Truth in American Education

Fighting to stop the Common Core State Standards, their Assessments and Student Data Mining.

  • Home
  • About Us
    • TAE Advocates
    • Network Participants
    • Related Websites
  • Common Core State Standards
    • National Education Standards
    • Gates Foundation & NCEE Influence
    • State Costs for Adopting and Implementing the Common Core State Standards
    • National Curriculum
    • Common Core State Standards Content
      • Standard Algorithms in the Common Core State Standards
    • Myths Versus Facts
    • States Fighting Back Map
    • Closing the Door on Innovation
    • CCSSI Development Teams
  • Common Core Assessments
    • Opt Out Info
  • Race To The Top
    • District-Level Race to the Top–Race to the Top IV
  • Resources
    • Legislative Bills Against CCSS
    • Pioneer Institute White Papers
    • Model Resolutions
    • Parents’ & Educators’ Executive Order
    • CC = Conditions + Coercion + Conflict of Interest
  • Audio & Video
  • Privacy Issues and State Longitudinal Data Systems
    • Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems
  • ESEA/NCLB
    • Statements and Proposed Plans
    • Every Child Achieves Act July 2015
    • Student Success Act
    • Every Child Ready for College or Career Act
    • No Child Left Behind Waivers
    • ESEA Blueprint, Briefing Book, and Position Paper
  • Home School/Private School
  • Action Center
    • Parent and Community Action Plan
    • Stop CCSSI ToolKit
    • Sign Up or Contact TAE

Renewing the Fight to Stop Common Core

January 22, 2014 By Shane Vander Hart

120201-N-ZZ999-271

As state legislatures across the country are starting new sessions I thought it would be a good time to highlight how the fight to stop the Common Core State Standards is being renewed in state capitols.  2013 was the first round and now we are entering the second, the bell has run.  The pressure is mounting, so much so, that Governor Mary Fallin (R-OK) who chairs the National Governors Association, spoke out in defense of the Common Core.  They are expecting a big fight this year.  Governors are under a lot of pressure.

This is not exhaustive if there is a bill, etc. that I missed be sure to mention it in the comments.

I pointed out yesterday how Kentucky now has a couple of bills and will be marked appropriately on our map when it gets updated.  If your map is not listed and there are bills that have been filed be sure to email James and me (James is the guy who does the map).

Tennessee lawmakers are gearing up again offering legislation to delay the Common Core which is being implemented in schools in the Volunteer State this year.

Around a dozen House Republicans, according to Rep. Rick Womick, R-Rockvale, are united behind a bill to take a pause from the controversial curriculum — for up to three or four years — and separate legislation to delay administering its corresponding test, called the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers.

With a Common Core showdown brewing for months, he said, lawmakers have sought collaboration to prevent duplicating legislative efforts.

“Bottom line is, yes, we’re looking at legislation that will put a pause on Common Core and put a pause on the PARCC testing until we can sit down and really take a look at this and see what’s going on with it,” said Womick, who is helping lead the push.

“Let’s look at what we’re getting and compare it to what we have and make ours better by using Tennessee educators.”

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says that the Common Core needs “corrective action.”

Cuomo, as part of his budget presentation Tuesday, announced plans for a special advisory panel that will recommend “corrective action” in the way the state implements the curriculum — which is part of a national effort to raise academic standards.

He unfortunately supports the Common Core agenda, but says there has been “too much uncertainty, confusion and anxiety.”  He is also calling for the end of standardized testing for Kindergarteners through 2nd Grade.

In Colorado, according to the Denver Post,  the Douglas County School System seeks to opt-out of federal and state standardized testing.

The board is pushing for legislation allowing school districts to opt out of tests without fear of penalty and on Tuesday night unanimously approved a resolution calling for such legislation:

"(The district) believes that it is in the best position to design authentic assessments that will provide valuable feedback to students and aid educators on determining student progress," according to the resolution.

The resolution also calls for parents’ right to exempt their students from statewide tests without risk of penalty to the student, teacher, school or district. It denounces "Common Core" standards, calling them "low level."

A bill in Missouri filed by State Senator John Lamping (R-Ladue) would stop compliance with the Common Core State Standards.  According to the 10th Amendment Center:

SB514 would prohibit the Missouri state board of education and other state educational departments from implementing Common Core State Standards or any substantially similar federal learning standards.

