Iowa Adopts a Statewide Core Curriculum

Iowa now officially has a statewide core curriculum. Iowa was the last state to move away from local control of standards and adopt a statewide core curriculum.

The state Board of Education voted unanimously Wednesday to approve the final pieces of the statewide core curriculum for Iowa's 362 public K-12 school districts and accredited non-public schools.

With its action, state education officials have completed a set of essential concepts and skills in literacy, math, science, social studies and 21st century learning skills that all Iowa students are expected to know by the time they graduate from high school. The learning skills include civic literacy, financial literacy, technology literacy, health literacy and employability skills.

The statewide core curriculum must be fully implemented in high schools by the 2012-13 school year, and in kindergarten though eighth grade by the 2014-15 school year.

I have mixed feelings about this. Teachers need to know what is expected of them and a core curriculum provides the framework teachers need. However, I have heard the core curriculum expands what is taught and schools will have a hard time fitting everything in and still cover everything in an in depth manner.