Lawmakers aim to reject, replace Idaho education standards

BOISE (AP) — A panel of Idaho lawmakers on Thursday introduced legislation to reject the math, science and English standards currently used to make sure Idaho's more than 300,000 K-12 students are meeting specific criteria and replace them with new ones.

Backers of current standards say they're needed to keep Idaho students competitive, while opponents say they make kids lose interest in learning and it's nearly impossible for parents to help them with homework.

"We believe that these standards are good standards," Republican Rep. Lance Clow, who chairs the House Education Committee and introduced the two pieces legislation, said of the proposed replacements. "They are not earth-shaking changes to what's expected in the classroom. And, in our opinions, there would be minimum requirements to change any of our testing."

The same committee tried to kill the standards in 2020, but that effort failed in the Senate. The main piece of legislation introduced Thursday to scrap the current standards is a concurrent resolution that must be approved by both the House and the Senate, but does not need the governor's signature.

Read more: https://bonnercountydailybee.com/news/2022/jan/16/lawmakers-aim-reject-replace-idaho-education-stand/