State Team Recommends Minimal Revisions to Literacy Standards

Members of a state team charged with reviewing Iowa’s academic standards for literacy completed their work last week by recommending minimal revisions based on statewide feedback that signaled strong support for the current standards. The team’s recommendations will go to the State Board of Education for consideration.

The recommendations aim to provide clarity and eliminate redundancy within the standards. Iowa’s literacy standards outline learning expectations for students in kindergarten through 12th grade in English-language arts and for literacy in history, social studies, science and other technical subjects.

The Literacy Standards Review Team represents the second phase of an ongoing state process for reviewing Iowa’s academic standards, which also cover science, social studies, mathematics and 21st century skills, such as financial literacy. The first phase of the standards review process ended in August 2015, with the State Board of Education’s adoption of new science standards. This year, the Department also convened a state team to rewrite Iowa’s social studies standards.

The Literacy Standards Review Team sought public feedback through an online survey as well as public forums, which drew more than 5,000 responses. A majority of comments were in favor of Iowa’s current literacy standards. Additionally, two focus groups of teachers who met independently of the review team to discuss the standards said they had done extensive work to implement the literacy standards and would not support significant changes. But they also indicated they needed more time and collaboration with other educators to improve implementation of the standards.
  
For more information about the Literacy Standards Review Team and its recommendations, visit the Iowa Department of Education’s website.