Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/561083
September 2015 isea.org • ISEA Communiqué 2 BRIEFS NEWS State adopts new science standards The Iowa State Board of Education unanimously adopted new state standards for what Iowa students should know and be able to do in science from kindergarten through 12th grade. The board's vote was consistent with the recommendation of a state task force that Iowa adopt the Next Generation Science Standards with some modifications. The Iowa Department of Education must now develop a timeline and plan to help schools statewide put the new science standards into practice. "While the Next Generation Science Standards represents the backbone of what we've adopted today, these are now Iowa's science standards because they've been reviewed, vetted and modified by Iowans," Board President Charles Edwards said in a news release following the board vote. "I'm impressed with these high-quality science standards, as well as the process we've run in Iowa to review and adopt them." Twenty-six states, including Iowa, led the development of the Next Generation Science Standards, which refocus the way science is taught to help students truly grasp the subject and apply what they've learned. The Science Standards Review Team included several Iowa State Education Association members who reviewed Iowa's academic standards and public comments to determine the content and how to improve the standards. A majority of public comments on the Next Generation Science Standards were favorable, according to Department of Education officials. You can find out more about the standards at the Iowa Department of Education website dedicated to state standards iowacore.gov ISEA offers community outreach grants The Iowa State Education Association launched a program of grants to encourage members and/or local associations to launch community service or school projects. Grants are available to members or associations that collaborate with community organizations in an effort to improve the area where members work and/or live. Funded projects should meet an identified need within the community, be sustainable and help build visible foundations for deeper relationships with students, families and communities. Applications are due by Sept. 30, 2015. Additional details can be found on the Iowa State Education Association web site at www.isea.org under "ISEA Awards and Scholarships" in the Member Center tab. State moves Smarter Balanced to rulemaking The Iowa State Board of Education decided to begin a rule-making process that would allow the state to adopt the Smater Balanced exams to replace the annual Iowa Assessments in 2016-17. The new, online exams would annually test students' progress in reading and math, and they would take about five hours longer to complete. They would require students to demonstrate learning in new ways, such as by doing research in a variety of content areas and writing essays. They are aligned to the Common Core testing standards, adoption of which is a political hot potato, particularly among Republican candidates for federal office, including president. New reading research director named Deborah Reed was named the new director of the Iowa Reader Research Center and is expected to play a key role in making sure Iowa third graders read proficienntly or risk repeating the grade. Reed previously served as a researcher and faculty member at Florida State University's Florida Center for Reading Research, where she has focused on identifying and intervening with struggling readers in general and special education classrooms. The Iowa Reading Research Center's responsibilities include the development of reading assessments and evidence- based reading interventions, professional development training for educators, reviewing and making available literacy resources for Iowa families, and developing guidelines for intensive summer reading programs that schools must have in place by 2017. Officials announced the center, which had been located at the Grant Wood Area Education Agency in Cedar Rapids, would be moved to the University of Iowa at the same time they announced Reed's hiring. By May 1, 2017, every school district in Iowa must provide an intensive summer reading program for students identified as having a substantial deficiency in reading at the end of third grade. Students who are substantially deficient in reading by the end of third grade will have the opportunity to complete an intensive summer reading program that meets state standards. Completing the summer program will allow these students to move to fourth grade. Students who are substantially deficient in reading at the end of third grade and who did not complete a summer reading program must be retained in third grade unless they qualify for an exemption, according to the law. Change of leadership Representative Linda Upmeyer of Clear Lake was elected speaker of the Iowa House during the mid-session break. Upmeyer had served as majority leader under Hiawatha Republican Kraig Paulsen who stepped down speaker's chair after announcing he would not seek reelection in 2016 although he would finish out his term. Upmeyer is the immediate past chair of the American Legislative Exchange Council – also known as ALEC – which supports public school voucher programs, charter schools and other public school privatization efforts. Upmeyer is the first woman to serve as speaker. It's a position her father, Delwyn Stromer, held in the 69th General Assembly. Stromer served 23 years in the General Assembly. He died in 2003.