Common Core News of the Day

Poll: More New York Voters Oppose Common Core Than Support It. The Rochester (NY) Democrat & Chronicle (10/26, Spector) reports a Siena College poll found that more New York voters believe that Common Core has worsened public education in the state rather than improved it. The poll found that 40% of voters believed the standards were bad for schools, while only 21% believed they were good for schools, with the rest being unsure. Voters in New York City were more supportive of Common Core, while voters in the city’s suburbs and upstate New York were more opposed to it. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and the state DOE previously announced they would review the standards. Study: NAEP And Common Core Have “Overlap”, But Gaps Remain. Education Week (10/27, Heitin) reports a study by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Validity Studies Panel found that the NAEP test had “reasonable” overlap with Common Core standards, but the test failed to measure some of the standards in the Common Core curriculum. For example, 87% of the NAEP’s eighth grade math test questions “matched material from the common-core standards”, but only 58% of the Common Core standards were tested on the NAEP. Missouri Panel Submits Proposed New Standards To Replace Common Core. The AP (10/27, Ballentine) reports a panel of Missouri education experts, teachers, and parents presented their recommendations to the state BOE after working for a year to develop new academic standards to replace Common Core as well as for social science and science. The panel was created in 2014 by the state legislature in response to criticism of Common Core. The new recommendations from the panel have been criticized for challenging Common Core and also for being too similar to Common Core. One panel member said the sixth to twelfth grade English standards work group said many of the new standards are “exactly” the same as the old standards.

Common Core

Debate Surrounding PARCC Assessment Continues In Massachusetts. The Worcester (MA) Telegram & Gazette (10/23, O'Connell) reported that Commissioner Mitchell Chester introduced the concept for a standardized test at last Monday’s board of education meeting which combines elements from both the previous MCAS assessment and the recently adopted PARCC, which is more closely aligned with the standards established by Common Core. However, despite the compromise, supporters of the PARCC have reportedly been steadfast in their support for the assessment, maintaining that PARCC represents a significant improvement over the previous exam and provides educators and employers with a better metric to measure students’ abilities. Opponents of the PARCC exam, however, voiced there concern that that assessment’s standards actually fell below those previously established by the state, and argued that, with the adoption of PARCC, Massachusetts could lose control over the standards of state education. Maine Adopts SAT As 11th Grade Assessment Replacing Common Core’s Smarter Balanced Test. The Portland (ME) Press Herald (10/20) reports the Maine DOE announced they would use the SAT as their 11th grade assessment test, and use a New Hampshire company, Measured Progress Inc., to provide their third through eighth grade assessments. The SAT will replace the Smarter Balanced test, which was widely criticized for being difficult to administer and take.

Governor Jindal Appeals Court Ruling Against His Common Core Lawsuit.

The AP (10/23) reported that Governor Bobby Jindal’s administration has filed an appeal at the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals contesting a previous ruling rejecting his lawsuit against the US Department of Education alleging that states were illegally coerced to adopt Common Core standards. In that ruling, Judge Shelly Dick argued that Gov. Jindal had provided “no evidence” supporting his allegations.

Common Core

New York Education Commissioner Will Launch Online Survey On Common Core. The New York Daily News (10/21, Chapman) reports New York state education commissioner MaryEllen Elia announced the state DOE will launch an online survey to gather public input during the state’s review of the Common Core standards. More than 200,000 New York students boycotted the Common Core exams in 2015. Hawaii Releases Common Core Test Scores, Students Do Better In English Than Math. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser (10/21, Kalani) reports out of Hawaii’s 288 public schools, 76 had a majority of students that achieved proficiency on the math portion of the Common Core test, while 129 schools achieved proficiency on the English portion of the test. The data was released by the state DOE.

