A bill to introduce play-based education standards to New Hampshire kindergarten classrooms passed the Senate floor Thursday, but without the bipartisan support it enjoyed in the House.
In a 13-11 vote, nearly along party lines, the body agreed to adopt House Bill 1499, which would add new standards for school kindergarten curricula, requiring that lessons be engaging and based on “early childhood best teaching practices and play-based learning.” That means classes that involve movement, music, creativity and exploration, according to the bill.
Presented as a way to preserve traditional, effective educational practices, the bill has received broad support in the House, passing the floor in a 328-8 vote last month, and in the Senate Education Committee, where it passed, 4-0.
But on the floor Thursday, Senate Democrats objected to what they called an unnecessary measure that would meddle with the way schools design their curricula and that could interfere with math and literacy instruction.
The bill heads back to the House for a vote to concur.
(Ethan DeWitt can be reached at edewitt@cmonitor.com, or on Twitter at @edewittNH.)