Common Core State Standards Initiative
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Common Core, or the Common Core State Standards Initiative, is an American education initiative that outlines quantifiable benchmarks in English-language arts and mathematics at each grade level from kindergarten through high school.[1]
These benchmarks were developed by a working group assembled by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers from 2008 through 2009. Since their finalization in 2009, the Common Core standards have drawn attention from groups concerned about several different elements included in the reforms, such as the impact of standardized testing on academic achievement.
Standards
The Common Core State Standards Initiative outlines standards in English-language arts (ELA) and mathematics that stress literacy and college and career readiness. These standards also define the content that should be taught at each grade level from kindergarten through 12th grade.[1]
English-language arts
The ELA standards feature four essential components, though Common Core emphasizes that "the processes of communication are closely connected":[2][3]
- Reading
- Writing
- Speaking and listening
- Language
Though Common Core does not specify that students need to write in cursive, states may choose to adopt cursive as an optional part of their English-language arts curriculum. Seven states opted in to this additional component, including California, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Utah. Indiana, however, withdrew from Common Core entirely on March 24, 2014.[4]
Mathematics
The mathematics standards mandate the teaching of eight specific skill sets, with the goal of making sure each student can do the following:[5]
- Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them
- Reason abstractly and quantitatively
- Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others
- Model with mathematics
- Use appropriate tools strategically
- Attend to precision
- Look for and make use of structure
- Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning
The standards for kindergarten through sixth grade include operations and algebraic thinking, numbers and operations in base 10, measurement and data, and geometry. In grades six through eight, students are to learn the number system, expressions and equations, geometry, and statistics and probability. The six conceptual categories for high school students to understand are number and quantity, algebra, functions, modeling, geometry, and statistics and probability.[5]
Implementation
Implementation of Common Core standards takes place at the state level, which the National Governors Association recommended in its 2008 report "Benchmarking for Success: Ensuring U.S. Students Receive a World-Class Education." The report notes that "because benchmarking is also—and most critically—about improving policy, states must take the lead."[6] This state-level focus arose because state education officials already possess authority over assessments, curriculum development and teacher standards. At the time of publication, the NGA found that 16 states had already adopted standards akin to Common Core as requirements for high school graduation.[6]
Another reason for the report's focus on state implementation was a concern about public perception; federal involvement in education standards has proven controversial. The United States Senate rejected history standards developed under the presidential administrations of George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton by a 99-1 vote in 1995. This overwhelming rejection primarily resulted from concerns that the federal government would exceed its constitutional limits in dealing with educational issues.[7] Parents and education advocates also protested implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001 due to the frequency and types of tests mandated by the law.[8]
Each state handles its own timelines and budgetary concerns during implementation of Common Core standards. The recommended timetable for implementation (from the initial approval by state officials to the conducting of evaluations based on Common Core standards) is three years. This schedule can be difficult to follow, since implementation requires professional training, curriculum adaptation to meet standards and evaluation development. Legislators and education officials also have to determine if there is sufficient funding to handle implementation.[9]
Adoption of Common Core standards
From state to state, the authority to adopt new education standards belongs to a different public official or government body. Though most states leave such decisions to the state board of education, others give that power to a chief state education officer or leave the final approval to the state legislature. The map below details which authority was in charge of adopting Common Core standards in the states.[10]
The map above displays which authority adopted the Common Core standards in each state. Red: State Board of Education |
Which authority adopted Common Core? | |
---|---|
Alabama | State Board of Education |
Arizona | State Board of Education |
Arkansas | State Board of Education |
California | State Board of Education |
Colorado | State Board of Education |
Connecticut | State Board of Education |
Delaware | State Board of Education |
District of Columbia | State Board of Education |
Florida | State Board of Education |
Georgia | State Board of Education |
Hawaii | State Board of Education |
Idaho | State Legislature |
Illinois | State Legislature |
Indiana | State Board of Education |
Iowa | State Board of Education |
Kansas | State Board of Education |
Kentucky | State Legislature |
Louisiana | State Board of Education |
Maine | State Legislature |
Maryland | State Board of Education |
Massachusetts | State Board of Education |
Michigan | State Board of Education |
Minnesota | Chief Education Officer |
Mississippi | State Board of Education |
Missouri | State Board of Education |
Montana | State Board of Education |
Nevada | State Legislature |
New Hampshire | State Board of Education |
New Jersey | State Board of Education |
New Mexico | Chief Education Officer |
New York | State Board of Education |
North Carolina | State Board of Education |
North Dakota | Chief Education Officer |
Ohio | State Board of Education |
Oklahoma | State Legislature |
Oregon | State Board of Education |
Pennsylvania | State Board of Education |
Rhode Island | State Board of Education |
South Carolina | State Board of Education |
South Dakota | State Board of Education |
Tennessee | State Board of Education |
Utah | State Board of Education |
Vermont | State Board of Education |
Washington | State Legislature |
West Virginia | State Board of Education |
Wisconsin | Chief Education Officer |
Wyoming | State Legislature |
States that adopted
A total of 43 states had adopted the Common Core standards as of July 15, 2014. Alaska, Nebraska, Texas and Virginia had not adopted the standards. Indiana, Oklahoma and South Carolina adopted the Common Core standards but repealed them in 2014. Minnesota had only adopted the English-language arts portion of the Common Core standards.
Forty states adopted the standards in 2010, five states adopted Common Core in 2011 and Wyoming adopted it in 2012. The map below details when states adopted the Common Core State Standards.[10][11]
The map above indicates the year in which each state adopted the Common Core State Standards. Orange: Adopted in 2010 |
When did states adopt the Common Core standards? | |
---|---|
Alabama | 2010 |
Alaska | Did not adopt the standards |
Arizona | 2010 |
Arkansas | 2010 |
California | 2010 |
Colorado | 2010 |
Connecticut | 2010 |
Delaware | 2010 |
Florida | 2010 |
Georgia | 2010 |
Hawaii | 2010 |
Idaho | 2011 |
Illinois | 2010 |
Indiana | Adopted in 2010 but repealed in 2014 |
Iowa | 2010 |
Kansas | 2010 |
Kentucky | 2010 |
Louisiana | 2010 |
Maine | 2011 |
Maryland | 2010 |
Massachusetts | 2010 |
Michigan | 2010 |
Minnesota | Adopted only English and language arts standards in 2010 |
Mississippi | 2010 |
Missouri | 2010 |
Montana | 2011 |
Nebraska | Did not adopt the standards |
Nevada | 2010 |
New Hampshire | 2010 |
New Jersey | 2010 |
New Mexico | 2010 |
New York | 2010 |
North Carolina | 2010 |
North Dakota | 2011 |
Ohio | 2010 |
Oklahoma | Adopted in 2010 but repealed in 2014 |
Oregon | 2010 |
Pennsylvania | 2010 |
Rhode Island | 2010 |
South Carolina | Adopted in 2010 but repealed in 2014 |
South Dakota | 2010 |
Tennessee | 2010 |
Texas | Did not adopt the standards |
Utah | 2010 |
Vermont | 2010 |
Virginia | Did not adopt the standards |
Washington | 2011 |
West Virginia | 2010 |
Wisconsin | 2010 |
Wyoming | 2012 |
Testing
The No Child Left Behind Act requires that states assess their students' progress in math and reading once a year. Students in grades three through eight are all required to be tested, and they must be tested once more between grades 10 through 12.[12] The 2014-2015 school year was the first time all states that adopted the Common Core standards used standardized tests aligned with the standards to test their students. A range of tests were administered; some were state-specific, while others were created by public agencies or consortiums. Other than state-specific tests, the most common tests taken in the 2014-2015 school year were administered by the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium and the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers.[13]
The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium is a public agency that "created an on-line assessment system aligned to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), as well as tools for educators to improve teaching and learning," according to its website.[14] The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers "is a consortium of states working together to develop a set of assessments that measure whether students are on track to be successful in college and their careers," according to its website.[15]
Some states had their students take the ACT or an ACT-affiliated test. Those in high school took the ACT (a college admissions and placement test), while those in grades three through eight took the ACT Aspire (an assessment exam intended for younger age groups).[16] According to its website, ACT is a company that develops "Summative, Interim, and Classroom testing solutions to help craft well-informed student pathways to college and career." Though only a few states used an ACT-affiliated test for the 2014-2015 school year, many states passed legislation to switch to this test for the 2015-2016 school year.
The map below details the tests used by states for the 2014-2015 school year.[13]
The map above displays which standardized tests were used in each state during the 2014-2015 school year. Red: State-specific assessments |
Which standardized tests were used in each state during the 2014-2015 school year? | |
---|---|
Alabama | ACT affiliate |
Alaska | State-specific assessment |
Arizona | State-specific assessment |
Arkansas | PARCC |
California | Smarter Balanced |
Colorado | PARCC |
Connecticut | Smarter Balanced |
Delaware | Smarter Balanced |
Florida | State-specific assessment |
Georgia | State-specific assessment |
Hawaii | Smarter Balanced |
Idaho | Smarter Balanced |
Illinois | PARCC |
Indiana | State-specific assessment |
Iowa | State-specific assessment |
Kansas | State-specific assessment |
Kentucky | State-specific assessment for grades 3-8 and ACT affiliate for high school |
Louisiana | PARCC |
Maine | Smarter Balanced |
Maryland | PARCC |
Massachusetts | Undecided |
Michigan | Smarter Balanced |
Minnesota | State-specific assessment |
Mississippi | PARCC |
Missouri | Smarter Balanced |
Montana | Smarter Balanced |
Nebraska | State-specific assessment |
Nevada | Smarter Balanced for grades 3-8 and undecided for high school |
New Hampshire | Smarter Balanced |
New Jersey | PARCC |
New Mexico | PARCC |
New York | State-specific assessment |
North Carolina | State-specific assessment |
North Dakota | Smarter Balanced |
Ohio | PARCC |
Oklahoma | State-specific assessment for grades 3-8 and undecided for high school |
Oregon | Smarter Balanced |
Pennsylvania | State-specific assessment |
Rhode Island | PARCC |
South Carolina | ACT affiliate |
South Dakota | Smarter Balanced |
Tennessee | State-specific assessment |
Texas | State-specific assessment |
Utah | State-specific assessment |
Vermont | Smarter Balanced |
Virginia | State-specific assessment |
Washington | Smarter Balanced |
West Virginia | Smarter Balanced |
Wisconsin | Smarter Balanced for grades 3-8 and ACT affiliate for high school |
Wyoming | State-specific assessment for grades 3-8 and ACT affiliate for high school |
Reaction
Public reaction
Despite a majority of states adopting Common Core, public backlash against Common Core standards has become a frequent occurrence. On September 19, 2013, a group of parents in California protested the state's adoption of Common Core when Secretary of Education Arne Duncan visited their city.[17] Duncan later drew criticism in November 2013 when, in speaking to a group of state school superintendents, he described the opposition to Common Core as "white suburban moms who—all of a sudden—their child isn’t as brilliant as they thought they were, and their school isn’t quite as good as they thought they were."[18] On November 18, 2013, some parents in South Carolina and New York chose to keep their children home from school as part of a "National Common Core Protest Day" to demonstrate opposition to Common Core's "one-size-fits-all" curriculum and standardized testing methods.[19][20] On December 8, 2013, the Buffalo Teachers Federation protested outside the residence of a state education regent in response to Common Core implementation and its emphasis on continually testing students.[21]
Polling
Common Core approval rating | |||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Poll | Total approve | Total disapprove | No opinion/Not heard of | Margin of Error | Sample Size | ||||||||||||||
Education Next (May 21 to June 8, 2015) | 49% | 35% | 16% | +/-2 | 4,083 | ||||||||||||||
Fairleigh Dickinson University (December 8-15, 2014) | 17% | 40% | 42% | +/-3 | 964 | ||||||||||||||
Gallup (September 16-21, 2014) | 32% | 33% | 35% | +/-6 | 532 | ||||||||||||||
Education Next/Knowledge Network (May-June, 2014) | 23% | 11% | 66% | +/-2 | 2,633 | ||||||||||||||
PDK/Gallup (May 29, 2014-June 20, 2014) | 27% | 49% | 24% | +/-4.6 | 1,001 | ||||||||||||||
NBC News/Wall Street Journal (June 11-15, 2014) | 59% | 31% | 10% | +/-3.1 | 1,000 | ||||||||||||||
UConn Poll (April 22-30, 2014) | 14% | 16% | 70% | +/-3 | 1,006 | ||||||||||||||
McLaughlin and Associates (April 7-13, 2014) | 35% | 33% | 32% | +/-3.1 | 1,000 | ||||||||||||||
Gallup (April 3-9, 2014) | 35% | 28% | 37% | +/-5 | 639 | ||||||||||||||
Achieve (November 14-18, 2013) | 22% | 24% | 54% | +/-3.5 | 800 | ||||||||||||||
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org |
Several of the firms that conducted this polling separated their inquiry about Common Core into two separate questions. The first question asked if the respondents had heard of Common Core prior to the pollster asking about it. The second question asked what the respondents thought of Common Core. Seven of the nine pollsters did not ask the respondents who had not heard of Common Core what they thought of the reforms. In those cases, the "No opinion/Not heard of" column adds together both the respondents who answered that they had not heard of Common Core in the first question with the respondents who answered that they had no opinion of Common Core in the second question, and uses the total number of poll participants to determine the percentages.
The NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll conducted in June 2014 included the "not heard of" respondents in the "approve/disapprove" follow-up question, thereby making it impossible to determine what percentage of respondents had not heard of Common Core prior to the pollster's questions. As a result, the NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll's published data includes only the percentage of respondents who stated that they approved, disapproved or had no opinion on Common Core. This may explain the disparity between the percentages for that poll and the other polls.
The Fairleigh Dickinson University poll conducted in December 2014 did not ask respondents if they had heard of Common Core. They asked respondents for their opinion on Common Core based on what they had heard about it. As a result, the data published by Fairleigh Dickinson University includes only data on whether the respondents approved, disapproved or had no opinion on Common Core.
Celebrity reaction
Several celebrities and well-known figures have weighed in on the debate over Common Core. Stand-up comedian and actor Louis C.K. criticized the new curriculum on Twitter and added that its implementation "feels like a dark time."[22] Actors Chuck Norris and Matt Damon and singer Regina Spektor have also leveled public criticisms at Common Core. Norris argued that the reforms would increase the power of the federal government over education, while Damon suggested that the new standards reduce teacher autonomy in the classroom. Judy Blume, Maya Angelou and Jules Feiffer signed a public letter with more than 120 other children's book authors and illustrators to denounce the increased use of standardized testing.[23][24]
In contrast, former professional basketball player Isiah Thomas wrote an article extolling the rising academic performance standards brought about by Common Core.[25] The personal foundations of actress Eva Longoria and musician John Legend have funded television advertisements promoting the new standards.[26]
Supporters and critics
Supporters
Notable supporters of Common Core |
---|
U.S. Chamber of Commerce |
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation |
The Choice Foundation |
Governor John Kasich (R) |
Former U.S. Secretary of Education William J. Bennett |
Rex Tillerson, chairman and chief executive of Exxon Mobil |
Supporters of Common Core standards promote the idea that American schools need more rigorous standards to stay competitive in the global economy. They also argue that ineffective education costs taxpayers more money and that better standards could prevent the need to spend money on things such as remedial courses for high school students. Military members in favor of Common Core have said it gives them peace of mind to know that their children will have the same educational experience as they move from state to state. Other supporters say Common Core gives teachers, parents, students, community members and political figures the information they need to help students achieve success, as the standards set a clear progression of learning for each grade. A number of business leaders have spoken in support of Common Core, saying that a widening skills gap has made it difficult to fill jobs.[27][28][29][30][31][32][33]
Critics
Notable critics of Common Core |
---|
Alabama State Senator Scott Beason (R) |
Diane Ravitch |
Jim Stergios, executive director of the Pioneer Institute |
U.S. Senator David Vitter (R) |
Governor Greg Abbott (R) |
Governor Bobby Jindal (R) |
Governor Scott Walker (R) |
Governor Bobby Jindal (R) |
Ohio State Representative Matt Huffman (R) |
Criticisms of Common Core standards range from concerns about excessive government involvement to concerns about the impacts of standardization and mandatory testing on student success. Some critics believe education should be decided at the local level, allowing school districts to have control over curriculum instead of the state or federal governments. Others criticize the relationship between the standards and bureaucrats without educational backgrounds and worry that such involvement could damage public education. The privacy of testing data has also been cited as a concern, especially from parents. Though states are not required to use systems to track student data, critics have noted the possibility of education officials data mining student information if states do decide to use tracking systems. A further concern regards the GED test, which changed to reflect the Common Core standards in 2014. Critics fear that incorporating the standards has made it harder to pass the test, as not everyone who takes the GED has encountered the standards before. While 500,000 people passed the 2013 GED, only 55,000 had passed the 2014 exam by December.[34][35][36][37][38][39]
Candidate stances
2016 presidential candidate stances on Common Core
Democratic candidates
Click [show] on the right to see the stances of former Democratic candidates. |
---|
Hillary Clinton
Martin O'Malley
Bernie Sanders
|
Republican candidates
President Donald Trump
- In a January 11, 2016 interview with The Wall Street Journal, Donald Trump said he would do “tremendous cutting” of the federal government. Education policy, he said, should be returned to the states, and he said he would end the Common Core education standards, which conservatives view as federal overreach. “Education should be local and locally managed,” said Trump.[44]
- Asked about the Common Core during a radio interview with Hugh Hewitt in February 2015, Trump said, "I think that education should be local, absolutely. I think that for people in Washington to be setting curriculum and to be setting all sorts of standards for people living in Iowa and other places is ridiculous."[45]
Click [show] on the right to see the stances of withdrawn Republican candidates. |
---|
Jeb Bush
Chris Christie
Ted Cruz
Carly Fiorina
Lindsey Graham
Mike Huckabee
Bobby Jindal
John Kasich
George Pataki
Rand Paul
Rick Perry
Marco Rubio
Rick Santorum
Scott Walker
|
2015 school board candidate stances on Common Core
The School Board Elections project provides comprehensive, nonpartisan information on school districts, school board elections, school board candidates and K-12 education policy to voters. As part of this effort, a survey was distributed to school board candidates running for election in the 1,000 largest school districts by enrollment in 2015. The standard 12-question survey covered a range of important issues that impact most American public school districts.
The survey included a question about the candidates' stances on implementing Common Core standards. Respondents could choose between four multiple choice options, including "other," which allowed candidates to write an answer in their own words. The graph to the right shows the percentage of candidates who chose each option. Three participants did not answer the question.
A plurality of candidates chose to write an original response to the question. After that, candidates were most likely to say that the Common Core standards required modifications. A total of 15.9 percent of candidates thought the standards should not be implemented, and another 15.9 percent said the standards should be implemented.
When answering in their own words, many candidates expressed the opinion that the Common Core standards should be regularly evaluated and improved. Others said there needed to be more professional development opportunities for staff teaching the standards. A number of candidates gave answers on how they thought the standards should be implemented rather than on whether they should be. Some candidates thought that school district officials should be in charge of choosing which standards are used; others thought that those decisions should be left to higher levels of government, such as a state department of education.
Timeline
2016
- September 21, 2016: New York releases its draft of the state's math and English standards, revealing it intends to steer away from Common Core standards. According to Chalkbeat, over half the standards were changed. Although New York was one of 45 states to adopt Common Core, it has since begun to step away from the standards, especially since one in five students opted out of the testing.[73]
- September 8, 2016: Oregon Common Core test scores are released, showing that student achievement for the 2015-2016 stayed constant, with a little improvement. 55 percent of students were proficient in language arts, and 42 percent met standards in mathematics. According to the report, most grades saw an overall performance increase, as well as disabled students, those living in poverty, English-language learners, and historically under-served students.[74]
- August 1, 2016: New York Common Core test results for 2016 are released, revealing that both test scores and the number of students who opted out of the tests in grades three through eight have increased. A summary released by the New York State Education Department stated that 37.9 percent of students passed ELA exams in 2016, compared to 31.3 percent during the 2014-2015 school year. In math, 39.1 percent of students passed the exam in 2016, while that rate was 38.1 during the 2014-2015 school year. The opt-out rate increased minimally, raising one point from 20 percent in 2015 to 21 percent in 2016. The 2015 opt-out rate, however, was almost four times larger than the amount of students who didn’t take the test during the 2013-2014 school year.[75]
- July 12, 2016: Illinois decides to stop administering the Common Core-aligned PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) test to high school students, instead giving juniors the SAT college exam paid for by the state. The announcement was made after the test was administered just twice, resulting in low test scores and thousands of students not showing up to take the exams. According to school administrators, the PARCC "took away from key instruction time...as tests piled up in the spring." Other exams given during that time include advanced placement tests for honors students and college entrance exams. These tended to eclipse the PARCC amidst the busy testing season, as many students didn't take it seriously. "There was no element of skin in the game for the kids -- they didn't know why they had to take the exam," Argo Community High School District 217 Superintendent Kevin O'Mara said.[76]
- June 21, 2016: A South Dakota judge ruled in favor of the state in a lawsuit brought forward by two parents after the state adopted Common Core and implemented assessments called Smarter Balanced. The lawsuit alleged that the state could not adopt statewide testing in partnership with the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium because it had not been approved by Congress. The lawsuit also challenged the use of adaptive questioning on the computer-based tests, alleging it violated a South Dakota law that required all students to take the same assemssment. The judge ruled against the parents and gave the state permission to implement its chosen educational standards.[77]
- May 31, 2016: In May 2016, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education presented its new statewide standards to replace Common Core. Lawmakers passed House Bill 1490 in 2014 calling for the end of Common Core in the state. The department brought together a working committee of parents and educators to create the new curriculum. Public comment was collected, and adjustments were made accordingly. The biggest changes were moving the history curriculum from fourth grade to third grade and reinstating cursive writing curriculum in third grade classrooms. The new standards were begin being taught in the 2016-2017 school year. Students will be tested on the new curriculum starting in 2018.[78][79]
- May 3, 2016: North Dakota's Superintendent of Public Instruction Kristen Baesler released a statement in May 2016 confirming that North Dakota public schools would replace Common Core curriculm. The replacement curriculum will be written by two committees of educators. The curriculum will then be reviewed by three committees made up of parents, elected officials, and business leaders. The new curriculm is expected to be implemented in Fall 2017.[80]
- April 15, 2016: Tennessee officialy ended the state's adoption of Common Core by approving new standards in English and Math. The new standards are called the Tennessee Academic Standards and will be implemented in the 2017-2018 school year.[81]
- March 17, 2016: One month prior to Common Core testing in the state, the New York State Education Department made changes to the standardized tests. Students in 3rd-8th grade are now seeing fewer questions in the English and mathematics portions of the exams. The state is also suggesting that teachers offer untimed tests for both the ELA and math assessments. The change came after thousands of parents throughout the state opted their children out of the Common Core-aligned tests in 2015.[82]
- March 11, 2016: According to researchers from the nonprofit education agency WestEd, California teachers, principals, and superintendents "view the Common Core as more rigorous and more relevant to students than the previous state standards, but disagree over how well the Common Core has been implemented."[83] Although most superintendents and district leaders said they believe they were successful in implementing the new standards, teachers disagreed, expressing doubts about their principals' ability to help the district transition well to using Common Core. Teachers also said they are having trouble acquiring instructional materials that meet the new guidelines.
