LEGISLATION | mosocialstudies

MCSS Legislative Report

April 2020

I could never have imagined what my next Legislative Corner would entail after our January edition. In January, we were sharing great PD for the summer and additional resources for teachers to continue growing their teacher toolbox. However, as social distancing and stay-at-home orders are the new norm, lots of things are changing for teachers and students around the state.

Here are some top things to know from DESE and our MO Legislative Branch in this unprecedented time:

Spring state testing is cancelled for Spring 2020: As Commissioner VanDeven shared on March 30, “ “There is a time and a place for statewide required assessments and now is not the time. Effective immediately, Missouri will be cancelling statewide required assessments for this school year.”
No APR will be collected this year due to the lack of state testing data. DESE is working to put plans in place for the last cycle of MSIP 5 and the first cycle of MSIP 6 acknowledging the lack of Spring 2020 testing data.
Students enrolled in EOC courses in 2019-2020 will be assigned a special exemption code that will follow them throughout their HS career, ensuring they are still eligible for on-time graduation without EOC scores in these courses from the 2019-2020 school year.
On April 2nd, Governor Parsons approved the following exemptions:
- Graduating Seniors completing personal finance in Spring 2020
- Graduating Seniors completing CPR and Heimlich maneuver in Spring 2020
- Graduating Seniors taking the Missouri and US Constitution test in Spring 2020
  - This does NOT apply to Freshman-Juniors who are currently enrolled. They will still be required to take the Missouri and US Constitution before graduation.

On April 9, Governor Parson closed all Missouri schools for in-person instruction for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year.

*If you are interested in reading the full memo of cancellations and information from DESE, please check the following resources:

As always, you can keep track of what is going on in the Missouri Legislature from Missouri Bill Tracker, MO Bill Tracker throughout this season. Stay safe, stay well, and we hope to see you again in person soon!

-Erin Townsend, 64 Delegate