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Common Core Committees Issue Recommendations
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | December 12, 2013
Separate reports from the Assembly and Senate Common Core select committees support regular legislative review of current academic standards, but not outright repeal.
Neither the report from the Assembly committee chaired by Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt, R-Fond du Lac, or the Senate committee chaired by Sen. Paul Farrow, R-Pewaukee, argues for reversing Common Core standards. But the Assembly report does suggest DPI halt adoption of any other Common Core-related standards and the Senate recommends delaying the roll out of a key test.
The Assembly report also suggests creating a “STEM-based addendum” to high school curriculum standards and having the Legislature “affirm the existing authority” of school districts’ ability to set their own academic standards and instructional materials.
Farrow’s report, as he previously told WisPolitics.com, recommends delaying the roll out of the “Smarter Balance” test, which was meant to line up with new Common Core standards. Instead, the Senate report recommends reviewing for two years how the test works in other states. Once the test is issued along with ACT testing for high schoolers, the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examination would be discontinued.
Both reports recommend reviewing academic standards for the state of Wisconsin, but Farrow’s report would recommend creating a separate standards board that would review academic standards in four subject areas over a six-year span; two of those subjects would be alternated for review every three years. The Assembly report only specifies the need for a formal process to review those standards that begins with a review of math and language arts standards.
While the Senate report laments the lack of flexibility under the Common Core standards, the Assembly report urges the Legislature to “aggressively oppose any direct or indirect effort by the federal government to further intrude into Wisconsin K-12 education.”
Both reports recommend protecting student privacy and limiting certain data collection on those students.
Speaker Robin Vos said the Assembly report shows the need for school districts to maintain their own standards and independence from outside influences.
“It’s important that our state continues to empower local school boards to decide what’s best for their students,” Vos said. “State or federal bureaucrats should not force feed local school districts educational standards or curriculum. Our local school board members were elected and are accountable to the taxpayers for making the appropriate educational decisions for their communities.”
Prior to the reports’ release today, State Superintendent Tony Evers pointed to a survey he said showed school district administrators supported the current Common Core standards.
Survey results were released yesterday by Thiesfeldt’s office.
In addition, the School Administrators Alliance released a statement supporting implementation of the Common Core standards, saying they’re a large improvement over previously existing standards.
“It is true that our members have indicated there are challenges of time and resources in the implementation of the CCSS, just as there are challenges and frustrations in the implementation of any statewide initiative in this era of limited educational resources,” the statement from the SAA read. “The issue however, is limited resources, not the CCSS.”
The Assembly Select Committee on Common Core Standards voted to support its recommendations today. The Senate committee is expected to take up its report next week.
See the Assembly report recommendations here.
See the Senate report here.
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