- February 17, 2016: A bill aiming to repeal Common Core standards in Kansas passes out of the House of Education Committee.[84] If passed, House Bill 2676 would cause school districts in the state to develop math, reading and science standards to replace the Common Core ones in place. The bill could be heard on the House floor this week.
- February 4, 2016: Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) announces he will not continue former Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's (R) lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education over Common Core standards.[85] Jindal originally filed the lawsuit in 2014, arguing that the federal government was illegally pressuring states to adopt Common Core standards. Edwards commented on the lawsuit, saying "It does not benefit students to continue to use time and resources to pursue litigation that no longer has any bearing on classrooms in Louisiana."[86]
- January 22, 2016: A group of Massachusetts residents file an appeal of a proposed ballot question (End Common Core Massachusetts) that would eliminate Common Core standards in the state.[87] The group stated that the ballot question "Should not have been certified by the attorney general's office because it does not meet the constitutional requirements for a ballot question."[87] More specifically, they argued that the aim of the question is not to make a constitutional amendment or new law, but rather to revoke a vote made by a board: the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education's vote to adopt Common Core.
- January 15, 2016: The New York City teacher's union spends $1.4 million in TV ads thanking Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) for deciding not to use student test scores for teacher evaluations.[88] This stood in stark contrast to the union's actions the previous year, when the United Federation of Teachers ran ads criticizing the governor for tying test scores with teacher performance evaluations.
- January 6, 2016: Republicans in Kentucky introduce a bill that would create a state-based system to supervise standards and assessments, subsequently ousting Common Core.[89] According to Senate Education Committee Chairman Mike Wilson, they hoped to "boost the number of students deemed college and career ready after graduating from high school." The bill was to be a top priority for Senate Republicans in their 60-day session that began on January 4, 2016.[89]
2015
- December 21, 2015: The Montana Common Core test results are released, showing that 38 percent of students scored proficient in math and 45 percent were proficient in English.[90] Students were tested in the spring of 2015 using the Common Core aligned test Smarter Balanced. However, 18 percent of the state's schools were not assessed due to technical problems with the test.[90]
- December 19, 2015: West Virginia repeals Common Core standards.[91][92] The state's board of education approved a new set of standards planned to take effect on July 1, 2016. The standards were "developed based on findings presented by West Virginia University following the Academic Spotlight community review which included input from more than 5,000 individuals and generated more than 250,000 individual comments."[91]
- December 10, 2015: President Obama signs the Every Student Succeeds Act into law.[93]
- December 9, 2015: The Senate passes the Every Student Succeeds Act by a vote of 85-12.[94]
- December 2, 2015: The House of Representatives passes the Every Student Succeeds Act in a 359-64 vote. The bill would make Common Core optional for states and prevent "any federal agency from incentivizing, requiring, or conditioning the receipt of federal funds on the adoption of Common Core standards or any other set of specific academic standards."[95] It would also minimize federal educational oversight and increase state authority to determine standards, testing and accountability.[95]
- December 2, 2015: End Common Core Massachusetts submits 80,000 certified signatures to Secretary of State William Galvin’s offices in order to put an anti-Common Core question on the 2016 state ballot.[96] The group's aim was to remove Common Core from Massachusetts' education standards and return to the state's previous ones.
- November 17, 2015: Massachusetts' Board of Elementary and Secondary Education votes to develop a new standardized test rather than implement a Common Core Standards Initiative test.[97] The state had been piloting the test derived from Common Core standards, the Partnership for Assessing College Career Readiness test (PARCC), for two years. The new test, unofficially referred to as the "MCAS 2.0," was planned to be a hybrid between the test the state had been using for 18 years (the MCAS) and the PARCC.[98] According to NPR's Ann Ruth, of the 26 states that adopted the PARCC test, Massachusetts was the 20th to drop it.[97]
- November 11, 2015: A group of teachers and educators in Missouri is given the task to come up with a new set of educational standards to replace those of Common Core.[99] A bill passed in July of 2014 by Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon (D), House Bill 1490, allowed educators and parents to create new standards for the state. It set a deadline of October 1, 2015, for the creation of the standards, to be implemented in the 2016-2017 school year. HB 1490 called for eight groups of educators and parents in the state to develop new standards for students. They were divided into different subjects—English/language arts, mathematics, science and social studies—as well as into K-5 and 6-12 grades.[100] The groups presented their work to the state board of education for review on October 1, 2015. There was also a public hearing on October 26, 2015, for further discussion with state residents and the Missouri Board of Education.[101]
- October 26, 2015: The Arizona Board of Education votes to repeal the implementation of Common Core standards.[102] The motion was brought forward by Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas and the board passed it in a vote of 6-2. The vote did not immediately sever the Common Core standards from Arizona classrooms, but new standards were expected to be in place by 2017.[103]
- October 20, 2015: Test scores from New Jersey show that few students passed a Common Core-aligned test that was given the previous school year.[104] Less than half were fully proficient in the math exams, and the highest passing rate was 52 percent for the English tests. Common Core standards were adopted in New Jersey in 2010, and the 2014-2015 school year was the first during which students were tested accordingly.
- October 12, 2015: A parent survey released by the Education Post reveals that parents supported standardized testing but were unsure that it benefited their children.[105] Results showed that 44 percent of parents thought standardized tests were fair, while 38 percent said they were not and 18 percent were unsure.[106] Further, 44 percent of parents said they believed standardized tests have a positive impact on schools, compared with 30 percent who felt that the impact is negative and 25 percent who were unsure. However, 49 percent of parents thought their children take too many tests and 40 percent were of the opinion their children take the right amount. You can read a full breakdown of the survey and results here.
- September 29, 2015: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) launches the Common Core Task Force to review the state's education standards and come up with recommended changes. The task force was also charged with ensuring that standardized tests align with the state's curriculum, coming up with ways to shorten and reduce the number of standardized tests, and examining "the impact of the current moratorium on recording Common Core test scores on student records."[107]
- September 16, 2015: New York Commissioner of Education MaryEllen Elia announces that the state's standardized tests for the 2015-2016 school year would be shorter than they were for the 2014-2015 school year. This was the second time the state's standardized tests were trimmed down, and a spokeswoman for the New York Department of Education said the tests would be further shortened for the 2016-2017 school year as well. The announcement came after the state released its 2015 test scores. They revealed that 31 percent of students had passed the English assessments and 38 percent had passed math. As of the announcement to shorten the upcoming tests, the state had started two separate evaluations of the Common Core standards and its related assessments.[108]
- September 9, 2015:
- The Kansas Department of Education releases the results of the state's Common Core-aligned test. The results showed that 42 percent of students tested college- and career-ready in English and language arts, and 34 percent tested college- and career-ready in math. The results showed that a lot of students in Kansas were struggling, according to Brad Neuenswander, an employee of the Department of Education. This was the second time students took a Common Core-aligned test, but it was the first time the state analyzed the results, as the previous test was thrown out due to technological problems.[109]
- California's Common Core-aligned test results from the 2014-2015 school year are released. Overall, 44 percent of students met or exceeded English standards, and 33 percent met or exceeded standards in math. The results showed a large gap among different groups of students. Asian students scored highest, with 72 percent meeting or exceeding English standards; 61 percent of white students, 32 percent of Latino students and 28 percent of African-American students met or exceeded those standards. In math, "69 percent of Asians, 49 percent of whites, 21 percent of Latinos and 16 percent of African-Americans met or exceeded standards." These results were lower than results from the state's previous standardized tests. California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, however, said the results from the two tests could not be compared.[110]
- September 3, 2015:
- New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) calls for a re-evaluation of the state's Common Core standards. He called the standards "flawed" and said he was partly motivated to call for a review of the standards due to the state's large testing opt-out movement in the spring of 2015. Cuomo said that "standards will only work if people—especially parents—have faith in them and their ability to educate our children. The current Common Core program does not do that. It must."[111]
- The Common Core-aligned test results for Georgia are released. They reported that less than 40 percent of students in each grade level were proficient in math and English. The state's former exam had passage rates of 80 or 90 percent, but education officials said that the previous test set lower expectations than any other state. Before the results came out, they cautioned that the state would probably see lower scores. In a statement, Georgia Superintendent of Schools Richard Woods (R) said, "These results show a lower level of student proficiency than Georgians are used to seeing, but that does not mean Georgia students know less or that teachers are not doing a great job - it means they've been asked to clear a higher bar."[112]
- September 2, 2015: A ballot question asking Massachusetts voters whether or not the state should use Common Core standards is approved as constitutional. Supporters of the ballot question were next required to gather enough signatures to get it on the ballot. A total of 60,000 signatures were required to qualify.[113]
- August 28, 2015:
- Oregon state data reveals that 21 school districts in the state did not meet federal testing requirements. States were required to test 95 percent of all students in English language arts and math, as well as 95 percent of students in specific groups such as low-income or special needs. Those 21 districts had less than 95 percent of their students test in at least one subject area. The state of Oregon also did not meet federal requirements. Though 95 percent of students were tested overall, only 93 percent of African American students and 93 percent of special needs students were tested. If the U.S. Department of Education were to decide to withhold federal funding from the state due to the unmet requirements, Oregon was at risk of losing as much as $344 million. As of August 2015, the U.S. Department of Education had not yet withheld funding from any state or district based on testing participation requirements.[114]
- Connecticut releases the results of Common Core-aligned testing. Statewide, 40 percent of students met or exceeded achievement levels in math, and 55.4 percent of students met or exceeded achievement levels in English.[115]
- August 25, 2015: Nevada reaches a $1.3 million settlement with Measured Progress, the creator of the state's Common Core-aligned tests. Widespread technical problems left many students unable to finish the federally required tests. The Nevada attorney general said that the settlement would be refunded to the Nevada Department of Education in both cash and services.[116]
- August 18, 2015: A poll conducted by Education Next shows support for federal testing but little for the opt-out movement. Approximately two-thirds of the public and parents voiced support for standardized testing, while teachers were split on the decision. Only about one-third of parents and teachers supported opting students out of testing, and only a quarter of the public showed support of that movement.[117]
- August 17, 2015:
- Results from the new Common Core-aligned tests show that students in Washington met state expectations and exceeded national expectations, according to Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn. The students who were in 11th grade at the time of the test, however, tested at a lower rate. Only 26 percent of those students tested proficient in English and 14 percent were proficient in math. These scores were partially dragged down because students who opted out of testing received a zero grade. Dorn urged parents to encourage their students to take the tests.[118]
- North Carolina's Academic Standards Review Commission releases a draft of recommendations for the state's education standards. The full draft can be found here. The commission's final report was due by the end of 2015.[119]
- August 12, 2015:
- The state of New York releases the results of the Common Core-aligned standardized tests that students took in the spring of 2015. According to the data, over 200,000 students opted out of the testing, a total of 20 percent of students in the state. The test results showed that students in grades three through eight who took the tests improved in both English language arts and math. The improvements in English were slight; 31.3 percent of students tested proficient in 2015 compared to 30.6 percent in 2014. Students showed more improvement in math, with 38.1 percent of students testing proficient in 2014 compared to 36.2 percent in 2015.[120]
- Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) sends a letter to the Arkansas State Board of Education recommending a list of changes to the state's education standards. The changes came from a review of the Common Core standards conducted by the governor's council. One suggested change was to no longer use the name "Common Core standards."[121]
- August 5, 2015: New Hampshire receives another one-year waiver from the No Child Left Behind Act. Because of this, the state would have its 11th grade students take the SAT exam instead of the Smarter Balanced assessments for the 2015-2016 school year. The state's move came after the SAT was redesigned to test college and career readiness.[122]
