D’Randa Hooks
@writingdranda
The Appeal
The House Education Committee passed a bill Wednesday to repeal the Common Core academic standards being taught in Arizona.
The Common Core is a set of high-quality, K-12 academic standards in mathematics and English language arts/literacy (ELA). These learning goals outline what a student should know and be able to do at the end of each grade.
States led the development of the Common Core State Standards. In 2009, state leaders, including governors and state commissioners of education from 48 states, two territories and the District of Columbia, came together and decided to develop common, college- and career-ready standards in mathematics and English language arts. This was a collaborative effort that included all the angles of education from the spectrum of mostly all the states’ educational views.
These standards are aligned to the expectations of colleges, workforce training programs and employers. The standards promote equity by ensuring all students are well prepared to collaborate and compete with their peers in the United States and abroad. Unlike previous state standards, which varied widely from state to state, the Common Core enables collaboration among states on a range of tools and policies.
Adoption of the standards is voluntary. It is up to each state and territory to decide if they choose to adopt the Common Core State Standards as their state educational standards in English language arts and mathematics.
The House Education Committee passed a bill Wednesday to repeal the Common Core academic standards being taught in Arizona.
HB 2190, which passed 5-2, would revert to the standards that were in place before Common Core was adopted in 2010. The bill still must make its way through the Legislature.
The state Board of Education adopted the Common Core standards in 2010, renaming them the Arizona College and Career Ready Standards. The standards set grade-by-grade learning goals for English and math.
The vote came after three hours of testimony. Many opponents said the standards, adopted by most states, are federal overreach and make math too complicated.