This Week With OCA - Founding of America Documents Curriculum Saved for Now

As many of you know, there was an effort by the Ohio State School Board to vote on a resolution that would have urged the Ohio Legislature to do away with the end of course exam in American Government.  Here was the resolution that was being considered but has been withdrawn.  Click here for the radio broadcast discussing the issue. 

This would have been a critical blow to the Founding of America Documents Curriculum that we passed just five short years ago, curriculum that assures that Ohio school students receive instruction in The U.S. Constitution with an emphasis on The Bill of Rights, The Declaration of Independence, the Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers, The Northwest Ordinance, and The Ohio Consitution in the 8th - 12th grade, with an end of course exam requirement in both American Government and American history. The Ohio Christian Alliance made the following presentation before the State School Board:

We urge you to vote NO on the proposal to eliminate the American Government high school end of course assessment.

Thank you, President Elshoff, Vice President Hollister, and members of the Ohio State Board of Education, for hearing our statement today concerning the proposal to eliminate the American Government high school end-of-course assessment. The proposal states, "BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the State Board of Education directs the Ohio Department of Education to seek legislative change so that the American Government high school end-of-course exam would no longer be required." We urge you to vote NO on the proposal.

The American Government and History Standards that are currently in the 8th-12th grade are the result of a ten-year legislative effort that culminated in the passage of S.B. 165, The Founding of America Documents Curriculum, in the 129th General Assembly in 2011. As you are aware, the legislation stipulates that one full credit hour will be dedicated to American Government and History in the Ohio classroom in the 8th – 12th grades with an end of course exam. It specifies that The Declaration of Independence, The U.S. Constitution with The Bill of Rights, the Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers, The Northwest Ordinance, and The Ohio Constitution will be taught, with an end of course exam. The Ohio legislature and citizens groups have been monitoring the progress in the various districts of the implementation of The Founding of America Documents Curriculum. It is estimated that 20 percent of the end of course exam covers the founding documents. So, good progress is being made. The intent and need for this curriculum legislation was due to the fact that students had poor knowledge of our American form of government. Research by numerous entities indicated the alarming fact that little time, if any, was being spent on the subject matter under the previous social studies standards. The State School Board, legislators, and parents understood the problem and supported the effort to correct it with S.B. 165.

To turn back now after making the positive progress we have made with the instruction of the U.S. Constitution, The Bill of Rights, The Declaration of Independence, the Federalist and Anti-Federalist Paper, The Northwest Ordinance, and the Ohio Constitution in the Ohio classroom for the benefit of future Ohioans would be a shame and a great loss at such a critical time when our nation's youth are in desperate need of understanding who we are as a representative republic and how our government works. That's why we urge you to vote NO on the proposed resolution to do away with the end of course exam in American Government and History.

Thank you for your consideration.

Chris Long
President Ohio Christian Alliance

THANKS TO YOUR MANY CALLS AND EMAILS TO YOUR REPRESENTATIVES ON THE STATE SCHOOL BOARD, THE PROPOSAL WAS WITHDRAWN. YOUR VOICE MADE A DIFFERENCE. WE WILL KEEP AN EYE ON THIS AND KEEP YOU UPDATED. 

The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.