- August 4, 2015: Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam (R), State Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey (R) and State House Speaker Beth Harwell (R) appoint 10 members to the state's K-12 education standards review board. The members included a university dean, principals, teachers, school administrators and a former county board of education member.[123]
- August 3, 2015: Recently appointed New York Commissioner of Education MaryEllen Elia announces she would be reviewing the Common Core standards with a group of teachers, parents and New York Department of Education officials. "I do think it's important to look at the standards to make sure that they really are on point for what we want students to be able to do when they leave high school," said Elia.[124]
- July 16, 2015:
- The United States Senate votes 81-17 to pass the Every Child Achieves Act, an overhaul of the No Child Left Behind Act. Though the bill maintained federal requirements for testing students in math and reading, it gave states more power and flexibility to hold districts accountable for student achievement. The bill would have to be reconciled with a similar bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and signed by President Barack Obama before it could be passed into law.[125]
- Delaware Gov. Jack Markell (D) vetoes HB 50, a bill designed to give parents the right to opt their children out of Common Core-aligned state assessments and to inform them of those rights prior to administering the tests. The Delaware House of Representatives passed the bill by a vote of 31-5, and the Delaware State Senate passed it with a 15-6 vote. Both votes were veto-proof majorities, suggesting that the state legislature could repeal the veto when it reconvened in January 2016.[126][127]
- July 9, 2015: The New York Department of Education awards a $44 million contract to Questar Assessment Inc. to develop new Common Core-aligned, computerized state assessments. Pearson Education, the company that had provided the state's standardized tests since 2011, bid on the contract but lost to Questar. The contract with Questar gave teachers more responsibility in developing the tests, according to state officials.[128]
- July 8, 2015:
- The U.S. House of Representatives passes a bill to prohibit the federal government from requiring or encouraging any specific academic standards, including Common Core. The bill also gave more control over assessments to states and school districts. The bill passed 218-213, with no Democrats voting in favor due to a portability measure included in the bill. The measure allows federal money to follow students if they leave low-income schools for other public school options.[129]
- The West Virginia Department of Education launches a new website to seek comments on the state's Common Core standards. A bill to start a formal review of the standards failed to get passed in the spring of 2015, so school district officials partnered with the Department of Education to seek feedback directly from the public.[130]
- The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education cuts ties with the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium due to language in the most recently passed budget prohibiting the department from spending any money on the consortium. The state planned to stop using the Smarter Balanced Assessments for the 2015-2016 school year.[131]
- July 6, 2015: Nevada posts a "Notice of Award" to issue a $51.5 million new testing contract with the Data Recognition Corporation. If approved by the state's board of examiners, the contract would start in August 2015 and continue through August 2019. The Data Recognition Corporation would provide testing services for a state-specific exam, the Nevada Ready Student Assessment System. During the 2014-2015 school year, the state used the Smarter Balanced Assessments.[13][132][133]
- July 1, 2015: The Ohio Department of Education chooses the American Institutes for Research (AIR) as its new Common Core testing provider after Gov. John Kasich (R) signed a bill banning the state from spending anymore money on PARCC Common Core testing. AIR provided Ohio's science and social studies tests for the 2014-2015 school year and planned to continue to provide those (in addition to the Common Core-aligned math and language arts tests) for the 2015-2016 school year.[134]
- June 29, 2015:
- Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) signs three education bills. One requires public hearings to be held in the state's six congressional districts to review revised education standards from the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE). A second bill changes the state's Common Core-aligned testing, requiring that less than half of the test questions come from the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC). A third bill adds additional committees to the review of educational standards, allowing legislative committees to accept or reject changes to education standards suggested by the BESE in package form.[135]
- Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) signs a bill banning the state from spending any money on PARCC Common Core testing and calling on the Ohio Department of Education to find a new test provider. The new law came after a committee created by State Sen. Peggy Lehner (R) conducted a survey that received negative feedback on the tests from across the state.[136]
- June 24, 2015: Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) signs House Bill 2655 into law, allowing parents to more easily opt their children out of state testing for the 2015-2016 school year.[137]
- June 22, 2015: The Thomas More Law Center (TMLC), a national public interest law firm, files a lawsuit against the North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple (R) and other state officials, claiming that the state's implementation of Common Core standards was unconstitutional. The lawsuit stated that the standards, as well as the tests aligning with them, violated federal laws banning federal control of public education. It also said that the Smarter Balanced Consortium, a group providing Common Core-aligned testing for states, was in violation of the Constitution as it was "an interstate compact which Congress did not authorize."[138]
- June 16, 2015: Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) signs a bill requiring the state to pull out of its partnership with the Smarter Balanced Consortium, which provided Common Core-aligned state testing for the 2014-2015 school year. The state was left to find a new testing provider or develop its own tests for the 2015-2016 school year.[139]
- June 11, 2015: The Oregon State Senate passes House Bill 2655 to allow parents to opt their children out of Common Core-aligned testing for any reason. The bill also protects schools and school districts from any consequences related to having a large number of students opt out of testing by requiring the state to publish two performance ratings. One would follow the regular model requiring 95 percent of students be tested, and the second would rate the school without any penalties based on the results of those who did take the test. The state received a warning from the federal government that such a bill could jeopardize Oregon's federal education funding, but those who voted in favor of the bill said they doubted the federal government would withhold any money. Assistant U.S. Secretary of Education Deborah Delisle said the bill was one of the most extreme opt-out measures in the country.[140]
- June 8, 2015: The Common Core Review Council established by Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson suggests that the state switch from Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) testing to ACT or ACT Aspire testing. The council said they recommended the switch due to the ACT's national recognition and comparison between all states, its relevance to students and its shorter time length for testing. Gov. Hutchinson said he reviewed and approved of the recommendation and instructed the Arkansas Department of Education to take steps toward entering into a contract with ACT.[141]
- June 7, 2015: West Virginia Superintendent of Schools Michael J. Martirano speaks with the West Virginia's Joint Committee on Education in defense of Common Core standards. He said the state's previous standards were too broad and shallow and that they left students unprepared for college or the workforce. “It’s unconscionable we are graduating young people across the country, not just in West Virginia, who are not prepared for college courses,” said Martirano. He said Common Core was critical to help better prepare students.[142]
- June 4, 2015: Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon (D) signs House Bill 2, an appropriations bill cutting funding for the Common Core-aligned Smarter Balanced Assessments. Students in the state took those assessments at the end of the 2014-2015 school year, but they were not to take them again for the 2015-2016 school year since the $4.2 million needed to pay for the tests was cut from the budget. Instead, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education was granted $7 million to develop new tests.[143]
- May 29, 2015: The case against the U.S. Department of Education, which was started by a lawsuit filed by Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) over Common Core standards, concludes testimony. U.S. District Judge Shelly Deckert Dick presided over the case. Gov. Jindal's lawsuit accuses the U.S. Department of Education of illegally using federal funding and other regulations to force states to adopt Common Core standards, also accusing the department of trying to establish a national curriculum.[144]
- May 28, 2015: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) announces his opposition to Common Core standards during a speech at Burlington County College in Pemberton, N.J. “The truth is that it’s simply not working,” said Christie, leaving former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) as the last Republican presidential hopeful to support the standards.[145] Christie also announced that New Jersey would be pulling out of Common Core. He said that a panel of teachers, educators and parents would develop new standards for the state that would be "even higher and come directly from our communities."[146]
- May 21, 2015: Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) signs House Bill 2680 into law. The law delayed the state's ability to rate schools based on statewide standardized assessments, which aligned with Common Core standards.[147]
- May 20, 2015:
- The Louisiana State Senate passes Senate Bill 43 with a 36-1 vote. It passed from the Louisiana Senate Education Committee on May 14, 2015. The bill gives the governor and the education committees of both state legislative chambers the ability to accept or reject any changes to the state's education standards, but it does not give those offices the ability to change any recommended standards.[148]
- The Wisconsin State Legislature's Joint Finance Committee approves a proposal submitted by Gov. Scott Walker (R) prohibiting the Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction from requiring school districts to follow Common Core standards.[149]
- Ohio Senator Kris Jordan (R) introduces a bill to eliminate Common Core standards in the state. The only sponsor of the bill, Jordan said it was designed to stop federal involvement in the state's education system. “I just don’t believe that Washington has helped our education system since it started to get involved in the late ’70s,” said Jordan.[150]
- May 14, 2015: Senate Bill 43 passes out of the Louisiana Senate Education Committee. If passed into law, the bill would require that any action taken by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to create new education standards be subject to review by the education committees of both state legislative chambers. The bill was part of a three-bill compromise aimed at bridging the divide between Common Core opponents and supporters in the state.[151]
- May 13, 2015: Louisiana House Bill 373, which sets up a review process for the state's Common Core standards and includes the possibility of adopting new standards, passes out of the Louisiana House Education Committee. If signed into law, the bill would require the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to start reviewing the standards July 1, 2015. It would also require the board to include public review. The bill set up a timeline for the new standards to be shared in February 2016 and adopted in March 2016, giving the governor the power to accept or reject the new standards. The bill was part of a three-bill compromise aimed at bridging the divide between Common Core opponents and supporters in the state.[152]
- May 11, 2015: Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam (R) signs a bill passed by the Tennessee State Legislature creating two committees to review the state's English and math standards in order to recommend new ones. The new law required that the committees' recommended standards be implemented by the 2017-2018 school year.[153]
- May 4, 2015: Mississippi Superintendent of Education Carey Wright announces that the Mississippi Department of Education would start its own review of Common Core standards. The department planned to solicit comments from the public on the standards and then have them reviewed by a panel of educators in order to propose changes to the State Board of Education.[154]
- April 30, 2015: Tennessee's inquiry into Common Core standards wraps up and shows that 56 percent of the reviews were in favor of keeping the standards. The six-month review process allowed participants to say they would like to “keep it,” “replace it,” or “remove it” in regards to the individual standards within Common Core. A total of 2,262 people participated in the review of the standards, with 51.5 percent of them identifying as teachers.[155][156]
- April 27, 2015:
- New York State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D) calls the large number of students opting out of state testing assessments a "concern" and says that state lawmakers would have to take a "macro look" at the issue of classroom testing.[157] The group United to Counter the Core released a statement with the preliminary count of students who had opted out of testing in 2015. With 76 percent of school districts reporting, 193,000 students opted out of English and language arts testing; with 45 percent of school districts reporting, 151,000 students opted out of math testing. This was an increase from 2014, when 47,000 students opted out of English and language arts testing and 67,000 refused to take math tests.[158]
- The Arizona State Board of Education votes 9-1 to create a review committee for the state's Common Core standards. The committee had 17 members, including Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas. The other members were teachers, business owners, parents and college deans. The committee was to hold public hearings on the standards and oversee the creation of new ones.[159]
- West Virginia House of Delegates member Michael Folk (R) files a lawsuit against the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium funding in the state. After filing with the Berkeley County Court, Folk released a statement calling the Common Core-aligned testing "unconstitutional." He said it takes money away from schools and time away from teaching.[160]