Today in Common Core News

New Mexico Students Score Lower On New State Standardized Tests. The AP (10/19) reports that a majority of New Mexico students failed to meet college and career readiness standards as assessed by new standardized tests developed by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers. These tests are reportedly designed to assess students’ readiness according to Common Core standards, and raised the benchmarks for students, which school officials argue made the poor results unsurprising. Critics of the exam, however, contend that the results are inconclusive, as the test has only been newly adopted. Yet, the state’s Public Education Secretary Hanna Skandera argued that the test has established a new standard and expressed confidence that scores would improve. North Carolina Academic Commission Reviews Common Core. WNCN-TV Raleigh-Durham, NC (10/19) reports the debate regarding the merits of Common Core which took place at the North Carolina Academic Standards Review Commission on Monday, at which parents expressed mixed opinions on whether the program should be kept. According to Andre Peek, co-chair of the commission, the commission’s task is to evaluate the Common Core standards and to identify areas where improvements can be made in the curriculum and method of assessment. June Atkinson, the superintendent of schools, has expressed support for the program, stating that “It’s very difficult to move away from a standard for which we hear business and industry and our universities and community colleges say these are standards that are children need in order to be successful.” New York Education Leaders Promise Review Of Common Core Standards Amid Parent Complaints. The Chalkbeat New York (10/19, Disare) reports New York education leaders “struck a measured tone when discussing the Common Core standards on Monday and pledged again to tweak the state’s math and English tests.” Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia promised that the state is reviewing Common Core standards and asked school board members to be a part of that review process. Richard Longhurst, the executive administrator of the NYS Parent Teacher Association, spoke at the same conference listing the complaints of parents about the Common Core tests. West Virginia Justices Refuse Petition Calling Common Core Illegal. The AP (10/19) reports the unanimous decision by the West Virginia Supreme Court to refuse a petition filed by Republican state Delegate Mike Folk, who contended that the Common Core standards are a violation of state and Constitutional law.

Common Core News

New Mexico Gets First Common Core High School Test Results, Majority Passed English, But Not Math. The Albuquerque (NM) Journal (10/17, Uyttebrouck) reports almost 75% of New Mexico’s high school students who took the Common Core English test passed, but less than 25% passed the Common Core math test. These results are the first since New Mexico adopted the Common Core test in place of its previous state standards. West Virginia DOE Will Vote On Changing Common Core Next Month. The AP (10/19) reports the West Virginia BOE will vote next month on possible changes to the Common Core standards adopted by the state.

Lawsuit Challenging Missouri’s Ability To Pay Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium Appealed To Three Judge Panel. The Jefferson City (MO) News Tribune (10/16, Watson) reports Cole County Circuit Judge Dan Green in Missouri held that the state making payments to the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium violates the US Constitution. Missouri is now arguing that the case is moot because the last budget they passed did not authorize the state to make any more such payments, but the plaintiffs who brought the lawsuit are appealing the decision to a three-judge appeals court panel in the state arguing that the state still has interests in the case.

New York Common Core Task Force Has First Meeting, Reviews History Of Implementation. The Oneida (NY) Dispatch (10/18) reports New York’s Common Core Task Force met at the CUNY Graduate Center in Albany. The task force was established to review Common Core to help “fix and strengthen the state’s learning standards and ensure that every student has the opportunity to reach their full potential.” The group’s first meeting focused on “the history and timeline of Common Core standards development and implementation in New York state” and “problems that have arisen as a result of that implementation.”

Common Core News

Utah Education Officials Call For Dismissal Of Common Core Lawsuit. The AP (10/15) reports that Utah state education officials have asked a judge to dismiss a lawsuit calling for the withdrawal of the state from the Common Core Standards. The lawsuit alleges that the “Utah State Board of Education illegally took a backdoor approach to adopting the education standards,” but state officials “counter that they followed the rules for adopting the” standards. The state says that “Common Core opponents sued over the issue too quickly rather than taking it up with the board first.” Districts Struggle To Gauge Value Of Common Core Materials. US News & World Report (10/14) reports that according to a new Center for American Progress study, Common Core states “have been purchasing new textbooks and other instructional materials to better align their curriculum with the new academic benchmarks.” However, there seems to be little knowledge of which ones are of the greatest quality. The study found that “there is little relationship between the cost and quality of curriculum materials” and that “higher-quality products tend to cost less.” Study: PARCC Not Better Gauge Of College Readiness Than MCAS. The Boston Globe (10/15, Fox) reports that according to a new study commissioned by the state of Massachusetts, the PARCC “is no better at predicting [college] performance than the state’s longstanding assessment,” the MCAS. The globe reports that the study is “sure to fuel the debate as the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education votes next month whether to dump the MCAS and replace it with the PARCC ”

Arkansas DOE Clarifies PARCC Scoring Levels.

