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Lawmakers aim to reject, replace Idaho education standards

Posted at 11:42 AM, Jan 13, 2022
and last updated 2022-01-14 07:43:00-05

BOISE, Idaho — A panel of Idaho lawmakers has introduced legislation to reject math, science and English standards used to make sure Idaho's more than 300,000 K-12 students are meeting specific criteria.

The House Education Committee on Thursday also introduced legislation to replace them with new draft standards and direct the State Board of Education to advance those standards through the state's arcane administrative rules process. The same committee tried but failed to kill the standards in 2020.

Backers of current standards say they're needed to keep Idaho students competitive. Opponents say they make kids lose interest in learning and it's nearly impossible for parents to help them with homework.