- April 23, 2015: Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant (R) vetoes a bill passed by the Mississippi State Legislature that called for the creation of a commission to make recommendations on education standards. Bryant said he was committed to repealing Common Core standards in Mississippi and, because the bill did not do that, he could not sign it into law. Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves (R) had supported the bill. He said that though the bill did not directly repeal Common Core standards in the state, the governor's veto ensured that the standards would remain in place.[161]
- April 21, 2015: The Tennessee State Senate votes 27-3 to pass House Bill 1035 to create state-specific standards to replace Common Core in 2017. The bill next moved to the governor to be signed.[162][163]
- April 20, 2015:
- The Tennessee House of Representatives passes a bill to create state-specific standards in place of Common Core.[164]
- With a 61-37 vote, opponents of Common Core in the Louisiana House of Representatives fail to move out of the House Education Committee a bill that would have changed the method of adopting state education standards.[165]
- April 17, 2015: At the New Hampshire GOP summit, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) announces that he supported a bill to prevent setting curriculum standards at the federal level. Bush was previously an ardent supporter of Common Core standards, but his standing on the issue had become less rigid. “We don’t need a federal government involved in this at all,” Bush said at the summit.[166]
- April 14, 2015:
- Common Core-aligned testing begins in New York, and school districts see an increase in the number of students opting out of taking the test from 2014. In some districts, over 50 percent of students opted out of testing, with the largest numbers of opt-outs occurring in Long Island, Westchester and Buffalo. Some school district officials voiced concern over the opt-outs, as districts could be penalized at both the state and federal levels if less than 95 percent of students participated in testing. New York State United Teachers started a robocall campaign a few days before the test began to remind members that they could opt out their children. The New York Department of Education said standardized testing helps ensure that the state's most vulnerable students do not get ignored.[167][168]
- Delaware Gov. Jack Markell (D) announces that four of the state's universities called the Common Core-aligned Smarter Balanced Assessment taken by 11th graders in the state "a good measure of college readiness." The University of Delaware, Delaware Technical Community College, Delaware State University and Wilmington University said they would all use Smarter Balanced Assessment scores in lieu of placement exams to determine if students need to take remedial classes when starting college.[169] Those four universities joined others across the country that already used Common Core-based testing to determine class placements for incoming students, including over 100 in California, 49 in Washington, 24 in Oregon, 10 in Hawaii and 6 in South Dakota.[170]
- April 7, 2015:
- A study reports that students in Kentucky, the first state to implement Common Core standards, "made faster progress in learning" than students in states using older standards. The study was conducted by the American Institutes for Research (AIR) and supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The study looked at ACT test scores in Kentucky, where all 11th grade students were required take it. The study examined the school year immediately before Common Core standards were implemented, the year just after and the year two years after. The students in the years after Common Core was implemented made more progress in terms of academic proficiency than those who took the test beforehand.[171]
- A group of teachers, parents and students boycott the Common Core-aligned Smarter Balanced tests in the Seattle School District. They group expressed opposition to the idea of teaching students in order to pass a test. During testing for the 2013-2014 school year, around 30 students refused to take certain portions of the test. The district estimated as many as 150 students would refuse portions of the test for the 2014-2015 school year.[172]
- April 3, 2015: Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt tells school districts in the state that it is up to them to determine if students can opt out of criterion-referenced tests (CRTs). Laxalt said the state law did not make such tests mandatory. Laxalt was asked to interpret the law by Nevada Superintendent of Public Instruction Dale Erquiaga in order to let school districts know their options.[173]
- April 1, 2015: The Nevada State Assembly holds a hearing on a bill that would repeal Common Core standards in the state. Nevada phased the standards into the classroom gradually, and they were only fully implemented in the 2014-2015 school year. According to the Nevada Department of Education, it would cost the state $110 million to repeal Common Core and go back to the state's former standards.[174]
- March 31, 2015: Both the Mississippi State Senate and the Mississippi House of Representatives pass a bill to create an 11-member commission to make recommendations on education standards to the State Board of Education. The bill went to Gov. Phil Bryant (R) to sign.[175]
- March 30, 2015:
- The Arizona State Senate rejects a bill repealing Common Core in the state. The vote was 13-16, with some Republicans joining Democrats to vote against the bill. The Senate rejected a similar bill in 2014 and in February 2015.[176]
- Karen Magee, the president of New York State United Teachers, calls for a boycott of the state's Common Core testing, scheduled to occur in April 2015. She said the tests were "not valid indicators of student progress," urging parents to opt their children out of testing. Under a new state education reform plan, the results of these tests were intended to impact teacher evaluations. Merryl Tisch, the chancellor of the State Board of Regents, said the tests “provide an important source of objective information.”[177]
- District Court Judge Tim Kelley throws out a lawsuit alleging that the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education violated the state's Administrative Procedures Act by adopting Common Core, as it did not provide enough legislative oversight or give enough public notice. The lawsuit was brought by Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) and 17 state legislators.[178]
- March 23, 2015:
- While outlining his education policy agenda, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) calls on the State Board of Education to review the state's Common Core standards "in their entirety." Ducey said that "at the end of the day the standards need to come from Arizona and they need to help us achieve our objectives."[179]
- Weeks before students in the state are scheduled to take Common Core-aligned tests for the first time, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) proposes using student results in teacher evaluations. He suggested that 50 percent of the Annual Professional Performance Reviews for teachers be tied to their students' results despite opposition from teachers unions.[180]
- March 20, 2015:
- The Arkansas State Senate Education Committee approves a bill barring the State Board of Education from renewing the PARCC exams for more than one year after the 2015-2016 school year. The bill moved to the full Senate.[181]
- Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) announces that he would support legislation to repeal Common Core. He proposed that the state temporarily revert back to its former standards while creating new math and reading standards with input from local school boards, state education officials and the Louisiana State Legislature. No specific bill to repeal Common Core had been filed in the State Legislature. State Board of Education President Chas Roemer called Jindal's announcements a "political plan" and said the governor "is only concerned about one thing: his own politics."[182]
- March 17, 2015: The Wisconsin State Senate passes a bill to delay reporting Common Core-aligned test scores from the 2014-2015 school year. The bill moved to the Wisconsin State Assembly after passing on a voice vote with no debate. If passed by the Assembly, no test results would be used from the 2014-2015 school year to measure a school's performance or to evaluate teachers.[183]
- March 11, 2015:
- The South Carolina State Board of Education votes unanimously to replace Common Core standards with new standards approved by the South Carolina Education Oversight Committee, officially repealing the standards in the state.[184]
- The California Board of Education votes unanimously to suspend the Academic Performance Index, a system measuring schools on a statewide level, for the 2014-2015 school year. California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson said the Common Core-based tests were too different from previous state tests and needed more time to be implemented. Students would still take the Common Core-aligned tests, but the scores will only be recorded at school and district levels.[185]
- March 10, 2015:
- The Arizona House of Representatives votes to pass a bill allosing parents to opt their students out of Common Core testing. The bill moved to the Arizona State Senate for consideration.[186]
- March 9, 2015:
- The South Carolina Education Oversight Committee votes 11-1 to approve new state education standards to replace Common Core. The standards next needed to be approved by the State Board of Education before school districts can start using them for the 2015-2016 school year.[187]
- A bill to repeal Common Core standards in West Virginia is altered by the Senate Committee on Education to require a year-long study before the standards can be repealed. Fully repealing Common Core would cost the state $128 million over a four-year timespan. The new bill sets up public town hall meetings across the state and sets up an online forum. The meetings and forum will seek input on the standards.[188]
- The Arizona House of Representatives postpones a debate on a proposal to repeal Common Core standards in the state. The debate was delayed due to the absence of one Republican member of the House. The proposal also sought to take away the State Board of Education's ability to adopt new standards.[189]
- March 4, 2015: The Ohio State Senate passes an amended bill seeking to ban the use of test scores to keep students from getting promoted to the next grade or receiving class credit. The original bill was unanimously approved by the Ohio House of Representatives.[190][191]
- March 2, 2015:
- The Idaho State Senate Education Committee votes to hold Resolution 105 in committee. The resolution sought to change Common Core standards to more state-specific standards.[192]
- Hundreds of students in New Mexico walk out of school in protest of the state’s Common Core testing. The student protesters said they believed that the testing was taking away from their overall education and that the results were unfairly used to evaluate teachers. The governor’s office said that annual testing was required by federal law and that the new Common Core test was developed by educators. Schools in Pennsylvania and New York, which were also administering Common Core-aligned tests for the first time, saw thousands of students opt out of testing.[193]
- New educational standards for South Carolina pass out of the Academic Standards and Assessments Subcommittee with a vote of 5-0 and one abstention. The new standards moved on to the Education Oversight Committee and the State Board of Education. If passed by both bodies, the new standards would be on schedule to replace Common Core standards for the 2015-2016 school year.[194]
- March 1, 2015: Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal, Sen. Ted Cruz, and neurosurgeon Ben Carson speak on the need to repeal Common Core at the 2015 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Former Gov. Jeb Bush (R) stood alone in maintaining support of the standards.[195]
- February 28, 2015: The West Virginia House of Delegates passes a bill to repeal Common Core. The bill next moved on to the West Virginia State Senate and was put on double reference. Passage by both the Senate Education Committee and the Senate Finance Committee would be required before such a bill could move to the floor.[196]
- February 27, 2015: The No Child Left Behind Act reauthorization bill is pulled from consideration by U.S. House leaders after a number of conservative amendments were dropped from the bill by the House Rules Committee.[197]
- February 24, 2015:
- The South Dakota House of Representatives rejects an attempt to put a Common Core repeal bill on the legislative calendar. The House Education Committee voted twice previously to reject the repeal bill, but Rep. Daniel Kaiser (R) used a procedural maneuver known as a smoke-out to force the full House to vote on the bill's consideration. The vote was 39-31 against.[198]
- A bill seeking to repeal the Common Core standards in Montana moves to a House Appropriations Committee hearing. It passed a second reading on February 21, 2015. If passed into law, HB 377 would repeal Common Core and create a council to set up new education standards for the state.[199]
- A Missouri judge rules that the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) is an “unlawful interstate compact to which the U.S. Congress has never consented.” Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green ruled that SBAC’s existence and operation was unconstitutional due to the U.S. Constitution’s Compact Clause and that Missouri’s participation with SBAC was also unconstitutional. The ruling declared that paying any membership fees to SBAC was illegal and that no taxpayer funds could be disbursed to SBAC either directly or indirectly.[200]
- February 23, 2015: The Arizona State Senate votes 19-10 against a bill that would have let school districts in the state adopt their own academic standards and not be required to follow Common Core.[201]
- February 18, 2015: The Arizona House of Representatives Education Committee approves a bill to repeal Common Core as well as limit the powers of the state's Board of Education to adopt new standards. The bill was approved by the committee with a 5-2 vote along party lines, with Republican lawmakers in favor.[202]
- February 16, 2015:
- Four Arizona lawmakers introduce bills seeking to change the state's stance on Common Core and Common Core-aligned testing. Two of the bills proposed eliminating Common Core entirely, one recommended creating assessment options that school districts can choose from, and one allowed parents to opt their students out of testing.[203]
- Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) submits plans to scrap the state's Common Core-aligned standardized test by 2016 in his biennial budget. He proposed that the state choose a different exam and that it let districts choose between that new exam and a state-approved alternate. Some school district officials in the state said ending the exam would do more harm than good, as resources, time and energy had already gone into preparing students for the Common Core-aligned test. According to school officials, if the exam were scrapped after its first year, educators would not be able to build on its results.[204]
- February 12, 2015: A bill prohibiting the New Hampshire Department of Education and State Board of Education from requiring Common Core standards passes the New Hampshire State Senate by voice vote. SB 101 moved to the New Hampshire House of Representatives for consideration. If passed into law, the decision to implement Common Core standards would fall to the local level.[205]
- February 11, 2015:
