LOWERING NH EDUCATION STANDARDS IS A BAD IDEA
New Hampshire students’ futures depends on their schools meeting high expectations and having a comprehensive curriculum.
The State of New Hampshire is currently engaged in a process to revise the state’s “Minimum Standards for Public School Approval” – also known as the “306 Rules” – that has the potential to impact every facet of education for educators and students. In addition to state laws, the 306 Rules articulate what New Hampshire public schools must do to be an approved school. These minimum standards for public education exist to ensure that no matter where a student lives, they receive consistent access to quality education. At every opportunity, NEA-New Hampshire has voiced our concerns about the 306 Rule overhaul and raised educator voices.
Consistent with NEA-New Hampshire’s mission, we are advocating for school standards that:
- Clearly articulate curriculum expectations to ensure that expectations are clear about what students should know and be able to do upon graduation from a public school in our state.
- Maintain class size limits to ensure educators can adequately provide instruction to all Granite State students that meet their individual learning needs.
- Protect local competencies, local graduation requirements, and local assessments to ensure public education meets the needs of individual communities and their students.
- Maintain use of the term “grade level” as opposed to “learning level” when referencing the configuration of school organization. As every educator knows, these terms are not synonymous and for these rules to imply otherwise would be inappropriate and could weaken a school’s responsibility to educate children. The structure of our school buildings, state and federal assessments and accountability are done by grade level; without that, the schools will be out of compliance.
- Preserve language that addresses equity and fairness because public schools should educate all students and educators should work to identify and eliminate any barriers that prevent students from a quality education.
A deeper analysis of the 306 Rule revision proposal in relation to these priorities can be found here: 306 Rules_NEA-NH Analysis.
Background Information on the 306 Rules:
In 2020, a contract was awarded by the NH Department of Education to the National Center for Competency Based Learning to engage stakeholders and produce a draft of recommended changes to these 306 Rules.
NEA-New Hampshire has expressed deep concern throughout this process that there was not sufficient educator involvement. No practicing teachers were invited to participate in the taskforce established. Group members included one practicing principal, one practicing superintendent, an educational consultant, and representatives from the state’s virtual charter school, the NH School Boards Association, and the business community.
We supported independent work conducted to solicit additional educator input outside of the taskforce, as outlined in this article from the Granite State News Collaborative. In November of 2023, NEA-New Hampshire attended two meetings with representatives of the task force to provide our feedback on a draft overhaul that was released in March 2023.
In 2024, NEA-New Hampshire helped construct a 306 Rule revision proposal that was submitted to the State Board of Education. Unfortunately, the Board moved forward with a NH Department of Education proposal (see here). NEA-New Hampshire opposes the current NH DOE draft 306 Rule revision because it:
- Privatizes learning
- Removes class size requirements
- Moves to a statewide model of competency and assessment (eliminating local control)
- Removes educator certification requirements
The State Board of Education public hearings and public comment period for the draft 306 Rules has closed. NEA-New Hampshire will continue to update members about the 306 Rule revision process as it progresses. If you have questions, please contact Brian.
306 Rule Resources: