Graduation Standards Concern Cda District Students Likely Can’T Be Ready By 2005, Superintendent Says

It’s nearly impossible for Idaho schools to prepare high school students to meet proposed graduation standards by the 2005 deadline, the Coeur d’Alene School District superintendent told state officials this week.

Superintendent David Rawls, along with Boise and Meridian superintendents, wrote a letter Monday to the state Board of Education saying they are “gravely concerned.”

The superintendents from some of Idaho’s largest districts said the 2005 deadline doesn’t give schools enough time to adjust their curriculum for next year’s freshmen, who would be the first students required to meet those graduation standards.

That reverses what Rawls told board members in October, when he said preparing students to meet the proposed standards would be tough but doable.

Rawls said Tuesday the Coeur d’Alene district has worked for months to realign its curriculum to prepare for the state standards. He remains sure his schools are ready for the standards.

The hitch is with developing tests to gauge whether students are meeting those standards, he said.

Without the tests, Rawls said it’s impossible for ninth-graders to know which classes to take, especially in math.

“This has caused us some anxiety,” Rawls said.

He added that since the October state Board of Education meeting, no progress has been made on the development of the tests, prompting him to join the other districts.

If the board won’t act on these concerns, Boise and Meridian districts plan to ask for a waiver in January, extending the deadline to 2006. Rawls said he is unsure if his district will take that step.

“We are just advising the state board we’re working hard at this, but our need is detail.”

Education board members say they are aware of the districts’ frustration and that a commission that oversees testing in Idaho schools will address the concerns. Although the deadline for standards is 2005, there is no firm timeline for putting the testing in place.

Greg Fitch, the board’s executive director, defended the 2005 deadline, saying districts have known about the standards for more than a year and should be preparing students to meet them.

The board established the 2005 deadline in 1999, when it approved high school graduation standards in language, math, science, social studies and health.

The standards outline what students should know before receiving a high school diploma.

Rawls said the high school graduation standards are important, but the tests are needed to make the system complete.

Coeur d’Alene, Kellogg and Wallace schools are ahead of many neighboring districts in the move to realign curriculum with state requirements. The districts are piloting their new curriculum this year.

More than 1,800 people, including staff, parents and community members, were surveyed last year on what skills and knowledge Coeur d’Alene graduates should have. That information was condensed into 41 specific statements.

Usually the district’s standards are more stringent than the state requirements.

“If we are worried about it,” Rawls said. “I’m sure everyone else is in the same place.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.