- The United States House of Representatives Education and Workforce Committee passes legislation prohibiting the U.S. Department of Education from attempting to "influence, incentivize or coerce" states to adopt Common Core standards either directly or indirectly. The committee's bill also sought to reduce federal requirements that states allocate a certain amount of funding toward education in order to receive federal funds and eliminated over 60 federal education programs. The bill passed from the committee on a party-line vote, with Republicans in favor and Democrats opposing.[206]
- The Ohio House of Representatives unanimously passes a bill prohibiting schools from holding students back based on the results of the state's first year of Common Core-aligned testing. The bill also banned schools from sharing student test scores with outside sources. The bill moved onto the Ohio State Senate for consideration.[207]
- The Mississippi State Senate passes a bill to create the Mississippi Commission on College and Career Readiness. If the bill were to also pass in the Mississippi House of Representatives, the commission would be tasked with recommending new educational standards for the state. Some state senators opposed the bill because the commission could only recommend new standards and not force the State Board of Education to adopt those new standards. The bill passed 31-16.[208]
- Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) calls for the formation of a Council on Common Core Review. The 16-member council was to be headed by Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin (R). An online application was made available for anyone in the state to apply for a seat on the council.[209]
- February 10, 2015: Fourteen Louisiana school districts begin trying to minimize the penalties schools might encounter if large numbers of their students opt out of required standardized testing in March 2015. Each of the 14 districts passed resolutions aimed at preventing such students from receiving zero grades, as their schools and school districts would also receive zero grades in turn. Four members of the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education requested a special meeting to discuss the possibility of some students opting out of testing, but Board President Chas Roemer said the topic would be discussed at the board's regular meeting on March 5, 2015.[210]
- February 9, 2015: Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) reveals a 42-page proposal to reform education in the U.S. at the national level, which included details about repealing Common Core, diminishing federal authority, expanding school choice options and broadening administrative freedom in education. The proposal was published by Jindal's nonprofit think tank America Next.[211]
- February 2, 2015: Over 200 parents, educators and business leaders attend a debate on a bill to repeal Common Core standards in North Dakota. A number of educators and school administrators spoke against the bill and in favor of Common Core, while the bill's sponsor, Rep. Jim Kasper (R), along with three out-of-state Common Core opponents spoke against the standards. If passed, the bill would require North Dakota to withdraw from the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium by July 1, 2015. The bill would also create an interim legislative committee to appoint a group to develop new standards for the state by 2017.[212]
- January 31, 2015: Four school districts in California submit a class action complaint insisting that the state pay for the costs related to implementing Common Core standards, specifically costs related to Smarter Balanced Assessments, the new statewide testing system that required computers for grades three through eight as well as 11. The Santa Ana Unified School District, one of the schools that submitted the complaint, projected that costs from testing, devices, bandwidth and infrastructure would come to over $24 million. The state originally gave school districts $1.25 billion for Common Core training, materials and computers in 2013, and $26.7 million was given to districts for high-speed Internet in 2014. Another $100 million was allocated for school districts with Internet needs in 2015.[213]
- January 30, 2015:
- The Colorado Board of Education votes 5-2 to endorse a bill that would remove the state from Common Core standards and assessments. If passed, the bill would also offer districts more testing flexibility in addition to reducing the number of state assessments. The state would also be required to update its standards periodically.[214]
- Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) issues an executive order allowing parents to opt out of the state's spring standardized tests. The executive order also asked the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to authorize alternative tests to the Common Core-aligned Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers standardized tests. Under the state's accountability scoring system at the time, schools received a zero for each student who did not take the state's standardized test. The scoring system determined district, school and teacher performance, all of which could be tied to monetary awards. According to the Louisiana Department of Education, the 2015 tests were supposed to determine a baseline from which school districts are expected to grow.[215]
- January 29, 2015: The Mississippi Senate Education Committee passes a bill directing the state to adopt new standards, remove any reference to Common Core in those standards, adopt a new testing system aligned with the new standards, withdraw from the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for Colleges and Careers consortium, and create the Mississippi Commission on College and Career Readiness to help with the new standards. A similar measure passed in the full Mississippi House of Representatives. The Senate bill moved to the full Senate for consideration.[216]
- January 27, 2015: The Study Commission on the Use of Student Assessments in New Jersey, a task force created by executive order to study the effects of Common Core and standardized testing in the state, holds the first of three sessions to hear public testimonies. The others were held on January 28 and January 29.[217]
- January 25, 2015: Ohio Governor John Kasich (R) says in a Fox News interview that attacks on Common Core standards by Senator Rand Paul (R), Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal (R), Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (R) and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee (R) were bogus, wrong and dishonest. He said their opposition to the standards stemmed from political reasons rather than idealogical ones.[218]
- January 22, 2015:
- The Mississippi House of Representatives passes a bill to remove the term "Common Core" from their state standards while still using the standards. The bill to rebrand the Common Core standards in Mississippi to "Mississippi College and Career-Ready Standards" passed with a vote of 95-21. The House also passed a measure that would allow school districts to develop their own curriculum to teach the newly named standards.[219]
- State lawmakers introduce a Common Core repeal bill to the Kansas State Senate. If passed, the bill would require Kansas to return to its former standards as of July 1, 2015, and it would ban any "education entity" from spending money on materials or training linked to the Common Core standards. A similar bill was introduced twice before, in 2014 and 2013, but was never passed.[220]
- January 20, 2015: Republican U.S. Senators Rob Portman, Pat Roberts, Chuck Grassley and Jim Inhofe introduce a bill called the Learning Opportunities Created At the Local (LOCAL) Level Act. If passed, the bill would prohibit the federal government from getting involved in a state's education standards in any way, including through the use of incentives, mandates, waivers or grants.[221]
- January 19, 2015: Mississippi State Senators Michael Watson (R) and Angela Hill (R) file a bill to repeal Common Core standards in Mississippi. The bill also called for the formation of a governor-appointed advisory board—including teachers, administrators, specialists and parents—to create new state standards.[222]
- January 16, 2015: The Mississippi State Board of Education votes to withdraw from the Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), the Common Core-aligned testing consortium. State education leaders announced that they would request proposals for assessments from other entities starting in the 2015-2016 school year.[223]
- January 13, 2015:
- Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (R) announces his intention to no longer require school districts in the state to implement Common Core standards in his State of the State address.[224]
- Nevada Assemblyman Philip O'Neill (R) hosts a public forum on the Common Core standards in Carson City. The event was live-streamed to a similar gathering in Las Vegas. The forum was led by James Milgram and Sandra Stotsky, opponents of the standards. Both served on the Common Core Validation Committee when the standards were being created, but neither signed off on the standards. Supporters of the standards, including a number of officials from the Nevada Department of Education, also spoke at the forum.[225]
- January 6, 2015: A "Stop Common Core" rally is held outside the Mississippi State Legislature on the first day of their three-month session. The opponents of the Common Core standards held signs asking state lawmakers to repeal the standards.[226][227]
- January 5, 2015: Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal (R) appoints Mary Harris to the state's Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. Harris publicly announced that she supports repealing the Common Core state standards soon after her appointment, which made her the fourth of 11 members on the board to oppose the standards.[228]
2014
- December 16, 2014:
- The West Virginia State Legislature holds a legislative hearing to hear arguments both for and against Common Core standards. The state adopted the standards in 2010 but did not fully implement them into the classroom until the 2014-2015 school year.[229]
- Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker says he plans to remove “any mandate or requirement that requires a school district to abide by Common Core standards.” This statement showed a possible change in tactics compared to his earlier call for the Wisconsin State Legislature to repeal the standards.[230]
- December 10, 2014: The National Council on Teacher Quality releases a report saying most states had failed at preparing new teachers to teach Common Core standards. The report praised states that raised admissions standards to get into teaching programs but said that many states fell short of what they should have been doing to prepare teachers. The report found that many states inadequately tested new teachers before putting them in the classroom, with only five testing high school teachers on their specific subjects and only 14 testing elementary school teachers on the science of teaching children how to read.[231]
- December 2, 2014: Brad McQueen, a teacher in the Tanque Verde Unified School District in Arizona, sues the Arizona Department of Education and Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction John Huppenthal. In the lawsuit, McQueen claimed he was retaliated against when he publicly spoke out against Common Core standards. The retaliations mentioned in the lawsuit included McQueen's removal from state committees he was paid to serve on, notes added to his permanent personnel file that could affect future employment and "intimidating" confrontations from Arizona Department of Education officials. Huppenthal was named in the lawsuit because he knew of his staff's conduct and allowed them to continue, McQueen said. The Goldwater Institute—which filed on McQueen's behalf—said the teacher's First Amendment rights had been violated. The superintendent of the Tanque Verde Unified School District said the lawsuit had not affected McQueen's work in the classroom.[232]
- December 1, 2014:
- U.S. Senator David Vitter (R) announces that he now opposes implementing Common Core standards in Louisiana. Vitter had previously publicly supported the standards, but he said after hearing from "literally thousands of parents, teachers, and others," he changed his mind. The senator and Louisiana gubernatorial candidate said he believed the standards represented too much federal intrusion and were causing too much frustration in schools. He said the state should implement its own standards.[233][234]
- Mississippi Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves (R) calls for the state legislature to repeal Common Core and develop its own standards. His public statement put Reeves on the side of Governor Phil Bryant (R), who had said he believed Common Core is a "failed program."[235]
- November 24, 2014: Oklahoma earns back its No Child Left Behind Act waiver. The state lost the waiver in August when it repealed Common Core standards and reverted to its former state standards, which were deemed not rigorous enough by the U.S. Department of Education. The waiver was reinstated after the state proved that its former standards were rigorous enough to properly prepare students for college and career readiness. The state planned to use their former standards until 2016, when it planned to implement new state standards.[236]
- November 20, 2014: Attorney Caroline Lewis Wolverton for the Obama administration requests that the lawsuit brought against the United States Department of Education by Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) and a number of Louisiana state legislators be thrown out. U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick said she needed time to consider the request before dismissing the lawsuit.[237]
- November 17, 2014: Mike Bell (Tennessee) (R), and Dolores Gresham (R), two state senators from Tennessee, file a bill to repeal Common Core. The bill was modeled after a similar bill the North Carolina State Legislature passed earlier in 2014. If passed, it would leave behind Common Core and devise new state standards. Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey (R) applauded the bill.[238][239]
- November 11, 2014: The Georgia Department of Education releases a revised version of the Common Core State Standards for public comment. Following the announcement, leadership for both the Georgia Association of Educators and Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education stated that the revisions were not extensive.[240]
- November 6, 2014: Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal (R) files paperwork to join a lawsuit against the Louisiana Department of Education and the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE), which was started by a group of 17 state legislators from the Louisiana House of Representatives. The lawsuit alleged that the Louisiana Department of Education failed to sufficiently advertise the Common Core State Standards to the public before beginning implementation.[241]
- November 5, 2014: The Rules and Reference Committee of the Ohio House of Representatives votes 7-2 to approve a bill to repeal the Common Core State Standards in Ohio. The bill therefore moved out of committee and could now be voted on by the full Ohio House of Representatives if the majority's leadership decided to bring the bill to the floor.[242]
- October 22, 2014:
- Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam (R) announces a public review period for the Common Core State Standards in Tennessee. This announcement moved up the state's regular schedule for education standards review by two years. Earlier in 2014, Haslam announced that the state would withdraw from the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers testing consortium. He also signed a bill delaying the implementation of Common Core by one year, despite his personal support for the standards.[243][244]
