Will 'Performance Plus' burden teachers?

OGDEN — Money — $203 million, to be exact — is a big hurdle for a new state competency-based education proposal, but that's far from the only problem.

Much of the discussion during Gov. Mike Leavitt's second "Summit on Competency-Measured Education" Thursday centered on the burden teachers will be expected to shoulder to implement the plan.

"When it comes right down to it, all these people (legislators and administrators) are going to be making the decision and then pointing to me expecting me to implement it," said a teacher from Box Elder School District.

More than 100 teachers, administrators, parents, legislators and others attended the Ogden summit, the second of five to be held during the coming weeks to introduce and get feedback on a proposal the state board is calling "Performance Plus."

The proposal was created in response to federal and state legislation mandating more attention to backward students and toughening up of core requirements like math and English. It stiffens graduation credit requirements and requires that middle and high school students pass each class with at least a "C" as well as demonstrate their competency in the subject taken before moving on.

The plan provides for remedial education for students who fall behind.

"It really would meet the needs of most students," said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Steven Laing.

Some have protested that the plan would do a disservice by denying high school diplomas to students who can't eke out at least a "C" and pass a competency test. In his keynote address, however, Leavitt maintained that it would be even more of a disservice — to the student and society — to award a diploma to one who hasn't earned it.

"You need to think about the 60 percent of kids who hold up their high school diploma and say, 'This is my formal education,' " said Leavitt's deputy for education Richard Kendell, referring to those who don't go on to earn advanced degrees. "That should mean something."

There are some obstacles on the way to Utopia, though. For one thing, Laing estimates that he'll need $203 million more per year to implement the plan. And teachers, while they love the idea of challenging students more, are hesitant about the increased time and mental changes required.

"It's a scary little thing," said Delora Johnson, a teacher in Laketown, whose school is already doing competency-based teaching to an extent. "It requires a difference in attitude."

Nevertheless, she said, it can be done.

"I don't know if our students are doing absolutely better, but they're trying harder," she said.

If the Legislature funds the program, the state board plans to implement it next fall. More likely, however, given the state's current fiscal straits, and assuming it passes muster in the remaining summits, it will be implemented in phases.

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