HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Corbett denounced the national Common Core math and reading standards Monday, but stopped short of saying he wanted to toss out Pennsylvania’s own version of them.
His announcement came as the state and school districts have spent millions developing standards, coming up with a curriculum and standardized tests to match the goals, and training teachers.
It also led to head-scratching from school officials and anger from some lawmakers who were caught off guard by Corbett’s comments.
“Districts do not have the money or the time to invest in the constantly changing political debate on standards,” Easton Area Superintendent John Reinhart said. “Someone should decide what they want us to teach in our schools and let us go about the business of teaching it.”
For years, the Corbett administration has been extolling and defending its plans to use its own version of the standards, which the Legislature approved last year and schools have been implementing.
But in his announcement, Corbett said he ordered his Education Department to hold a new public review of the math and reading standards.
Corbett claimed the standards are a federal intrusion into schools, although the movement was started by governors and business leaders in 2008. He likened Common Core to the Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare.
“Common Core has become nothing more than a top-down takeover of the education system. It is nothing more than Obamacare for education,” said Corbett, a Republican facing a tough re-election battle.
Forty-three states adopted Common Core standards, a national movement to create a tough universal benchmark for what children should learn in math, English, social studies and the sciences.
States such as Oklahoma, Indiana and South Carolina have since dropped Common Core in the face of public anger. Some critics have said the standards are not fair to students and teachers. Others have called them a federal takeover of public schools.
Pennsylvania was largely left out of the mounting Common Core debate, although pockets of resistance did crop up in some communities and in the Legislature.
Corbett last year put a temporary halt to the implementation of standards following criticism. After a review, the state Department of Education made some tweaks to allay concerns that the federal government was exerting too much local control.
Under the changes, the state agreed not to enact reading lists or a statewide curriculum, not to include national assessments as part of its state testing except with legislative authorization, and not to expand its collection of student data as a result of the new standards.
Pennsylvania’s standards do not dictate curriculum but set up a framework of what students are expected to learn in each grade. Local school districts retain control over lesson plans and methods.
Reps. Ryan Aument, R-Lancaster, and Seth Grove, R-York, said Monday they did not understand Corbett’s latest action.
“We are frustrated and confused by Gov. Corbett’s incongruous decision to conduct a public review of Pennsylvania’s academic standards, which were developed by his administration to remove Pennsylvania from the grasp of the national Common Core standards and supported by the General Assembly,” Aument and Grove said in a joint statement.
Joseph Roy, superintendent of the Bethlehem Area School District, questioned whether Corbett’s decision will have a ripple effect on the PSSA standardized tests, which are used to evaluate school performance and teacher performance.
“So if they are now being changed, how do you evaluate?” Roy asked.
Corbett’s announcement could play a role in the Nov. 4 election. His long-standing low approval ratings are tied in large part to his image as a governor who dislikes public education, polls show.
On Monday, the state Republican Party said Corbett’s Common Core decision is proof he cares.
A spokeswoman for Corbett’s Democratic rival, Tom Wolf, said Corbett is politicizing the classroom.
Morning Call reporter Jaqueline Palochko contributed to this story.
