DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of the Secretary

FINAL

REGULATORY IMPLEMENTING ORDER

501 State Content Standards

I. SUMMARY OF THE EVIDENCE AND INFORMATION SUBMITTED

Pursuant to 14 Del.C. Sections 122(b) and 104(b), the Secretary of Education seeks the consent of the State Board of Education to amend 14 DE Admin. Code 501 State Content Standards. This regulation is being amended to include Financial Literacy standards and Computer Science standards. The amendment provides that the Financial Literacy standards are adopted for the 2018-19 school year. Any financial literacy curriculum used by the districts and charter schools would need to be aligned to these new standards on a timeline established by the Department. Further, the amendment provides that the Computer Science standards are adopted for the 2018-19 school year. Any computer science curriculum used by the districts and charter schools would need to be aligned to these new standards on a timeline established by the Department. The Department is working with our districts and charter schools to establish this timeline which allows for the appropriate time for curriculum to be aligned and professional learning to occur.

Notice of the proposed regulation was published in the News Journal and the Delaware State News on December 1, 2017, in the form hereto attached as Exhibit "A". Comments were received from Governor's Advisory Council for Exceptional Citizens and the State Council for Persons with Disabilities endorsing the regulation. However, both entities expressed concern with the clarity of the timetable for adoption. The Department is cognizant of the importance in providing technical assistance and support when new standards are adopted and plans to work with the school districts and charter schools on the adoption timeline. A similar process was undertaken with the adoption and implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards.

II. FINDINGS OF FACTS

The Secretary finds that it is appropriate to amend 14 DE Admin. Code 501 State Content Standards to include Financial Literacy standards and Computer Science standards.

III. DECISION TO AMEND THE REGULATION

For the foregoing reasons, the Secretary concludes that it is appropriate to amend 14 DE Admin. Code 501 State Content Standards. Therefore, pursuant to 14 Del.C. §122, 14 DE Admin. Code 501 State Content Standards attached hereto as Exhibit "B" is hereby amended. Pursuant to the provision of 14 Del.C. §122(e), 14 DE Admin. Code 501 State Content Standards hereby amended shall be in effect for a period of five years from the effective date of this order as set forth in Section V. below.

IV. TEXT AND CITATION

The text of 14 DE Admin. Code 501 State Content Standards amended hereby shall be in the form attached hereto as Exhibit "B", and said regulation shall be cited as 14 DE Admin. Code 501 State Content Standards in the Administrative Code of Regulations for the Department of Education.

V. EFFECTIVE DATE OF ORDER

The actions hereinabove referred to were taken by the Secretary pursuant to 14 Del.C. §122 on January 18, 2018. The effective date of this Order shall be ten (10) days from the date this Order is published in the Delaware Register of Regulations.

IT IS SO ORDERED the 18th day of January 2018.

Department of Education

Susan S. Bunting, Ed.D., Secretary of Education

Approved this 18th day of January 2018

State Board of Education

501 State Content Standards

1.1 Instructional programs offered in the public schools of Delaware shall be in alignment with the appropriate content standards documents. These documents are: English Language Arts Curriculum Framework Content Standards, Mathematics Curriculum Framework Content Standards, Science Curriculum Framework Content Standards, Social Studies Curriculum Framework Content Standards, Health Education Curriculum Framework and Assessment Content Standards, Physical Education Content Standards, Visual and Performing Arts Content Standards, Agriscience Curriculum Framework Content Standards, Business Finance and Marketing Education Curriculum Framework Content Standards, World Language Curriculum Framework Content Standards, Technology Education Curriculum Framework Content Standards, Skilled and Technical Sciences Content Standards, and the Family and Consumer Sciences Content Standards, Computer Science Content Standards and Financial Literacy Content Standards.

1.1.1 The content standards documents may from time to time hereafter be amended with the approval of the Secretary and the State Board of Education.

1.1.1.1 Effective with the 2010-2011 school year, Delaware Content Standards in English language arts and mathematics shall be comprised of the Common Core Standards developed in partnership with the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers.

1.1.1.2 Effective with the 2013-2014 school year, the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) developed in partnership with twenty-six (26) states, including Delaware, shall be adopted as the Delaware Content Standards in science. For purposes of this subsection, “adopted” shall mean to accept a set of standards as the basis for curriculum and assessment alignment across the state according to a timeline established and disseminated by the Department of Education.

1.1.1.3 Effective with the 2018-19 school year, the Financial Literacy Content Standards shall be adopted. For purposes of this subsection, "adopted" means to accept a set of standards as the basis for curriculum across the state according to a timeline established and disseminated by the Department of Education.

1.1.1.4 Effective with the 2018-19 school year, the Computer Science Content Standards shall be adopted. For purposes of this subsection, "adopted" means to accept a set of standards as the basis for curriculum across the state according to a timeline established and disseminated by the Department of Education.

1.1.2 Integration of the content standards shall be provided for within and across the curricula.

1.1.3 Instructional materials and curricula content shall be kept current and consistent with provisions of 14 DE Admin. Code 502 Alignment of Local School District Curricula to the State Content Standards and 14 DE Admin. Code 503 Instructional Program Requirements.