes-based education ideas.

Carnahan is opposed to using outcomes-based education in Missouri. He maintains the standards are not rooted in outcomes-based education ideas.

"The Show-Me Standards make it clear that teaching skills to our children should not come at the expense of learning facts," Carnahan said. "It should be obvious that simply requiring our students to recall separate bits and pieces of information is not good enough."

Carnahan's endorsement of the standards comes after critics "turned a spotlight on the true agenda, which has resulted in his turning away, and forced a rewrite," said state Sen. Peter Kinder, R-Cape Girardeau, who is opposed to outcomes-based education.

The standards were rewritten in April to make them clearer.

"It's a slightly better draft of standards, but is it a cosmetic makeover or true substantive rewrite and improvement?" Kinder asked.

Cape Girardeau schools eventually will adopt a set of standards more suitable to its needs and those of students, Barnes said. "We will identify what they need to know at each grade level," he said.

By the end of the year, Barnes hopes to form a committee of teachers and community members to study the academic standards of the school district.

The state standards are organized into four broad categories --gathering and analyzing information; communication; recognizing and solving problems; and making responsible decisions.

Some of the specific concepts, like checking student achievement in communication arts, fine arts, health and physical education, math, science and social studies are part of outcomes-based education, critics say.

Proponents of outcomes-based education have been slightly derailed in its implementation, Kinder said of the standards. "They're not substantially better in my opinion, and we await the unfolding of the rest of the agenda."

The Show-Me Standards will be considered by the State Board of Education Oct. 19. If approved by the board, the standards will be implemented in the 1996-97 school year.