The Arkansas Democrat Gazette (10/14) reports that the Arkansas Commissioner Johnny Key on Tuesday discussed “the scoring levels that will be applied to” PARCC tests, saying that “score information from the department last week ‘left a misleading impression that Arkansas was backing away from high standards’” on the exams. The piece reports that Key was responding to media reports indicating that “Arkansas and Ohio had redefined what it meant to be ‘proficient’ on the tests.”         The Washington Post (10/15, Brown) reports that Arkansas officials said “they never meant to define proficiency in a way that would inflate student performance.” Key is quoted saying, “Upon review of the communication regarding the release of scores from the PARCC assessment, it is apparent that we used language that left a misleading impression that Arkansas was backing away from high standards. Nothing could be further from the truth.”

Common Core News of the Day

Louisiana BOE Votes To Set Common Standards, Share Test Results With Other States. The Baton Rouge (LA) Advocate (10/14, Sentell) reports the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted to approve a plan to adopt the same standards as 10 other states and Washington DC, so that the results can be compared. Some Massachusetts Residents Collecting Signatures For Common Core Ballot Initiative. WWLP-TV Springfield, MA (10/13, Porter) reports a group of volunteers in Massachusetts have begun collecting signatures for a 2016 ballot initiative that would allow voters to repeal the adoption of Common Core standards. The state adopted the standards in 2010, but opponents of the standards in the state call it a “failing system.” Libertarian Organization In Court Against Utah BOE Over Adoption Of Common Core. The St. George (UT) Spectrum (10/13, Whitehurst) reports Utah’s Libertas Institute, a libertarian organization, is arguing in court that the Utah BOE illegally adopted Common Core standards in 2010. The state is arguing that the organization failed to raise their concerns with the BOE before filing their lawsuit, so the case should be dismissed.

Common Core

Louisiana Test Scores Released To Mixed Reactions. The Monroe (LA) News Star (10/13, Guidry) reports Louisiana test scores remained similar to past years. Between 30 and 40% of students scored “mastery or above” on the state tests. Superintendent John White said he was not surprised by the results.         The AP (10/13, McGill) adds that the tests were more challenging this year, which may have caused a greater divergence in test scores with more students failing to earn “basic” proficiency and more students earning “mastery.” White hypothesized that the harder tests were better at identifying stronger and weaker students. The test scores will be carefully evaluated by the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education on Tuesday. Superintendent White is urging the board to adopt a scoring system that will allow Louisiana to compare its performance with other states.         Louisiana State Representative Says Test Scores Show Common Core Needs To Be Rejected. The Bayou Buzz (LA) (10/13) reports Louisiana state representative Brett Geymann said the state’s Common Core test results will show the standards should be repealed by the state. Geymann said, “The results show this five-year experiment is not working.” South Carolina Near Replacing Common Core With New, Similar Standards. The Myrtle Beach (SC) Online (10/13, Adcox) reports the South Carolina Education Oversight Committee voted 11-1 to replace Common Core with new math and reading standards allowing the state BOE to make the final authorization for the change on Wednesday. The state legislature voted last year in favor of replacing Common Core. The new standards approved by the Education Oversight Committee are 90% identical to Common Core, but add instruction on money, multiplication tables, and cursive writing. Common Core Is Here To Stay. Politico (10/13, Hefling) says that “Common Core has won the war.” The article highlights that almost 80% of public school students are being taught Common Core standards and that despite many threats by states to repeal the standards, even the states that have followed through have all ended up adopting new standards that “are just the same standards by a different name.” Melinda Gates recently commented on the efforts by some states to repeal the standards, “The few states that have rolled it back, when you look at what they’ve actually done, the standards they are using are 95% the Core standards. It’s what we know needs to be taught.” Arkansas Lowers Standard For “Proficiency” On Common Core Tests. The Washington Post (10/13, Brown) reports Arkansas revised the minimum score necessary to be considering “proficient” on their state’s Common Core tests. The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers defines proficient as scoring 4 or higher out of 5 on the test, but Arkansas, following the example of Ohio, has revised their state policy so that a 3 out of 5 is considered proficient. The change will inflate Arkansas’ reported performance by inflating the percentage of students who are considered proficient compared to other states. For example, the number of students considered proficient in Algebra I has now increased from 28% to 60%.

