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JEFFERSON CITY, MISSOURI, MAY 13, 2022 - Yesterday at the State Capitol, the Missouri General Assembly approved sweeping education legislation that will improve the way students learn to read and ensure interventions occur before literacy challenges escalate. This bill also contains two of Aligned's top priorities and a host of other provisions supported by our team.
SB 681 addresses student success in reading, beginning with how teacher preparation programs prepare candidates for reading instruction. Reading is the cornerstone of all learning. Without strong reading skills, learning in any content area is compromised. SB 681 outlines the specific areas of instruction required to teach reading and how to identify reading deficiencies such as dyslexia.
Competency-based education
The bill also includes provisions to create competency-based education, which is an approach that emphasizes material mastery over seat-time. Students who master content quickly lose learning time that they could use to move forward and learn new content. Students who need additional time to reach proficiency must adhere to the pace of instruction determined for students as a whole. In addition to learning at different rates, students learn and demonstrate knowledge differently, and a competency-based education system can adapt to those differences.
Teacher Recruitment
In addition, SB 681 expands the state's Visiting Scholars teaching certificate to help districts address critical staffing needs. This bill expands on the current licensing process for the visiting scholar's teacher certification by allowing individuals to obtain a certification to teach if a district employs them as part of an initiative designed to fill vacant positions in hard-to-staff schools or subject areas.
Aligned supported SB 681 and worked with lawmakers to prioritize policies to address individualized learning and teacher recruitment. "We are a business leader-led organization and have spent more than a decade working throughout Missouri to build a stronger education system focused on student success," said Torree Pederson, Aligned president. "SB 861 is the most significant piece of legislation passed in recent years and directly aligns with our core principles of student-centered innovation."
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