- Chicago Public Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett criticizes the timeline for implementation of Common Core-aligned examinations in Illinois. The examinations, which were developed by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), were first implemented during the 2013-2014 school year as a pilot program. Byrd-Bennett called for another year of pilot program status for the tests, but she acknowledged that the state administration had already rejected her requests for a delay.[245]
- September 18, 2014: The Mississippi State Board of Education votes to approve a one-year, $8.3 million contract with Pearson PLC to provide Common Core-aligned testing services in Mississippi. The board came to the decision after a four-year contract with Pearson PLC fell through due to the Mississippi Department of Education's failure to solicit bids from other vendors.[246]
- September 10, 2014: Former U.S. Secretary of Education William J. Bennett publishes an editorial in The Wall Street Journal endorsing the Common Core State Standards Initiative. Bennett, who served during President Ronald Reagan's administration, stated in his opinion piece that "[c]ommon, voluntary standards are a good, conservative policy." He did, however, criticize what he referred to as "federal overreach" and added, "We should not allow [Common Core] to be hijacked by the federal government or misguided bureaucrats and politicos."[247]
- September 8, 2014: Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett (R) issues a statement requesting a "continued public review" of Common Core in Pennsylvania (known as Pennsylvania Core). Corbett denounced the standards in his statement and claimed that they were "nothing more than a top-down takeover of the education system" by the federal government, further labeling it "Obamacare for education."[248] Pennsylvania Core was a revised version of Common Core, approved by the Pennsylvania General Assembly with the support of Corbett's administration in 2013.[249]
- September 5, 2014: Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy (D) writes a public letter to the U.S. Department of Education requesting that 11th-grade students not be required to take a Common Core-aligned statewide standardized test. Malloy argued that high school juniors in Connecticut already take multiple standardized exams, such as the ACT and SAT, and claimed that those students are "overtested."[250]
- August 28, 2014: The U.S. Department of Education announces that Oklahoma has lost its waiver from the requirements of No Child Left Behind Act. The waiver was lost because Oklahoma withdrew from the Common Core State Standards without implementing new and sufficiently rigorous standards as a replacement. As a consequence of losing the waiver, Oklahoma would need to provide both tutoring services and school choice options to students starting in the 2014-2015 school year in certain districts. Although Indiana also withdrew from Common Core, its new standards were deemed rigorous enough by the U.S. Department of Education to receive a one-year extension on its No Child Left Behind Act waiver.[251]
- August 27, 2014:
- Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal (R) files a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education claiming that it used federal funds and regulations to promote the adoption of the Common Core State Standards among the states. The lawsuit argued that the federal government's use of the $4.35 billion Race to the Top fund "effectively forces States down a path toward a national curriculum."[252] The department required Phase 2 applicants for Race to the Top grants to commit to "adoption of a common set of K-12 standards" and also spent $372 million to help develop Common Core-aligned exams.[253][254] After the lawsuit was filed, Jindal issued a statement arguing that the federal government "hijacked and destroyed the Common Core initiative. [...] Common Core is the latest effort by big government disciples to strip away state rights and put Washington, D.C., in control of everything."[255]
- The School District of Lee County School Board in Florida votes 3-2 to opt out of statewide standardized tests, which aligned with the Common Core State Standards. Superintendent Nancy Graham criticized the ruling and stated, "This will hurt children." Board member Don Armstrong, who voted for the withdrawal, argued, "Sometimes it takes an act of civil disobedience to move forward. [...] We cannot allow the fear to hold us back." The board did not decide on a replacement for the examinations or determine whether its ruling would impact area charter schools. After the vote, board attorney Keith Martin acknowledged that the consequences of the vote were unclear and that Governor Rick Scott (R) could decide to remove the school board from power since the Common Core-aligned tests were state-mandated.[256] The School District of Lee County was the ninth-largest school district in Florida, serving 83,895 students during the 2011-2012 school year.[257]
- August 19, 2014: Judge Todd Hernandez of the 19th Judicial District rules against Governor Bobby Jindal (R), who filed a lawsuit against the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) on July 29, 2014. The lawsuit against BESE claimed that it had improperly delegated its constitutional authority to the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers and that BESE had violated state contracting law when purchasing Common Core-aligned testing materials. Jindal's lawsuit came in response to a lawsuit filed by the Choice Foundation on July 22, 2014, and joined by BESE on July 29, 2014, which sought to stop Jindal's executive order to withdraw Louisiana from Common Core and to suspend contracts to buy Common Core testing materials. Hernandez's ruling lifted Jindal's suspension on the purchase of testing materials and argued that the governor had failed to produce evidence that BESE had violated state law. Jindal's chief of staff, Kyle Plotkin, indicated that the governor intended to appeal the ruling.[258]
- July 31, 2014:
- U.S. Senator David Vitter (R) announces his support for the Common Core State Standards Initiative. This announcement put Vitter at odds with Governor Bobby Jindal (R), who was suing and being sued by the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education over the issue of Common Core.[259]
- The Libertas Institute in Utah files a lawsuit against the Utah State Board of Education claiming that the Common Core standards were adopted without significant involvement or consultation from Utah residents. Title 53A, Chapter 1, Section 402.6 of the Utah Code requires state education standards to be adopted "in consultation with local school boards, school superintendents, teachers, employers, and parents."[260] On July 17, 2014, Utah Governor Gary R. Herbert (R) announced that Utah Attorney General Sean D. Reyes (R) would investigate the extent of the federal government's involvement in Utah's adoption of Common Core.
- July 29, 2014: Governor Bobby Jindal (R) files a lawsuit against the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education claiming that it improperly delegated its constitutional authority to the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers.[261] This came in response to a lawsuit filed the Choice Foundation on July 22, 2014, alleging that Jindal's executive order to withdraw Louisiana from Common Core and to suspend contracts to buy Common Core testing materials exceeded his authority. The Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted 6-4 to join that lawsuit on July 29, 2014, shortly before Jindal filed his lawsuit.[262][263]
- July 28, 2014: Ohio State Representative and Speaker Pro Tempore Matt Huffman (R) introduce HB 597 into the Ohio State Legislature, which would repeal Common Core in Ohio. The bill would replace the standards with those used by Massachusetts. By the 2017-2018 school year, the state government would be required to implement its own set of state standards. Huffman was the second-highest ranking Republican in the Ohio House of Representatives, and he noted in his announcement that he had the support of House Speaker William Batchelder.[264]
- July 22, 2014:
- The Choice Foundation, along with a number of parents and teachers, files a lawsuit against Governor Bobby Jindal, claiming that his executive order to withdraw Louisiana from Common Core and to suspend contracts to buy Common Core testing materials exceeded his authority. The lawsuit called for a preliminary injunction in order to allow the state to continue using Common Core standards for the 2014-2015 school year. A hearing was scheduled for August 4, 2014. The Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) said resolving the issue of who determines the content of state tests was critical. Until the hearing, teachers did not know what tests their students would need to take at the end of the school year.[265]
- North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory (R) signs a bill into law requiring that the state's Common Core curriculum standards be re-written. The bill was passed by the North Carolina State Senate on July 10, 2014, and by the North Carolina House of Representatives on July 16, 2014. Common Core standards were to remain in place until the re-written standards were completed.[266]
- July 17, 2014:
- Utah Governor Gary R. Herbert (R) announces that Utah Attorney General Sean D. Reyes (R) would investigate the extent of the federal government's involvement in Utah's adoption of Common Core. Gov. Herbert also establishes a committee of higher education experts to review the standards, led by former Utah System of Higher Education Commissioner Richard Kendell.[267][268]
- Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (R) issues a statement calling for the Wisconsin State Legislature to repeal the Common Core State Standards. Walker proposes replacing the standards with a new set specific to Wisconsin. Earlier in 2014, Walker's administration helped draft a repeal bill that did not make it out of committee for a vote.[269][270]
- July 16, 2014:
- The North Carolina House of Representatives passes a bill with a vote of 71-34 ordering the State Board of Education to rewrite the Common Core standards and the state's Common Core-aligned curriculum. The North Carolina State Senate passed the bill on July 10, 2014, and Governor Pat McCrory (R) announced he would sign the bill. In addition to mandating the re-writing of the state's curriculum, the bill forms a "standards advisory commission" with the purpose of recommending curriculum changes to the state board. The commission was to be appointed by a mixture of the governor, legislative leaders and the state board. Although an earlier version of the bill prevented the state board from using any questions or other materials from the Common Core-aligned exams, the final bill did allow the new state curriculum to include questions or materials determined to be effective. The Common Core-aligned standards and curriculum were to remain in place until their replacements were completed.[271][272][273]
- The Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) offers a compromise to Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal (R), who issued an executive order withdrawing Louisiana from Common Core on June 18, 2014. In its compromise, the BESE agreed to issue a request for a new testing contract for standardized tests for the 2014-2015 school year. The state had previously planned on using Common Core-aligned examinations developed by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers testing consortium, but State Commissioner of Administration Kristy Nichols halted that process after determining that the terms of the purchasing contract may have violated state law due to the lack of a competitive bidding process. The BESE's concession on issuing a new request came with several conditions, including that the terms of the new request be set by the BESE, not Gov. Jindal, and that the test questions in both math and English language arts be "identical to questions administered to at least four million American public school children" and "fully measure nationally recognized content standards." Gov. Jindal would also be required to sign a purchasing contract that met these standards within 90 days. After issuing his executive order, Gov. Jindal had called for a return to the state's LEAP and iLEAP mathematics and English language arts tests.[274]
- July 15, 2014:
- New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R) issues an executive order reducing the impact of student standardized test scores on teacher evaluations for the following two school years. The order mandated that test scores count for 10 percent of a teacher's evaluation during the 2014-2015 school year and for 20 percent of the evaluation during the 2015-2016 school year. Prior to the executive order, test scores would have counted for 30 percent of a teacher's evaluation beginning in the 2014-2015 school year. The executive order also established a task force to review the Common Core-aligned exams created by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers testing consortium, along with other potential standardized tests.[275]
- The Oklahoma Supreme Court rules 8-1 to uphold a law passed by the Oklahoma State Legislature and signed by Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin (R) on June 5, 2014, withdrawing the state from Common Core. The lawsuit challenging the withdrawal was filed on June 25, 2014, by a group of parents, teachers and four Oklahoma State Board of Education members. The plaintiffs alleged that the enacted law would give the state legislature authority to set education standards, a power that is not vested in the legislature by the Oklahoma Constitution. The lawsuit was organized by the National Associations of State Boards of Education.[276]
- July 14, 2014: Missouri Governor Jay Nixon (D) signs a bill forming a committee of parents and educators charged with establishing two new sets of education standards for Missouri to be implemented during the 2016-2017 school year.[277] One set of standards would be used for grades K-5, and the other would be used for grades 6-12. The Missouri General Assembly passed the bill on May 15, 2014, and Gov. Nixon waited until the last possible day to sign the bill into law. Until the 2016-2017 school year, Missouri school districts continued to implement and follow the Common Core State Standards.[278][279]
- July 13, 2014:
- The American Federation of Teachers issues a resolution criticizing the implementation of Common Core as "flawed and hasty" at its annual convention. Although the resolution confirmed that "the American Federation of Teachers will continue to support the promise of CCSS," it also rejected "low-level standardized testing" along with "excessive testing and test preparation." The resolution noted that the new standards were threatened by both "inadequate resources" and "a political agenda to privatize public education."[280] The resolution followed earlier comments made by AFT President Randi Weingarten comparing the implementation of Common Core across the United States unfavorably to the Healthcare.gov website rollout on November 4, 2013. At the convention, AFT also issued a resolution calling for the resignation of United States Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan if he did not enact an "improvement plan" laid out in the resolution.[281][282] This followed a call by the National Education Association's Representative Assembly for Duncan's resignation on July 4, 2014.