Common Core

Critics Pan Recommended Changes To Missouri Common Core. The AP (10/12, Ballentine) reports that after a year of reviews of the Common Core Standards in Missouri, “some opponents still are not satisfied with the proposed changes” because “the recommended replacement goals might not be much different.” The AP reports that lawmakers wanted to get buy-in from the state’s teachers and parents, “but what resulted from that work doesn’t clear the bar for some who had a say.” Massachusetts Lawmakers Want To Scale Back PARCC Testing. The Salem (MA) News (10/12) reports that the Massachusetts state Senate has passed legislation “that could slow down a decision” on the “controversial” PARCC test in the state. The language “would essentially force” state education officials to “evaluate how much it would cost to enact” the PARCC “in favor of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) for high school students.”

More Common Core

Louisiana Releases Preliminary PARCC Scores. The Monroe (LA) News-Star (10/7) reports that the Louisiana Department of Education has released the preliminary average scores of this year’s PARCC testing, noting that Superintendent John White recently said that “the raw scores will show how many points a student earned, versus how many points were available.” The New Orleans Times-Picayune (10/8) also covers this story following on the News-Star’s report. Common Core Testing In Florida Faces Review. The AP (10/8, Fineout, Bustos) reports that high-stakes testing in Florida and associated school grading, championed by former Gov. Jeb Bush, “may be at risk of coming apart.” Noting that the testing is tied to the Common Core Standards, which are a lightning rod for conservatives, the AP reports that Bush “rarely talks about the program by its name” but “has not backed down on what is the core of Common Core — the conviction that states need to raise their school standards.” The article notes, however, that problems with Common Core testing in Florida have “created a large enough backlash that the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature agreed to spend nearly $600,000 to study whether the tests should continue.” Education Experts: Texas May Win Waiver Standoff With ED. The Austin (TX) American Statesman (10/8, Subscription Publication) reports that though Texas NCLB waiver is on “high-risk” status, over “a showdown between the state and federal government over teacher performance evaluations,” education experts say that Texas may win out because “leadership turnovers in Washington likely will slow any federal enforcement efforts.”

Common Core News

California “On The Verge Of Adopting” Common Core-Based Literacy Materials. Education Week (10/7, Heitin) reports California “is on the verge of adopting new K-8 English/language arts instructional materials for the first time since” adopting Common Core State Standards, adding “nearly all the textbooks that were submitted for review are likely to be approved.” However, the article suggests California’s decision is likely to “make less of a splash nationally” because of the wide numbers of states that have since adopted the standards. Definition Of Proficiency Under Common Core Varies By State. The New York Times (10/7, Rich, Subscription Publication) reports that definitions of what test scores constitute proficiency under the Common Core requirements vary from state to state despite the fact that the standards were intended to remedy “that kind of inconsistency in educational standards.” As the results of the first Common Core tests have been released, “education officials again seem to be subtly broadening definitions of success.”

More COMMON CORE

Albany Catholic Schools Shift Away From Common Core.

The Saratogian (NY) (10/5, Grey) reports that on Friday the diocesan Catholic Schools Office in Albany, NY announced a policy shift away from Common Core-focused assessments and toward “a more student-emphasized approach to standardized testing.” Catholic Schools Superintendent Michael Pizzingrillo explained that because Common Core evaluations have “caused great strife for families and teachers,” the Catholic schools will employ testing only in grades three, five and seven, as “benchmarks of longitudinal student progress.” Pizzingrillo advanced the new system as a programmatic assessment that will be more applicable to the unique approach of the Catholic School system.

Louisiana BESE To Vote On Cutting Common Core Scores.

The New Orleans Advocate (10/5, Sentell) reports that next Tuesday Louisiana’s Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) will vote on whether to “cut scores” such that Common Core evaluation grades in the state more closely mirror those used across the country. Critics of the measure say lowering expectations “would say something very sad about the direction of” Louisiana, while advocates argue for a “level playing field.” State Superintendent of Education John White expressed confidence on Monday the plan would be approved.

