MN Senate no longer wants academic standards to be ‘grade-level appropriate’

The Senate Education Policy Omnibus bill passed last week has removed the requirement that Minnesota’s K-12 academic standards be grade-level appropriate.

Currently, Minnesota statewide academic standards in language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, health, and the arts must “be clear, concise, objective, measurable, and grade-level appropriate,” but SF 1740 strikes “grade-level appropriate” from the requirements.

Why?

Perhaps because an ethnic studies benchmark in the new K-12 social studies standards scheduled for implementation in the 2026-27 school year asks first graders to “construct meanings” for the words ethnicity, equality, liberation, and systems of power (1.5.23.1). This seems hardly grade-level appropriate to ask of six-year-olds. Can a six-year-old grasp abstract concepts such as “liberation” and “systems of power”? How will a teacher measure whether a student of this age has successfully “constructed meaning” for these concepts?

This benchmark, and many others like it in the new K-12 social studies standards, are not only grade-level inappropriate but are also unmeasurable and lacking in objectivity.

Standards not set at the appropriate grade level can also undermine rigor by lowering expectations and not adequately challenge students. This risks furthering declining achievement and potentially limiting opportunities for student growth.

With majorities of Minnesota students not meeting grade-level standards in reading or math on statewide assessments for the second year in a row, and the percentages of students scoring below basic reading levels on national assessments at all-time highs, the state does not appear to be in a position to risk further student achievement declines.

As the Minnesota Senate and House hash out the differences in their education policy bills (the House version does not remove this requirement), let’s hope that this is an easy change to reverse course on. It’s also an opportunity for the legislature to pump the brakes altogether on implementation of the new K-12 social studies standards (HF 29) and have them re-revised at a later date.