Two Excellent New Laws Approved Despite Common Core Hyseria
New legislation (Acts 833 and 643) Emphasize the Need for A Diverse Curriculum
Fortunately for our special needs students in Louisiana, the Louisiana Developmental Disabilities council fought very hard this legislative session and succeeded in passing groundbreaking legislation offering important new opportunities for our students with disabilities. Act 833 which began as HB 1015, will provide many students with disabilities an alternative path to promotion and graduation based upon successful completion of IEP goals in the place of high stakes testing and standard graduation requirements. Now Act 833 requires that when certain students with disabilities fail to meet requirements for promotion in the year prior to a high stakes test, the IEP team for the students may substitute IEP goals in the place of the high stakes tests for student promotion and graduation.Click here for a link to frequently asked questions at the DD Council website on this new pathway to graduation for our students with disabilities.
This new law, if it is not nullified by the US DOE should allow many more students with disabilities who under old rules would probably have dropped out, the opportunity to graduate with a regular diploma and therefore benefit from continued education or improved employment opportunities.
In addition this year, the Louisiana legislature also adopted Act 643 which improves and broadens the Career Diploma program. According to the legislation and a special initiative which the LDOE refers to as Jump Start, more students will be encouraged to take valuable career prep courses starting this year. Many of these courses will be dual enrollment courses with our community and technical colleges and will lead to industry based certifications for quick job entry. This legislation offers a great alternative to the one-size-fits-all formula of the Common Core.
The need for Act 833 and Act 643 in Louisiana demonstrate why the Common Core standards are such a huge mistake. The theory of the Common Core is that all students can and should be prepared primarily for college by our K-12 schools and that the standards set in Common Core can and should be reached by all. The creators of the Common Core apparently didn't have a clue Louisiana Educator: Two Excellent New Laws Approved Despite Common Core Hyseria: