Performance Plus put on back burner

The state school board Wednesday slammed the brakes on its controversial Performance Plus proposal to require junior high and high school students to earn C's or better in certain classes and pass a standardized test to earn credits toward graduation.

Instead, the board decided to take its time on the details of the proposal but phase in education reforms it knows have broad public support, including helping young students who struggle in reading and math.

The move represented a U-turn for the board, which has been working on the competency-based education proposal for about a year. It also will require that the board hammer out a less bulky budget request for the reforms, heretofore estimated to cost an additional $203 million.

At the same time, the board showed it was proceeding cautiously — as advised by parents, teachers, and public school officials attending statewide public input hearings and Gov. Mike Leavitt's education summits.

Such prudence is praised by a behind-the-scenes author of the bill requiring the state school board to look at developing a competency-based education system.

"This program has broad enough implications that we want to take one step at a time," said Fraser Bullock, chairman of the Employers Education Coalition. "It doesn't mean we should wait two to three years to implement a program. We should begin the work designing the elements immediately, but a full rollout needs to be done on a measured basis at the right time, once we really have all the aspects clearly identified of what's effective and what's not."

Performance Plus aims to increase graduation requirements; prevent senior year slacking; and have students earn credits based on competency, or what they know and can do, rather than seat time. It seeks $203 million in new state funding, mainly to help struggling students as early as kindergarten.

The proposal has been a hot topic with the public, mainly because of fears about the Legislature not funding the concept and requiring a standardized test to determine whether a student receives course credits.

The board worked to address those concerns Wednesday, most notably acknowledging that getting $203 million for the idea "is not likely or even possible." Leavitt, for instance, has hinted at phasing in funding for Performance Plus. And his budgeters have indicated the price tag exceeds what new money will be available to state agencies next year.

So the board voted to take its time to work out the details on Performance Plus, and thoughtfully phase in the education reforms.