“Any actions taken to adopt or implement the Common Core State Standards as of the effective date of this section are void.”

While touted as a state initiative, the federal government is deeply involved in both the formulation and implementation of Common Core. Constitutionally, the federal government should not be involved in education at all.

The effort to slow down on Common Core gets boost in the Rhode Island State House.

Rep. Gregg Amore of East Providence, a teacher at East Providence High School, submitted a bill (2014-H 7095) last week to “create a task force to evaluate the system so students, teachers, parents and administrators can – at the very least – fully understand the implications of the new system.”

“Until we have all the facts in front of us and know what we’re getting ourselves into, we should not be holding anyone accountable through this system,” said Amore. “No one has a clear picture of how much the Common Core objectives will cost our districts overall.”

The legislation has asked that a 20-member panel, including Education Commissioner Debra Gist or a designee, evaluate Common Core and the PARCC (Partnership for Assessment and Readiness for College and Careers) assessment test that goes with it over the next year.

Politico reports that Maryland is getting sticker shock.

Meanwhile, Maryland lawmakers were briefed on a new study that found schools will need $100 million in computer and infrastructure upgrades to prepare for Common Core tests. The implementation and testing will be so disruptive that some schools might have to cancel some electives and even shut down essential funct
ions like email to preserve bandwidth during the testing period, the study found. State Sen. Paul Pinsky told the Baltimore Sun that the study “raises concerns” and suggested that the rollout might need to be slowed.

Deseret News has a good summary of how the opposition is gaining steam.  Such as…

  • George Will’s recent column in The Washington Post.  This is pretty big, even Fordham is saying so (though I do take issue with Smarick, Will does not represent the only “principled opposition” out there.
  • Then there is John Stossel’s recent piece.
  • Lance Izumi wrote at National Review that the ““Parents and teachers from across the political spectrum are joining together in a nationwide grassroots rebellion to protest the lack of transparency in the Common Core adoption process, the exclusion of public input, and the disempowerment of local educators and the public.”

What is going on in your neck of the woods?

Photo credit: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Elliott Fabrizio (Public Domain)

Filed Under: Common Core State Standards, Education at State Level Tagged With: 2014-H-7095, Andrew Cuomo, Colorado, common core assessments, Common Core State Standards, Debra Gist, Douglas County School Board, Gregg Amore, John Lamping, Maryland, Missouri, Missouri Senate, New York, PARCC, Paul Pinsky, Rhode Island, SB514, Tennessee, Tennessee Legislature

Comments

  1. Karen Lamoreaux says

    January 22, 2014 at 4:42 pm

    Arkansas will be introducing a bill this Session in Feb! It is n draft format now… stay tuned!

    • Shane Vander Hart says

      January 23, 2014 at 12:26 am

      Great! We’ll have something to report from Iowa soon as well!

  2. Bill says

    January 23, 2014 at 2:43 pm

    I would like to see a dashboard of the suits that are being filed in the States to Stop Common Core. Also, any suggestions by anyone on how to find out who has the authority in Illinois to implement the Common Core Standards. Is it the Illinois State Board of Education which is an appointed position or is it the state legislature?

    • 13guns says

      January 23, 2014 at 10:24 pm

      Quinn did it illegally as far as I am concerned. Good luck finding an attorney to do anything.

  3. Danny Boy says

    January 25, 2014 at 5:33 pm

    It’s always worth noting that Big Testing and Publishing (Pearson Education, Achieve Inc, the College Board, ETS) pour millions into the hands of politicians to advance CCSS. The Gates Foundation has poured literally hundreds of millions into advancing the Common Core. (Can’t imagine HOW Microsoft would benefit by e-testing, and e-data management!)

    If you local politicians seem slow to respond to calls for examination into Common Core, you might want to see who’s making them campaign contributions. (The National Governors Association has already been bought and paid many times over, which is why CCSS has gotten as far as it already has.)

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Phone
  • Twitter

States Fighting Back

https://app.box.com/s/10nl1409mkaf00zzzuyf

CCSS Opt-Out Form

  • Click here to download the CCSS Opt-Out Form

Campbell’s Law

"The more any quantitative social indicator is used for social decision-making, the more subject it will be to corruption pressures and the more apt it will be to distort and corrupt the social processes it is intended to monitor."

- Donald Campbell

Copyright © 2021 Truth in American Education · Developed & Hosted by 4:15 Communications, LLC.