JEFFERSON CITY — Recently, the governor signed House Bill 1490, authorizing the creation of new work groups to reevaluate standards for our current education curriculum. Many states, including Missouri, have been using Common Core standards as curriculum guidelines, but the Legislature thought that changes could be made in order to provide a true Missouri standard.

In order to revise these benchmarks, HB 1490 calls for the creation of these workgroups. The measure calls for a total of 32 members, 16 parents and 16 education professionals. A total of eight groups will be separated by grade and discipline — in the subjects of English, Math, Science and Social Studies for both kindergarten through fifth grades and sixth through twelfth.

At this time, Senate leadership is asking any concerned citizen qualified for the workgroups to apply for an open appointment. To be considered as an education professional, the nominee must have been a resident of Missouri for at least three years and have taught in the workgroup’s area of study for at least 10 years, or have no less than 10 years’ experience in that particular field. The hope is to appoint members from across the state and from many different backgrounds in order to get a wide variety of ideas.

If you would like to submit your application for consideration for these workgroups, please visit my Senate website, www.senate.mo.gov/kraus, and click on the button for the Common Core Working Group.

These groups will establish new benchmarks by which students in the Show-Me State will show educational growth. Our children deserve the best we can provide for their education, and this legislation will help enable us to fulfill that goal.

Teen Driver Training Program

For anyone who has a newly licensed teen driver in the family, Ford Driving Skills for Life is offering a free program, held at Worlds of Fun, to enhance driving skills on Thursday, Aug. 21, and Friday, Aug. 22. Developed in 2003, in conjunction with the Governors Highway Safety Association and other safety experts, this program focuses on issues often seen in new driver-related accidents, such as hazard recognition, vehicle handling, speed and space management and reaction time. There are two sessions each day, 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., so registration is very limited. Please visit www.drivingskillsforlife.com to register. Print out the waiver and bring it, along with the teen’s license, to the event.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns at any time. We look forward to hearing your comments and suggestions, and trying to answer any questions you may have. You can reach us by phone at (573) 751-1464, or e-mail at will.kraus@senate.mo.gov.