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Winona hosts first public meeting on new K-12 standards
by Erin Galbally, Minnesota Public Radio
March 14, 2003

Minnesota's education commissioner hosted the first in a series of public meetings on proposed changes to K-12 academic standards Thursday night in Winona. If approved by lawmakers this session, the new standards will replace the current Profile of Learning. Commissioner Cheri Pierson Yecke says it's time for a change. But in Winona, her proposal got mixed reviews.

Winona, Minn. — More than three dozen people from bluffland communities around the southeastern edge of the state gathered to ask questions about proposed changes to Minnesota's education standards. Virtually all who took the microphone identified themselves as teachers, school administrators or curriculum advisors.

Pam Jensen teaches third grade in the Wabasha Kellogg school district. Jensen says she's OK with the new English standards, but has some problems with the math requirements.

"Some of the terminology they're asking third graders to do, it's a lot of things to remember -- trapezoid, rhombus, isosceles triangle. Those are terms that we feel are a little difficult for third grade," Jensen said.

Trapezoid, rhombus, isosceles triangle -- those are terms that we feel are a little difficult for third grade. - Pam Jensen, third grade teacher

Other voiced concerns over the memorization of Roman numerals and the need for seventh graders to understand scientific notation.

But no one was more outspoken than Kathy Pahnke. She leads the special education program at a Winona High School. She says she's distressed the standards seem to be aimed at those who plan to go to college. Pahnke says if the proposed changes are approved by state lawmakers, the high school dropout rate will climb.

"If they don't have the abstract thinking ability to get to this level, that is going to seriously affect their self esteem -- 'If I can't do it I'm not going to do it, why should I do it, I'm not staying in school, I'm dropping out,'" Pahnke said.

Throughout the evening's testimony, Minnesota's education Commissioner Cheri Pierson Yecke was busy taking notes. Afterwards she called the meeting positive. Yecke says all of the comments gathered from meetings scheduled over the next two weeks will be considered as she continues to develop the guidelines.

The path that the teacher chooses to get from the beginning of the year to where these children are going to meet these high expectations -- the teacher makes those decisions. - Education Commissioner Cheri Pierson Yecke

The document will be officially presented to lawmakers at the end of the month, and could be implemented as early as the 2004-2005 school year.

Yecke says while the proposal outlines grade-by-grade expectations, it gives teachers and school boards the freedom to design their own curriculum.

"These are grade-level specific, and state the expectations that the child should learn by the end of a specific grade. The path that the teacher chooses to get from the beginning of the year to where these children are going to meet these high expectations -- the teacher makes those decisions," Yecke said. "The teacher will set the path. The ultimate goal or ultimate expectation is articulated in this document."

Yecke and an academic standards committee gathered from around the state have logged more than 3,000 hours piecing together the new proposal. Even so, some in the crowd urged the commissioner to slow down and take a more cautious approach in implementing Minnesota's next set of education guidelines.

Yecke and representatives from the academic standards committee will continue their tour of southeastern Minnesota with stops in Austin and Rochester.

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