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SECOND REGULAR SESSION
HOUSE BILL NO. 3188
103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE SCHMIDT.
7048H.01I JOSEPH ENGLER, Chief Clerk
AN ACT
To amend chapter 161, RSMo, by adding thereto one new section relating to a pilot program
for media literacy and critical thinking.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Chapter 161, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto one new section, to be
2 known as section 161.355, to read as follows:
161.355. 1. This section shall be known and may be cited as the "Media Literacy
2 and Critical Thinking Act".
3 2. As used in this section, "media literacy" means the following:
4 (1) An individual's ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and participate with all
5 forms of media, such as:
6 (a) News in print; and
7 (b) Social media content, such as images, text, video, and other media content;
8 (2) An individual's ability to r
ecognize bias and stereotypes in media messages;
9 (3) The foundational skills of digital citizenship and internet safety; and
10 (4) In the classro
om, media literacy includes integrating the process of critical
11 analysis of media messages into the daily classr
oom curricula.
12 3. The department of elementary and secondary education shall establish the
13 "Media Literacy and Critical Thinking Pilot Pr
ogram". Such pilot program shall be
14 implemented and administered during the 2027-28 and 2028-29 school years.
15 4. Under the media literacy and critical thinking pilot pr
ogram, the department
16 of elementary and secondary education shall select five to seven diverse school districts
EXPLANATION — Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in the above bill is not enacted and is
intended to be omitted from the law. Matter in bold-face type in the above bill is proposed language.
WITHDRAWN
17 to participate in the pilot program and from which to study data related to the outcomes
18 of the pilot program in such school districts.
19 5. A pilot program site shall:
20 (1) Address each component of media literacy;
21 (2) Develop successful strategies for student learning within the daily classroom
22 curricula in all grades or for a selected preschool to grade twelve level;
23 (3) Identify high-quality resources for such pilot program; and
24 (4) Demonstrate and report how such site addresses the following in the
25 classroom:
26 (a) News content literacy, which is the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and
27 distinguish verified information from opinion and propaganda and the opportunity to
28 practice verification;
29 (b) Visual literacy, which is the ability to find, interpret, and evaluate images and
30 visual media such as photographs, videos, illustrations, drawings, maps, diagrams, and
31 advertisements;
32 (c) Digital fluency, which is the ability to understand and follow the norms of
33 safe and responsible technology use and how media influences attitudes and behaviors;
34 and
35 (d) Digital literacy, which is the ability to be technically fluent and able to make
36 informed decisions about content encountered online, recognize how networked
37 technology affects behavior and perception, and create and effectively communicate
38 with digital media tools.
39 6. The guidelines developed as a result of the study of the information gained
40 from the pilot program shall provide students with the following information:
41 (1) The purpose and acceptable use of various social media platforms;
42 (2) Social media behavior that ensures cybersafety, cybersecurity, and cyber
43 ethics;
44 (3) The potential negative consequences of failing to use various social media
45 platforms responsibly, such as cyberbullying;
46 (4) The ability to access, analyze, evaluate, create, and act on all forms of digital
47 and written communications;
48 (5) Digital ethics, etiquette, respectful discourse with individuals who have
49 differing opinions, safety, security, digital footprints, and the identification of rhetoric
50 that incites violence;
51 (6) Cyberbullying prevention and response;
52 (7) The significance of algorithms;
53 (8) Ways to identify online misinformation;
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54 (9) A general knowledge of the economic structure of the digital landscape; and
55 (10) The importance of the right to freedom of speech as contained in the Bill of
56 Rights of the Constitution of the United States including, but not limited to:
57 (a) The central role that the right to freedom of speech has in the history of the
58 United States; and
59 (b) The applicability of protections for freedom of speech for online interaction
60 in school settings that the department of elementary and secondary education shall
61 provide to school districts.
62 7. The guidelines developed as a result of the study of the information gained
63 from the pilot program shall provide school districts with samples of learning activities,
64 resources, and training that promote critical thinking and the skills necessary to
65 evaluate all forms of media.
66 8. Before August 1, 2029, each pilot program site shall submit a report to the
67 department of elementary and secondary education describing the implementation of
68 and the information gained from the pilot program.
69 9. Before January 1, 2030, the department of elementary and secondary
70 education shall compile the reports submitted from the pilot program sites and submit a
71 summary report to the general assembly containing at least the following information:
72 (1) Qualitative and quantitative insights on how the pilot program sites
73 addressed media literacy;
74 (2) A compendium of high-quality strategies and resources used by educators;
75 (3) Any professional development used or required;
76 (4) Recommendations about what facilities, instructional materials, and
77 technologies are needed to implement a media literacy and critical thinking program
78 statewide;
79 (5) Exploration of additional policies, administrative mechanisms, and legislative
80 recommendations for implementing best practices and standards statewide; and
81 (6) A draft of proposed clear, inclusive media literacy and critical thinking state
82 standards for preschool to grade twelve, compiled by drawing from key media literacy
83 skills and competencies in existing state standards and from the pilot program results.
84 10. Standards developed under this section shall be included for consideration
85 by the department of elementary and secondary education during the state standards
86 review immediately following the termination of the pilot program.
87 11. The media literacy and critical thinking pilot program shall terminate on
88 June 30, 2029.
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89 12. This section shall expire on December 31, 2029.
✔
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