JEFFERSON CITY (August 17, 2011) - Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal, D-St. Louis, has been named to serve on the Joint Interim Committee on School Accreditation. The joint committee, composed of House and Senate members with educational expertise, will analyze and review proposed new standards regarding how Missouri accredits its public schools. The Missouri State of Board of Education voted to publish the revised standards this week, although final approval is not expected until December. Public schools would then have two years to implement the new standards.
The Joint Committee also will examine the potential impact of court decisions relating to school accreditation on local school districts. Last year the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that students in unaccredited school districts have the right to transfer to an accredited school at the cost of the unaccredited district. The law upheld by the court in Turner v. School District of Clayton also allows the transfer to be to a school "in another district of the same or an adjoining county."
Sen. Chappelle-Nadal, who serves as a member of the University City School Board, says members of the joint committee want to ensure the new standards benefit students and prepare them for the future.
"The jobs of the 21st Century require a foundation in math and science, but for years our students have been falling behind their international peers in these critical subjects," Sen. Chappelle-Nadal said. "The new standards being proposed by the State Board of Education place more emphasis on math and science, which will better prepare students for vocational school, college or work."
The State Board of Education also is considering provisions making accreditation dependent upon some instruction in the fine arts and physical education. The proposed new standards retain requirements that schools employ a certain number of counselors and librarians. Educators had expressed concerns that librarians and counselors would be cut by districts facing funding shortfalls.
"It is critically important that Missouri revises and improves the criteria for accrediting its public schools, and I applaud the State Board of Education for moving forward," Sen. Chappelle-Nadal said. "The purpose of the Joint Committee on School Accreditation is to review these proposed changes to make sure we are moving in the right direction. We need to raise the bar so our students can successfully compete in the global marketplace, but we have to make sure the new standards are realistic and attainable. We also want to take a look at how recent court decisions impact education policy in Missouri and whether we need to devise a legislative response to those decisions." |
