STILL PRETTY COMMON CORE: Indiana Governor Mike Pence has signed legislation formally removing the Hoosier State from the consortium of 45 states adopting Common Core State Standards, and putting in place a new set of standards up for vote on April 28th.
Earlier this month, EdWeek reported that "roughly 30 to 40 people testified over the course of [a February] hearing held by the state board of education" about the stress placed on educators dealing with uncertainty over new standards. The latest move by Gov. Pence means that educators in the state -- especially Common Core early adopters -- will need to suspend their efforts until new standards are in place.
Considering how Race to the Top federal funds are linked to the adoption of Common Core-like standards, the new legislation may be more savvy, populist politics than a measured, critical response to the Standards. The AP reports that retired former University of Arkansas professor, Sandra Stotsky -- hired as an analyst by Gov. Pence, no less --finds "that more than 70 percent of the standards for sixth through 12th grade are directly from Common Core, and about 20 percent are edited versions."
