AUGUSTA, Maine — A bill that would gradually shift Maine to a standards-based educational system that focuses less on traditional letter grades and more on proficiency could be stalling in the Legislature.
LD 1422, An Act to Prepare Maine People for the Future Economy, was discussed and amended considerably in the Education Committee but then approved unanimously several weeks ago.
But it has languished in the House because of growing unease by many representatives — Democrats and Republicans alike — that the bill would create an unfunded mandate for local school districts.
The bill as amended directs the Department of Education “to develop standards and procedures that enable school administrative units to transition to a standards-based system of education that awards a high school diploma based on a student’s demonstrated proficiency in the areas of assessment under state learning standards.”
In other words, students would be allowed to go at their own pace on a specific subject and, once they demonstrate mastery of that subject, would move on.
It also would allow the commissioner of education to “waive or alter the application of age-based and grade-based requirements in law.” This means that a 16-year-old could graduate high school if he or she has demonstrated proficiency in all areas or a 21-year-old could be held back until he or she masters all subjects.
That language seems less problematic than the mandate outlined in the bill that would require implementation by 2017 — or 2020, if a waiver is granted.
Department of Education spokesman David Connerty-Marin said he thinks some lawmakers have projected fear of other education proposals — specifically a proposal by the governor to expand school choice — onto LD 1422.
“The reality is that LD 1422, simply and very importantly, requires that a diploma have meaning and that it have the same meaning across the state,” he said. “There should be a measure that students are ready for success beyond high school.”
Connerty-Marin said although there is a mandate that schools move toward the standards-based system, nothing in the bill addresses instruction. In short, teachers can do what they have always done as long as their students meet proficiency goals.
Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen is a big supporter of standards-based education. Last year, he visited 2011 Maine Teacher of the Year Shelly Moody at Williams Elementary School in Oakland to see how Moody has used the standards-based model in her classroom.
Connerty-Marin said more than two dozen school systems across the state either have made the switch or are preparing to move toward standards-based education.
But not everyone is convinced it’s a good idea.
RSU 2 in southern Kennebec County began moving toward a standards-based education model in 2010 with the help of an Alaskan firm that contracted with the Department of Education.
Now, parents and educators in the district are saying the new system is not all it’s cracked up to be. It has worked for some but not all students and teachers and is still being implemented little by little.
LD 1422 is on the House calendar and could come any day. There is at least one amendment drafted and others could come as well now that some lawmakers appear to be getting cold feet.
Follow BDN reporter Eric Russell on Twitter @BDNPolitics.
A new paradigm is needed in education. If Maine were to pilot a Finland like approach, I am willing to bet we would see Finland like results. FYI: in Finland they do not test for proficiency or a single set of standards. they develop individualized plans to meet the next lowest unmet need a child has to learning. It would mean replacing some teachers with social workers and the like. Since kids come to school with unresolved issues, only when these are addressed does learning take place. We can dance around that all we want but that is how it is. You can say it is not a schools responsibility but teaching is and that cant happen until the other work gets done.
Finland leads the world in education. They have even surpassed Singapore and Japan. Whats also interesting is that it doesn’t cost any more than what we do now with terrible outcomes.
Comparing Finland to the US is not logical, because Finland’s poverty rate is about 2-3%, and the US poverty rate (the highest of all the industrialized nations) is about 21%. So when you say, “kids come to school with unresolved issues,” that most likely means issues resulting from poverty.
You hit the nail on the head . We have a social class system here. Make it difficult for people to compete in the world.
You obviously do not understand Finland or their educational system. Finland does have a high population of foreigners who do not speak Finnish as their native language. they have developed ways to educate all of their kids. Why support what isn’t working? Poor educational performance is linked to poverty in this country but not in others. That tells me, a problem solver, that we need a different approach that is able to accommodate all types of students with varying needs. One size doesn’t fit all in education, yet we operate our schools around a single test score.
If we continue the approaches you seem to be advocating for, we will never see improvement, just higher costs and poorer outcomes.
Finland and Canada have State and Federally run educational systems paid for through their Socialist ecomomic systems. Both countries also screen out kids with tests as they progress through the system.
Canada is not far behind them. They are so close that we could learn a lot from Canada.
Finland also has a very selective process for those who wish to study to become teachers. Their are many applicants and only the best of the best can learn to become a teacher. All teacher’s have master’s degrees and their profession is held on the same level as a doctor or lawyer.
We need to do away with standardized testing. The only thing that it really shows is how well one can take a standardized test. Standardized tests and curriculum are crippling and destroying our educational system.
The parents will tear the schools apart.
What does that even mean?