Panel backs delay in Learning Results

AUGUSTA – A legislative committee is supporting a plan to delay for a year implementation of Maine’s Learning Results program to allow time to rework the standards.

Teachers and administrators have said that the Learning Results system, which sets academic standards and tests student achievement, is so unwieldy it robs students of instruction time. More than 15 bills were filed last year to modify the system.

Under the original plan adopted a decade ago, high school seniors in the Class of 2008 would have been required to show they had mastered eight subject areas in order to graduate.

Implementation was later pushed back until 2010.

Any plan to further delay Learning Results would have to be approved by the full Legislature.

State Education Commissioner Susan Gendron told the Education Committee on Friday that a review of 165 Maine school administrative units showed they were bogged down in trying to implement Learning Results.

She said the review showed that most of the 165 school districts are only about midway through implementing the standards. The original goal when they were adopted was to have them fully in place by this year.

The commissioner told the committee that the state needs time to simplify and narrow the focus of its learning standards.

“We need to pause,” she said.

During the delay, a task force would develop a standardized course of study and assessment system for high school English and mathematics.

Graduation standards for science, social studies and visual and performing arts would be eliminated.

Only one committee member voted against the moratorium.