Common Core News

New York Superintendents Call On Congress To Scale Back Testing.

Newsday (NY) (10/5) reports that over 300 New York district superintendents “petitioned Congress this week to abolish requirements for annual testing of students in grades three through eight.” The administrators’ letter, which argued that assessment policy should be locally originated, “reflected frustrations with a testing system that was boycotted in April by more than 200,000 students statewide – the biggest such movement in the country.”

WP Analysis: Ohio’s Interpretation Of Test Results “Threatens” Common Core’s Promise.

In an analysis piece, the Washington Post (10/4, Layton) reports that Ohio’s new test scores are “the latest sign that a central promise of Common Core — that states would have the same math and reading standards and use the same tests — is further unraveling.” The Post reports that state officials have chosen to interpret their test results in a different way, deciding that “that students don’t have to actually meet the common college- and career-ready standards in order to be deemed proficient — they just have to “approach” those standards.” According to the Post, this decision inflates “the performance of their students,” making “it tricky to compare Ohio with the rest of the country.”

Common Core Switch Flusters Some Parents.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (10/5) reported that the shift to Common Core has “left many parents feeling flustered by elementary school worksheets.” Part of the issue is that “the language is different,” but, also, students have “the latitude to solve problems in multiple ways.” To help with this, the Hazelwood School District offers “Parent U” workshops to help the parents adapt.

Jindal’s Spending Resisting Common Core Blasted.

In an editorial, the New Orleans Times-Picayune (10/4) criticized Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal as wasting taxpayer money in his continued resistance to the Common Core academic standards, despite court rulings against him. The Times-Picayune argues that Jindal is “focused on the presidency” and Louisiana has become “a prop for his campaign,” adding, “spending $830,000 in public money on political vanity is obscene — particularly given Louisiana’s current budget woes.”

Common Core

New York Common Core Review Panel Draws Mixed Response.

The Finger Lakes (NY) Times (10/2) reports that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s plan to set up a panel to review the state’s use of the Common Core drew a mixed response from local educators, noting that despite a whiff of “politics,” some said “they hope it will lead to meaningful discussions.” WSLU-FM Canton, NY (9/30) reports that teachers said they hope the panel “will fix problems with the controversial Common Core learning standards,” including issues related to testing.

Survey: California Teachers Say Common Core Test Scores Less Important Than Critical Thinking.

KPBS-TV San Diego (10/1) reports that a survey conducted by the nonpartisan research group EdSource found that most California teachers “said test scores aligned with the new Common Core standards are far less important than the curriculum itself.” The survey found that “four-out-of-five teachers said testing for critical thinking skills is the best way to assess whether students are ready for college.”

West Virginia DOE Hosts Final Meeting On Common Core.

The Martinsburg (WV) Journal (10/1, Marshall) reports the West Virginia DOE “hosted its final town hall meeting on K-12 Common Core standards at Shepherd University on Tuesday evening.”

California Colleges Using Common Core Test Results As Indicator Of College Readiness.

US News & World Report (9/30, Sargrad) reports California’s Common Core test results aligned with the results of other states showing that “a more rigorous and honest look at student performance produced scores that were lower than those under the old tests across the board.” California’s colleges have embraced the test as a measure of students’ college readiness. All of the state’s community colleges and California State University campuses will use a student’s test results to determine who needs remedial education.

Louisiana Governor Spending At Least $830,000 In Public Funds To Fight Common Core In Court.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune (10/1, O'Donoghue) reports Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal “has agreed to spend $830,000 in public funds on his two failed legal cases fighting the Common Core academic standards in state and federal court.” The majority of that funding will go to his former executive counsel Jimmy Faircloth who is handling both cases and their appeals.

Common Core News

Republicans Have Turned Against Common Core. Newsweek (9/29) reports the Republican Party used to support Common Core standards as a way to reform schools and hold teachers accountable, but the Tea Party movement turned the party against the standards. Louisiana Set To Release Common Core Results In October. The Baton Rouge (LA) Advocate (9/29, Sentell) reports Louisiana will release its Common Core test results onOctober 12. The state DOE has begun sharing preliminary test results with local school superintendents so that they can provide feedback to teachers. After the results are released, the state will be able to compare its students with those in other states that use the standards.