GOVERNOR'S STATEMENT ON STANDARDS

In one of the original landmark statements on American education, Thomas Jefferson argued for the necessity of statewide standards in a system of free public schooling. I am proud to note the similarities between Mr. Jefferson's vision and Missouri's proposed Show-Me Standards for Academic Success.

It seems clear to me that educational standards are a very old idea whose adoption is long past due.

Just like our Show-Me Standards, Jefferson's standards recognized that knowledge plus performance equals academic success.

The Show-Me Standards make it clear that teaching skills to our children should not come at the expense of learning facts. Our students should learn not just about the methods or processes used to analyze a scientific problem or historical event; they need to finish high school with a solid foundation of substantive knowledge in science and history.

At the same time, especially in the Show-Me State, it should be obvious that simply requiring our students to recall separate bits and pieces of information is not good enough. Success in adult life and work requires more than quiz-show knowledge. Thus a good Missouri rule of thumb is: If you can't show it by applying it, you really haven't learned it very well.

The application of content, the performance of knowledge -- that's what these Show-Me Standards are designed to accomplish.

The Show-Me Standards neither require nor advocate a particular curriculum, teaching method or educational philosophy. These decisions rightly remain a matter of local control.

I see the Show-Me Standards as being an essential part of a "Basics Plus" reform of our education system. The acquisition of knowledge and the learning of skills are the "basics." Their combination -- the performance of knowledge, the application of content -- is the "plus" that builds upon and goes beyond the basics.

I believe that "Basics Plus" is what an overwhelmingly majority of Missouri's parents want and what our children deserve. But everyone knows that it won't be enough just to send out these standards in some official code book from Jefferson City. There needs to be an all-out push from people throughout Missouri in support of a "Basics Plus" approach to academic success for our students.

Our work on standards -- and the larger Outstanding Schools Act legislation from which it springs -- flatly rejects an educational-mandate path. We are neither requiring nor advocating a particular curriculum, teaching method or educational philosophy. These decisions rightly remain a matter of local control.

It is my strong personal belief that the informed support of parents, teachers and the local community in general is a crucial ingredient for the success of any curriculum or teaching method. A number of feasible alternatives may succeed if they have community support. But not even the supposedly "best" one in the eyes of experts will succeed without the acceptance of the community. Thus as governor I am going to make certain that all our efforts at education improvement respect this rule of local control.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary of Education understands that its role is to provide only guidance and advice to local districts on curriculum and teaching matters. The purpose of the assessment tests that the department will be designing is to further the goal of parent empowerment: they will tell parents how well local schools are doing in raising student performance to the level of the Show-Me Standards.

I want the department to recognize and highlight the educational approach of any and all districts that show significant progress towards meeting the Show-Me Standards. These best local practices can then become models copy if other districts so choose.

Our reliance on a diversity of best local practices should put to rest the big-scare assertion circulating about the Show-Me Standards. This big scare is that the standards are part of a scheme to impose what has become known as Outcome Based Education, or OBE, philosophy on Missouri school districts.

As I have already stated, we have flatly rejected the idea of imposing any top-down scheme of teaching method or educational philosophy. but I want to go even further and say my administration is opposed to the tenets often described as being at the heart of OBE philosophy.

We are opposed to the abolition of individual academic grading.

We are opposed to the use of group grading.

We are opposed to the use of measures other than classroom grades to determine the promotion or retention of students.

We are opposed to the phasing-out of gift-student programs.

We are opposed to a general lack of emphasis on such basic skills as memorization, clear grammatical writing and diligent attempts to provide the correct answers to objective questions.

This should dispel any notion that we are trying something new in formulating standards for academic success.

As Jefferson would expect, American life has changed significantly in the many generations since Jefferson's day. We have the resources and the economic necessity to set higher expectations for students in the 21st century than Jefferson did in the 18th century.

I think Mr. Jefferson would be pleased if Missouri didn't wait any longer to establish statewide standards for academic success.

Mel Carnahan is the governor of Missouri.