The Iowa Core Commission is an advisory group of 21 Iowans, including teachers, school administrators, education associations, higher education leaders, business leaders and Iowa Department of Education staff members. This group’s work will focus on strengthening a statewide implementation plan and improving communication from the state level to local schools.
The Iowa Core standards establish what students are expected to learn in mathematics, English/language arts, science and social studies from kindergarten through 12th grade. Iowa was the last state in the nation to adopt statewide standards in 2008. State legislators led this shift away from locally determined standards, which had caused inconsistent expectations in schools across the state. The Iowa Core standards reflect real-world knowledge and skills that students need to graduate from high school prepared for success in post-secondary education and training.
Implementation of the standards is an ongoing process led locally by schools and school districts with assistance from the Iowa Department of Education and area education agencies. The process will continue well beyond the legislatively mandated deadlines for full implementation, which are the 2012-13 school year for high schools and 2014-15 for kindergarten through eighth grades.
The new commission’s work falls in line with Iowa’s role in a consortium of rural states to successfully put into practice statewide standards. The state consortium, which also includes Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota, is working with consulting firm Education Delivery Institute through a grant funded by the Council of Chief State School Officers, an association of state school chiefs.
Representing the AEAs on the Commission are Joe Crozier, chief administrator, Grant Wood AEA; Roark Horn, chief administrator, AEA 267 and Sue Runyon, school improvement facilitator-math, Keystone AEA.
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