RALEIGH, N.C. (Mar. 28, 2017) – A North Carolina House bill would withdraw the state from Common Core standards, an important step toward nullifying the program in the state.
A coalition of eight Representatives introduced House Bill 417 (H417), the Actually Get Rid of Common Core Act. The legislation would void Common Core standards and create a framework to establish state standards to replace them.
Under H417, Common Core standards would be replaced with proven educational standards that ranked near the top of the nation when they were originally in place. This will prevent any efforts to re-brand the standards after they are repealed. H417 reads, in part:
The State Board of Education…shall adopt a mathematics standard course of study that is consistent with the Minnesota K‑12 Academic Standards in Mathematics (2007) with any necessary revisions to meet the needs of North Carolina…
The State Board of Education…shall adopt the English language arts standard course of study that is set forth in An English Language Arts Curriculum Framework for American Public Schools: A Model (for use by any state or school district without charge), Professor Sandra Stotsky at the University of Arkansas, February 2013. The State Board may make the minimal revisions necessary to ensure the standards meet the needs of North Carolina.
Additional measures would be mandated to ensure the new North Carolina educational standards are properly differentiated from the Common Core standards:
The State Board of Education shall submit a report to the General Assembly… containing at least the following information:
(1) A complete copy of the mathematics and English language arts standard courses of study developed in accordance with this act.
(2) A document that provides information on all of the differences between the mathematics and English language arts standard courses of study and the North Carolina Standard Course of Study that was adopted by the State Board in June 2010, and implemented beginning with the 2012‑2013 school year.
(3) A document that outlines the necessary corresponding changes to student assessments to align with the new standard course of study.
Although there are no provisions in the bill to explicitly protect the personally-identifiable information of students from being harvested by public and private interests, H417 is still a powerful rebuke against Common Core by getting rid of the federally-driven standards and replacing them with proven alternatives.
BACKGROUND
Common Core was intended to create nationwide education standards. While touted as a state initiative through the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), the U.S. Department of Education was heavily involved behind the scenes. Up until recently, the DoE tied the grant of waivers from the No Child Left Behind Act to adoption of Common Core, using the standards as powerful strings to influence state educational policy. The Every Student Succeeds Act passed by Congress this month now prohibits the DoE from attempting to “influence, incentivize, or coerce State adoption of the Common Core State Standards … or any other academic standards common to a significant number of States.”
Even with the federal strings cut from Common Core for the time being, it is still imperative for each state to adopt its own standards. The feds can once again use these national standards to meddle in state education at any time if they remain in place. Just as importantly, one-size-fits-all standard simply don’t benefit children. State and local governments should remain in full control of their own educational systems.
Rejecting nationalized education standards is the first step toward bringing true academic choice, and freedom. Passage of this legislation into law represents a positive step forward for the people of North Carolina and a path for other states to follow.
NEXT STEPS
H417 must be approved in the House Education K-12 Committee before the bill can receive a full House vote. Stay in touch with our Tenther Blog and our Tracking and Action Center for the latest updates.
