We have been asked to share this action alert for Arizona.
EMAIL, CALL, or VISIT the AZ Senate Education Committee Members:
- Jeff Dial- Republican (LD18) jdial@azleg.gov 602-926-5550
- Kimberly Yee- Republican (LD8) kyee@azleg.gov 602-926-3024
- Carlyle Begay- Democrat (LD7) cbegay@azleg.gov 602-926-5862
- Kelli Ward- Republican (LD5) kward@azleg.gov 602-926-4138
- Sylvia Allen- Republican (LD6) sallen@azleg.gov 602-926-5409
- Steve Smith- Republican (LD11) stsmith@azleg.gov 602-926-9685
DEMAND: Passage of HB 2190 and HB 2246 out of the Senate Education Committee to allow the Common Core issue to be voted on by the people’s representatives! Both bills passed the House last week, the Senate Education Committee MUST continue to move the ball forward!
WHEN: Contact them TODAY! The vote is Thursday, March 19th, at 9:00am in Senate Hearing Room 1.
ATTEND: Speak out and provide public testimony against the Common Core Standards March 19th before the Committee.
What should you tell legislators?
The adoption process was flawed! State legislators were not involved in the process and “we the people” were not given a voice.
It’s unconstitutional. The U.S. Department of Education exceeded its authority by making federal grants and waivers contingent on the adoption of the Common Core standards and related assessments.
The standards are not of high quality. The Common Core standards werenot ranked as the top set of standards within the United States by the Fordham Institute. There are better options for Arizona!
The standards are NOT internationally benchmarked! Top mathematicians have warned that the Common Core standards will place American students two years behind their peers in high-performing countries by eighth grade and further weaken America’s international competitiveness.
The standards are NOT research-based! The Center for Education Policy at George Washington University concluded there is no evidence to support the claim that they will improve student achievement.
The standards diminish the study of literature! Data from international tests, such as PISA, show a strong correlation between higher literacy scores and students who read more complex literature.
Common Core increases student data collection! The federal government is collecting massive amounts of personally identifiable information on students. Arizona has signed agreements with the PARRC testing consortia to allow the U.S. Department of Education access to the student data collected through the assessments.
The standards are costly! National implementation of the Common Core standards and assessments will cost an estimated $15 billion across the participating states.
CC has failed to raise achievement in states already implementing it!States with the earliest implementation of the Common Core standards, such as Kentucky, have seen a decline in student achievement on the National Assessment of Education Progress, showing a lack of results from the standards.
CC Tests are FLAWED! The new Common Core tests were plagued with major technical difficulties and complaints from teachers regarding the content. Parents are upset that the Common Core increases the amount of time spent on testing and robs the classroom of valuable instruction time.
Kathy Hyde says
The email address for Senator Smith is incorrect in the text above. It is stsmith@azleg.gov.
S. Hicks says
Thank You!
everyonesfacts says
Fordham seems to disagree with you. An article, Ten Argument Against Common Core Presidential Hopefuls Should Avoid: http://edexcellence.net/articles/ten-arguments-against-common-core-presidential-hopefuls-should-avoid
Concerned critic says
Which two top mathematicians? Please cite your sources.