At a glance
What was once near-unanimity in support for pending Common Core State Standards in K-12 public education is eroding as tea party activists and some conservative groups now condemn the standards.
After the standards were developed through collaboration between the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School officers in 2009 and 2010, then-Indiana Gov Mitch Daniels and then-Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett joined their peers in the bipartisan support. Indiana became one of 44 states to adopt.
Indiana schools began transitioning to Common Core in the fall of 2011, while continuing to follow its own state standards quantified by ISTEP+ testing, with plans to switch to the Common Core exam for the 2014-15 school year.
But last fall, after U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and President Barack Obama also evinced support for Common Core, opposition arose.
In May, Gov. Mike Pence, signed a resolution passed by the Republican-controlled Indiana General Assembly that defers implementation of Common Core. Indiana will continue administering ISTEP+ exams through 2015 while evaluating Common Core. A month earlier, the Republican National Committee had adopted a resolution rejecting the implementation of Common Core.
Educators, researchers, community groups, teachers, parents, business leaders, content experts and the general public were among those consulted in the creation of Common Core, and the standards of high-performing nations were scrutinized. Emphasis was placed on students attaining “21st century skills” to prepare them for college-level work and a competitive world.
According to the creators and proponents of Common Core, the criteria utilized were:
Aligned with college and work expectations.
Inclusive of rigorous content and application of knowledge through high-order skills.
Built upon strengths and lessons of current state standards.
Informed by top-performing countries, so that all students are prepared to succeed in society and the global economy.
Evidence and/or research-based.
Proponents have to hope that once the public becomes better acquainted with the Common Core State Standardsfor grades K-12, they’ll draw more support.
Skepticism regarding those standards, along with the ramifications of standardized testing and public-funded vouchers, were among results revealed by the 45th annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools released today.
With Common Core constituting a major overhaul already adopted by 44 states — Indiana included, though it subsequently deferred implementation — poll results indicate a lack of knowledge regarding the new standards, which were developed through a collaboration between the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers.
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