By Nia Baucke
North Dakota educators are ready to shake things up this school year. That includes the administrators and teachers at Northern Cass Public School District who plan on eliminating grades by 2020 by implementing personalized, competency-based learning.
This district-level innovation taking place at Northern Cass is possible thanks in part to the North Dakota education innovation bill, SB 2186, that passed in 2017. The bill was passed as a result of multiple public engagement efforts and joint conversations among myriad state, education and community leaders.
While educators have always been innovative in the classroom, the bill allows provides the formal flexibility that many districts need to broaden and systematize innovation district-wide. Under the new law, districts can apply for waivers that eliminate state requirements such as seat time and traditional course sequencing. In short, the education innovation bill “takes off the shackles” for school districts and allows them to be creative, Northern Cass superintendent, Cory Steiner said in this Hechinger Report story.
Read more about the development and passage of the education innovation bill.
The development and passage of the North Dakota education innovation bill SB 2186 was passed as a result of multiple public engagement efforts and joint conversations among many state, education and community leaders.
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What does it take to develop, gain community support for and pass a bill like SB 2186? Collaboration.
