Resolve, To Require the Department of Education To Submit a Plan for the Implementation of Standards-based Education

Sec. 1. Plan to implement standards-based education. Resolved: That the Department of Education shall submit a report to the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs by December 1, 2011 consisting of:

1. Draft legislation to require that, in order to graduate from high school after January 1, 2016, a student must:

The legislation must also include any changes necessary to conform current state law to the needs of schools engaged in standards-based education, including allowing students to graduate from high school in more or fewer than 4 years;

2. An outline of rules or additional guidance that the department may propose to more fully develop the requirements for awarding a high school diploma, including guidance regarding how schools are to track and report student mastery of standards and how schools are to ensure the validity of student assessments; and

3. A proposed system of technical assistance for schools in implementing standards-based education, which may include development of training guides and other resources, the collection and sharing of rubrics and other materials and coordination and support for professional development, including professional learning communities that involve educators who are already engaged in standards-based education. The department must include proposed timelines for implementation of the proposed system of technical assistance; and be it further

Sec. 2. Report. Resolved: That, in preparing its report under section 1, the Department of Education shall consult with teachers and administrators with experience in standards-based education, as well as the education associations in the State, for advice on determining the needs of educators and on developing a plan for joint efforts to achieve the goal of ensuring that students graduating from high schools in the State are proficient in all 8 content areas of the system of learning results established in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 6209 and in each of the 5 guiding principles outlined in the Department of Education Rule Chapter 132. The Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs is authorized to report out a bill to the Second Regular Session of the 125th Legislature related to the recommendations included in this report.