Edits to N.H. education standards advance despite lingering questions from some advocates – The Boston Globe

This update consolidates and streamlines the minimum standards in a manner that educators can easily understand, while also enhancing a system where students demonstrate desired learning outcomes that prepare them for the real world,” he said in a statement.

But some public education stakeholders expressed dismay that the state board opted to move forward with the amendments in their current form.

“Unfortunately, not all of our concerns have been addressed, especially regarding class sizes and curriculum,” said Megan Tuttle, president of the NEA-New Hampshire union, which represents public school educators.

Deb Howes, president of AFT-New Hampshire teachers union, said the state board should have taken more time to consider the feedback they received on the proposal.

Analysis by Reaching Higher NH, an education policy think tank, concluded the proposal in its current form would replace the requirement for maximum class sizes with a student-teacher ratio for the district, raising concerns about upholding the state’s obligation to offer an adequate education.

The proposal would also remove some curriculum requirements by shifting language from “shall” to “may,” and it would replace “courses” with “learning opportunities,” which could cause confusion and inconsistency, according to Reaching Higher.

The think tank’s executive director, Nicole Heimarck, said the state’s public schools have historically been held to high standards. “This proposal could put our public schools on a very different path, one with lower expectations for students and public schools,” Heimarck said, citing “a lot of open questions and concerns.”

The state board’s final proposal on this first half of the document will head next to the New Hampshire Office of Legislative Services for review by the Joint Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules.

Lawmakers will check the proposal for compliance with state law and could approve the edits, send them back to education officials for further revision, or issue a preliminary objection to pause the process, according to Reaching Higher.

The bases on which the JLCAR panel can act are spelled out in state law.

This article first appeared in Globe NH | Morning Report, our free newsletter focused on the news you need to know about New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles from other places. If you’d like to receive it via e-mail Monday through Friday, you can sign up here.

Steven Porter can be reached at steven.porter@globe.com. Follow him @reporterporter.