Ron Grossman recently critiqued the Illinois Learning Standards (Perspective, Aug. 3). He subsequently received harsh criticism in a letter from Michael J. Palmisano of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (Voice, Aug. 13). As a member of the academic standards external review team along with Mr. Palmisano, I must come to Mr. Grossman’s defense.
Specifically, Mr. Palmisano alleged that Mr. Grossman’s criticisms of the Illinois academic standards are unfounded, that the state standards support the idea of local control and that the standards represent “a broad base of involvement and consensus among stakeholders of Illinois education.”
Regarding broad-based involvement, Mr. Palmisano cites the participation of 28,000 Illinois citizens in the review and comment on the standards, but he fails to mention that 95 percent of those citizens were educators with a vested interest in the state education system. Without question, many of these people are parents as well, but they are also members of the teachers unions, professional educators/administrators associations and people whose income is dependent on the growing government education monopoly.
In fact, it appears the review process was poorly managed, having the effect of minimizing input from parents outside the system. As President Clinton talks of national standards and advocates national tests in math and science, Mr. Palmisano is disingenuous with his assertion that “learning expectations are set at the local level.”
Harvard educationist Richard Elmore noted at a recent meeting of the National Education Goals Panel, “Once you start to be able to collect data on individual schools–and benchmark performance and content from the state level against state, national and international standards–you break the traditional grip of the local administrators and boards, whether you want to or not.”
It is our analysis that if school funding shifts to state control as proposed by Gov. Jim Edgar, such a shift, combined with the state academic standards, could spell the end for local control of schools in Illinois.
With an assertion that the Illinois Learning Standards contain “strong treatment of traditional basic skills of reading, writing and mathematics,” Mr. Palmisano glosses over serious deficiencies. Illinois math standards, for example, stress conceptual understanding over what Mr. Palmisano might call “mindless drill and practice.”
Finally, Mr. Grossman’s observation about a lack of specificity is right on target. The only state academic standards receiving national acclaim regarding content have been developed by the Commonwealth of Virginia. During the spring session of the Illinois General Assembly, a copy of the Virginia standards was submitted by Illinois Rep. Mary Lou Cowlishaw (R-Naperville) as an alternative to the Illinois Learning Standards. Our thanks to Ron Grossman for a well-researched and thoughtful assessment of the Illinois Learning Standards.
