The first of three public hearings on the progress of education standards work groups under HB 1490 is scheduled for Monday, October 27, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. The hearing will be held in the State Board of Education meeting room on the first floor of the Jefferson Building, 205 Jefferson St., Jefferson City, Mo.

Those wishing to make public comments will be asked to provide their name and address and limit their remarks to three minutes. Comment cards will be available for anyone who does not get a chance to speak at the hearing. Also, those who are not able to attend the hearing may email comments to 1490Comments@dese.mo.gov.

In addition, the Department has developed a survey designed to gather comments about the current Missouri Learning Standards. Respondents to the survey may comment on the learning expectations in English language arts, math, social studies and science by grade-level and content area. The survey can be accessed at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3XTP9WV. All comments will be posted on the Department’s website.

Dates have not been set yet for the remaining two public hearings.

The Missouri legislature passed HB 1490 during its 2014 session. The law calls for work groups of education professionals and parents to develop and recommend academic performance standards in English language arts, mathematics, social studies and science. The resulting recommendations on the standards must be submitted to the State Board by October 2015. The State Board of Education sets academic standards for education in the state.

High academic performance standards are directly related to a primary goal of Missouri’s Top 10 by 20 initiative: All Missouri students will graduate ready for college and career. 

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