While Indiana educators, lawmakers and parents debate among themselves whether to continue with Common Core State Standards, Hoosier young people who will be going off to college in the future could be left out in the cold looking in.
That is, if lawmakers decide eventually to dump Indiana’s commitment to join more than 40 states in going ahead with Common Core.
Three years ago, the Indiana Legislature agreed to go forward with Common Core, a set of national curriculum standards in math and reading developed by governors and state education leaders — not the federal government, although the Obama administration has endorsed states adopting Common Core.
Indiana and other states have started Common Core in the kindergarten and first grade, but the legislature last year agreed to put the brakes on, given the concerns expressed by some parents and critics. As a result, the Indiana Legislature this year decided to do a summer legislative study of Common Core, to decide in part if they jumped the gun in authorizing Common Core three years ago.
However, at the end of the study sessions, the 12-member legislative group could not agree on a recommendation to move forward with Common Core, or to drop it in favor of Indiana creating its own curriculum and testing program. But there is a big problem with Indiana going its own way on curriculum and testing.
Let’s say 40 states end up adopting Common Core, but Indiana and a few other states do not. It is decided already that leading textbook providers and assessment companies are aligning themselves with Common Core.
According to a Courier & Press report from July, those include the College Boards, which develops SAT and ACT tests.
It strikes us that Indiana students would be left out of the college mainstream if they should have to prepare for testing via math and reading standards prepared in Indiana.
Not that Indiana educators wouldn’t do an OK job of developing standards, but they might find themselves out of step with Common Core based programs. Indeed, if they go away to school in a Common Core state, they could start off in the hole.
It just seems so unnecessary, if Indiana decides to go ahead with its plans for Common Core. What is the alternative?
For Indiana to return to its own academic programs, which are considered by some to be mediocre.
As we said, a legislative study committee recommended no decision on Common Core. But it will be time to decide, come January when the legislature goes back into session.
The state has already decided once to adopt Common Core, while the legislative study group could make no decision this summer.
Let us hope the state will decide this one on the side of Indiana young people headed for college. Adopt Common Core and allow them to begin their higher education on an equal basis with students from other states.