State Representative
Rich Stanek

(ST. PAUL) In the final hours of the 2000 session, the legislature approved changes to the Profile of Learning, giving local school districts some flexibility as to how their students meet the high standards requirement of the state's Graduation Rule. But Rep. Rich Stanek (R-Maple Grove) said little was done to actually fix the Profile, and House members abandoned efforts to give schools the option of choosing the alternative knowledge-based "North Star" standards.

Under the new legislation, school boards and teachers and not parents will vote on the number of content standards students must complete en route to earning a diploma, said Stanek. And school districts will still have to submit a plan detailing how they intend to meet the current 24-content-standard requirement.

"The bill that's going to the governor's desk deals more with 'process reform' than it does with 'content reform' of the Profile of Learning," Rep. Stanek said. "But parents, students and teachers haven't told me they want the process of meeting the requirements of the Profile changed. They want fundamental reform of the Profile itself. I'm afraid they're going to be disappointed by this legislation."

Because of ongoing implementation problems, schools will be allowed to waive Profile requirements for 2000-01 school year freshmen and sophomores. Students enrolled in challenge courses such as the International Baccalaureate program can also be exempted. "Performance packages" are gone, and schools will have the option of using a different grading system from the current numerical 1-to-4 scoring.

Rep. Stanek said the legislation does not address the concerns of many teachers and parents who find the Profile's requirements confusing. And by abandoning the North Star option, schools and parents have no real choice about how students meet the high standards requirement of the Graduation Rule. Rep. Stanek said the Profile will certainly be discussed during the 2001 legislative session.

# # #