State Department of Education outlines rule changes on standards, special education manual and graduation requirements including digital literacy

The Idaho State Department of Education presented a package of administrative-rule updates and proposed changes affecting content standards, the Special Education Manual and high-school graduation requirements during a Senate Education Committee hearing.

Greg Wilson, chief of staff for the State Department of Education, told the committee the department had completed its 2024 standards-review cycle and was proposing temporary rules that incorporate several updated Idaho content standards and the Idaho Special Education Manual into administrative code. He said the State Board of Education approved the reviewed standards in June 2024 and that the temporary rules are intended to ensure continuity for classrooms while the legislature reviews adoption.

Wilson said the department revised the Idaho Special Education Manual after receiving a December 2023 letter from the U.S. Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) indicating portions of Idaho's manual were not aligned with the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). "The department conducted a thorough review of the manual over several months in 2024," Wilson said, and submitted temporary-rule language so schools…