The fatal flaws of the New Hampshire Board of Education’s proposed changes to Ed 306, the Minimum Standards for Public School Approval, does not end with COMPREHENSIVE PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES.
The NH BOE seeks to fundamentally change our public schools by converting the standards to “competency-based” education and they do NOT have the authority. Read the proposed changes here. The revision mentions “competencies” 147 times as compared to the current version which only uses this term 19 times.
The allure of competency-based education is deceiving, but understandably so. It sounds reasonable. It claims to “raise the bar” for all students and create a standard achievement minimum. Those statements sound appropriate, but think about it.
This is more standardization of our children and their education. Competency-based education further entrenches the “one-size-fits-all” fallacy in our public schools. It is doomed to not fit some of our students. As any parent can attest, children are not the same. Each child is an individual with his or her own educational abilities, needs and goals. How can codifying standardization into K-12 education be beneficial to our children?
A major proponent of competency-based education, Dr. Robert Mendenhall, explained its purpose in his article entitled “What is Competency Based Education?”
“The fundamental premise of competency based education is that we define what students should know and be able to do, and they graduate when they have demonstrated their competency. This means we have to define the competency very clearly. Getting industry input is essential to ensure we have identified relevant competencies.”
Read that statement again. Competency-based education is based on the idea that someone else — not the parent and not the individual — is the one who determines what each person should know and be able to do. It means that someone else knows best and should be the one making these life-decisions. It fails to see people as individuals. It creates a cookie-cutter education and remakes public schools into factories with children as their products.
Further note that the competencies are not objectively defined. They are subjective to whatever “industry” defines. The stated purpose is not to bring out an individual’s talents, further their interests, or even ensure that each student has a minimum knowledge of mathematics, writing, or other clear academic objective. This reads as a job-training program and is not appropriate as a guiding principal for K-12 public education.
The NH Board of Education is trying to fundamentally change our public schools with their proposed changes to Ed 306, the Minimum Standards for Public School Approval. The Board of Education is required to base the rules upon legislation, but to date, not a single competency-based education bill has been passed. Senate Bill 192 in 2011 was defeated and Senate Bill 82 in 2013 will be decided by the New Hampshire House in early January 2014. Even if SB 82 is passed, it will only establish a commission to study competency-based education and make a legislative recommendation; it will NOT authorize the conversion to competency-based education in the Granite State. The NH BOE is required to only make education rules that are consistent with legislative intent. Clearly, the NH Board of Education is exceeding its authority.
There is one last opportunity to stop this fundamental change to our schools. Write to the Joint Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules (JLCAR) TODAY!! They will make the final decision on the proposed Ed 306 rule changes on January 17, 2014. They are our last defense.
Senate Members of JLCAR:
Sen. John Reagan, Chair R-Deerfield
— Phone: (603)271-4063
— Email: john.reagan111@gmail.com
Sen. Sam Cataldo R-Farmington
— Phone: (603)271-4063
— Email: casac@worldpath.net
Sen. Bette Lasky D-Nashua
— Phone: (603)271-4151
— Email: bette.lasky@leg.state.nh.us
Sen. Jim Rausch R-Derry
— Phone: (603)271-3091
— Email: james.rausch@leg.state.nh.us
Sen. David Watters D-Dover
— Phone: (603)271-8631
— Email: david.watters@leg.state.nh.us
Sen. Peter Bragdon (Alt.) R-Milford
— Phone: (603)271-6931
— Email: peter.bragdon@leg.state.nh.us
Sen. Martha Fuller Clark (Alt.) D-Portsmouth
— Phone: 603)271-3076
— Email: martha.fullerclark@leg.state.nh.us
Sen. Lou D’Allesandro (Alt.) D-Manchester
— Phone: (603)271-2117
— Email: dalas@leg.state.nh.us
Sen. Andy Sanborn (Alt.) R-Bedford
— Phone: (603)271-2111
— Email: andy.sanborn@leg.state.nh.us
Sen. Nancy Stiles (Alt.) R-Hampton
— Phone: 603)271-3093
— Email: nancy.stiles@leg.state.nh.us
House Members of JLCAR:
Rep. Peter B. Schmidt, Vice-Chair D-Dover
— Phone: (603)743-3751
— Email: reppbs@ttlc.net
Rep. Rick M. Ladd R-Haverhill
— Phone: (603)989-3268
— Email: ladd.nhhouse@charter.net
Rep. James R. MacKay D-Concord
— Phone: (603)224-0623
— Email: james.mackay@mygait.com
Rep. Carol M. McGuire R-Epsom
— Phone: (603)782-4918
— Email: carol@mcguire4house.com
Rep. Tara A. Sad D-Walpole
— Phone: (603)756-4861
— Email: tara.eric@gmail.com
Rep. Richard W. Barry (Alt.) R-Merrimack
— Phone: (603)880-3731
— Email: richardbarry@leg.state.nh.us
Rep. Suzanne H. Gottling (Alt.) D-Sunapee
— Phone: (603)763-5904
— Email: sgottling@comcast.net
Rep. William A. Hatch (Alt.) D-Gorham
— Phone: (603)466-9491
— Email: hatchbill@hotmail.com
Rep. David H. Kidder (Alt.) R-New London
— Phone: (603)526-4767
— Email: david03257@yahoo.com
Rep. Mary S. Nelson (Alt.) D-Nashua
— Phone: (603)888-5384
— Email: mary.nelson@leg.state.nh.us
