Monday, March 9, 2015

State House Voting on Bill to Ditch Common Core Standards

Posted By on Mon, Mar 9, 2015 at 10:45 AM


The Arizona House is considering a bill to rid the state of the Common Core Standards, or the Arizona College and Career Ready Standards.

HB 2190, sponsored by Oro Valley's Republican state Rep. Mark Finchem, would also prohibit the state's Board of Education from adopting any new standards. Instead, a new committee would arise, the Arizona Education Standards Steering Committee, and it would be up to them to establish and revise new standards for K-12 schools, while the board's sole duty would be to administer the standards to public schools.

Also, any changes would require public comment—parents, teachers, etc.—for a 60-day period on the Arizona Department of Education website.

It's a long list of  "no, you can't do that."

From the bill:
Prohibits SBE from entering into any agreement, memorandum of understanding or contract with a federal agency or private entity that cedes or limits state discretion and control over the process of developing, adopting or revising subject matter standards and the corresponding assessments in the public school system, including agreements in exchange for funding.
a. Requires SBE to initiate efforts to amend any agreement existing that is in conflict with this section on the effective date of this act.
b. Stipulates that this requirement does not prohibit SBE from seeking and being granted a federal waiver if the conditions for the waiver do not cede or limit control over the process of developing, adopting or revising standards and assessments.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas based her entire campaign on her opposition to the standards, and in January she said they are one of the reasons the state's education system continues to suffer. She referred to the standards and the test replacing the AIMS, AzMerit, as "unproven methods," and called for Gov. Doug Ducey and the state Legislature to "stop the madness."

Two weeks ago, a bill similar to Finchem's failed in the state Senate. Last year, efforts to kill the standards were also unsuccessful. 

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