Standards Review Committee finalizes edits to high-school journalism electives

The Tennessee State Board of Education Standards Review Committee voted by consensus on Oct. 7 to adopt a series of edits to the proposed Journalism 1–4 elective standards, including changes to course descriptions and several content standards.

Committee members said the changes are intended to preserve progression across levels while giving teachers flexibility. "We left off with the final few remaining journalism standards for journalism 4," Vice Chair Hilliard said as the committee resumed the item. Members then worked through language changes and accepted them by consensus.

The changes include replacing wording that had asked students to "demonstrate knowledge of business operations" with the more active verb "manage business operations," a tweak committee members said better matches the level of student practice expected in Journalism 4. The committee also added the phrase "innovate and adhere to a style" to a multimedia standard so students are expected to both apply and creatively use visual elements.

Committee members adjusted all four course descriptions to highlight experiential, hands-on work; for example, Journalism 1 and 2 will explicitly note a "hands-on introductory/continued exploration" of media writing, publishing and production. For Journalism 3 and 4 the committee inserted language requiring students to "coach peers on important journalistic concepts, manage production alongside their teacher and/or administration, and research and understand the work environment, vocational opportunities, and leadership expectations in the field of journalism."

Several members said the committee intentionally aligned the electives with applicable ELA writing and speaking/listening standards and removed a now-obsolete writing code referenced in an earlier draft. "One of the things we absolutely have to change here is that WPDW6 no longer exists," a committee member said during the session; members then revised references to reflect the current ELA standards.

Committee chairs asked staff to copy agreed revisions through the four journalism course pages and to use track changes and rationale notes for any substantive edits so future reviewers can follow the changes.

Ending: The committee completed the journalism section and moved on to supporting language and the next elective on the agenda.