- At the American Federation of Teachers convention, New York City United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew gave a speech supporting the AFT resolution but denouncing critics of the Common Core State Standards. Although he acknowledged the frustration of classroom teachers over the implementation of the standards, he insisted, "Standards are our tool. Those are the tools of teachers. [...] The standards are ours. Tests are ours. [...] They took our standards away from us, we're going to take them back from them. [...] If someone takes something from me, I'm going to grab it right back out of their cold, twisted, sick hands and say it is mine. You do not take what is mine. And I'm going to punch you in the face and push you in the dirt because this is the teachers. These are our tools, and you sick people need to deal with us and the children we teach."[283][284] New York City United Federation of Teachers spokesperson Dick Riley supported the comments when contacted by the New York Daily News, stating "In the context of the resolution, the meaning is clear (as was the resulting applause)."[285]
- July 10, 2014: The North Carolina State Senate passes a bill with a vote of 33-12 ordering the State Board of Education to rewrite the Common Core standards and the state's Common Core-aligned curriculum. The bill also formed a "standards advisory commission" with the purpose of recommending curriculum changes to the state board. The commission was to be appointed by a mixture of the governor, legislative leaders and the state board. Although an earlier version of the bill prevented the state board from using any questions or other materials from the Common Core-aligned exams, the final bill did allow the new state curriculum to include questions or materials determined to be effective. The Common Core-aligned standards and curriculum were remain in place until their replacements were completed.[286]
- July 4, 2014: The National Education Association's Representative Assembly elects Lily Eskelsen García as the union's new president, beginning on September 1, 2014. García succeeded Dennis Van Roekel, who criticized Common Core's implementation as in need of a "major course correction" in February 2014 during his presidency. García supported a delay in the use of Common Core test scores for evaluating teacher performance and student readiness to continue on to higher grades, a tactic that was proposed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Nevertheless, she strongly advocated Common Core, dismissing criticisms of the Gates Foundation as misguided and saying that she would give the organization a "B+" grade for "funding ideas."[287] At the same meeting, the Representative Assembly voted to call for the resignation of United States Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan.[288]
- June 26, 2014: Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy (D) announces $15 million in additional expenditures to support Connecticut school districts implementing Common Core. The new funding followed the recommendations made by the 25-member task force Malloy established on March 11, 2014, to improve the implementation of the new standards in Connecticut.[289] Malloy's announcement included an attempt to rebrand the standards as "Connecticut Core."[290]
- June 25, 2014: A group of parents, teachers and four Oklahoma State Board of Education members file a lawsuit challenging Oklahoma's withdrawal from the Common Core standards. The Oklahoma State Legislature passed a law withdrawing the state from Common Core, which was signed by Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin (R) on June 5, 2014. The plaintiffs alleged that the enacted law would give the state legislature authority to set education standards—a power not vested in the legislature by the Oklahoma Constitution.[291][292] The lawsuit was organized by the National Association of State Boards of Education.[293]
- June 24, 2014: Michigan Governor Rick Snyder (R) signs a budget law requiring Michigan schools to use the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) standardized tests for the 2014-2015 school year, instead of the Common Core-aligned examinations developed by the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC). However, Michigan did not withdraw its membership from SBAC. The Michigan Department of Education, which criticized the shift away from the Common Core-aligned tests, could still use exam questions developed by SBAC in the revised MEAP exams.[294]
- June 19, 2014:
- New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) and the New York State Legislature come to an agreement to create a two-year "safety net" preventing poor Common Core test scores from impacting teacher evaluations. It also removed Common Core test scores from student transcripts and from consideration when assessing student readiness to continue on to higher grades. The New York State Assembly voted 114-1 and the New York State Senate voted 60-0 to pass the bill.[295][296]
- A North Carolina House of Representatives committee votes to reject the state Senate's version of the Common Core repeal bill due to flexibility in the language that would allow the state to keep some of the Common Core standards. Although North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory (R) expressed misgivings about Common Core's implementation, his position on repeal was unclear.[297][298]
- June 18, 2014: Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal (R) issues an executive order withdrawing Louisiana from Common Core. However, Superintendent of Education John White issued a statement denying that Jindal held the authority to make that decision and insisting that the state continue to implement the new standards.[299] In response, State Commissioner of Administration Kristy Nichols stated that White had overstepped and that she intended to revoke the Louisiana Department of Education's contract to purchase Common Core examination materials. She added that the terms of the contract may have also violated state law due to the lack of a competitive bidding process. United States Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan had criticized Jindal earlier in June for dropping his earlier support of Common Core in response to political pressure.[300] From 2008 through 2013, the Louisiana Department of Education received $7,351,708 in grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.[28]
- June 10, 2014: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation issues a public letter in support of a two-year delay in the use of Common Core test scores for evaluating teacher performance and student readiness to continue on to higher grades.[301]
- June 5, 2014:
- Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin (R) signs a law withdrawing Oklahoma from Common Core. The state thereby returned to Priority Academic Student Skills, which was its previous set of standards. Superintendent of Public Instruction Janet Barresi (R) voiced her support for the withdrawal, although both Fallin and Barresi had previously supported the standards.[302]
- South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley (R) signs a law withdrawing South Carolina from Common Core. The law allowed implementation of Common Core to continue through the 2014-2015 school year, but the state government was required to replace it with new standards by the start of the 2015-2016 school year.[303]
- The North Carolina State Senate voted 33-15 for an alternate bill to withdraw from Common Core. The House and Senate bills differed primarily in that the Senate bill allowed the Academic Standards Review Commission to decide to use a modified version of the Common Core State Standards, while the House bill prohibited such an action.[304]
- June 4, 2014: The North Carolina House of Representatives votes 78-39 to withdraw from Common Core and to replace the standards with a new set designed by an Academic Standards Review Commission.[305]
- May 30, 2014: Arizona Governor Jan Brewer (R) announces that Arizona intended to withdraw from the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, which develops Common Core-aligned examinations. The state officially withdrew from the group on June 8, 2014.[306]
- May 22, 2014: The South Carolina State Legislature passes a bill withdrawing South Carolina from Common Core by requiring the state to adopt a new set of standards by the 2015-2016 school year.[307]
- May 21, 2014: Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam (R), Commissioner of Education Kevin Huffman and State Board of Education Chairman B. Fielding Rolston sign a letter withdrawing Tennessee from the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers testing consortium. This reduced PAARC's membership to 14 states and the District of Columbia, compared to 22 states remaining in the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. Pennsylvania remained a member of both groups, but 15 states participated in neither group.[308][309]
- May 15, 2014:
- The Missouri General Assembly passes a bill to withdraw from Common Core beginning in the 2016-2017 school year. The bill would allow implementation of Common Core to continue through the 2015-2016 school year, but the state government would be required to replace it with two new sets of standards by the start of the 2016-2017 school year. One set of standards would be used for grades K-5 and the other would be for grades 6-12.[310] The Missouri House of Representatives voted 135-10 and the Missouri State Senate voted 23-6 to pass the bill.[311] Missouri Governor Jay Nixon (D) had until July 14, 2014, to decide whether to sign or veto the bill.[312]
- Georgia Governor Nathan Deal (R) issues an executive order stating that "no educational standards shall be imposed on Georgia by the federal government" and that "all decisions regarding curriculum and instruction shall be made at the local level." The executive order also includes a prohibition on the sharing of "personally identifiable" student information with the federal government.[313]
- May 14, 2014:
- The Michigan House of Representatives and the Michigan State Senate approve separate bills authorizing the development of new Michigan Educational Assessment Program exams for the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 school years. This would provide the state an alternative exam to use instead of the Common Core-aligned exams developed by the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium.[314][315]
- Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam (R) signs a law delaying implementation of Common Core-aligned testing in Tennessee for one year. Haslam had fought against a delay prior to the bill's passage through the Tennessee General Assembly.[316][317]
- May 2, 2014: Education textbook and media conglomerate Pearson wins the contract to develop standardized tests aligned with Common Core for the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers.[318] The contract guaranteed Pearson $24 per student tested and estimated that between 5.5 million and 10 million students would undergo testing each year. The contract therefore had an estimated maximum value of $240 million per year.[319] Pearson was the only organization to file a bid for the contract after its competitor, the American Institutes for Research, protested the fairness and legality of the bidding process.[320] PARCC used the New Mexico Public Education Department as its purchasing agent for the contract, and AIR filed an official protest against the bidding process with the New Mexico state government. The state purchasing office later dismissed the protest.[321]
- April 2, 2014: The Maryland General Assembly votes to approve two bills related to Common Core. HB 1164 created a work group of parents and educators to advise the implementation of the new standards, and it was passed by the Maryland State Senate by a vote of 46-1. The Maryland House of Delegates had already passed it by a vote of 127-8 on March 17, 2014. HB 1167 delayed the use of Common Core-aligned test scores in teacher and administrator evaluations for two years, and it was passed by the state Senate by a vote of 47-0. Similar to HB 1164, the House of Delegates approved it earlier by a vote of 128-0 on March 15, 2014.[322][323]
- March 24, 2014: Indiana Governor Mike Pence (R) signs a law withdrawing Indiana from Common Core. Indiana thereby became the first state to withdraw from the standards, although Thomas B. Fordham Institute National Policy Director Michael Brickman dismissed the importance of the change, arguing that Indiana's standards were still closely aligned with the Common Core State Standards.[324]
- March 17 2014: The Florida Department of Education awards a six-year, $220 million contract to develop a replacement for the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Tests to The American Institutes for Research. In 2013, Florida had planned to use the Common Core-aligned exams developed by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers before Governor Rick Scott (R) announced the state's withdrawal from PAARC and its intention to consider other options for its new exams.[325]
- March 13, 2014: The Tennessee House of Representatives votes 82-11 to delay the implementation of Common Core in Tennessee for two years.[326] The Tennessee State Senate declined to take up the bill for a vote.[327]
- March 11, 2014: Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy (D) issues an executive order creating a 25-member task force intended to improve the implementation of Common Core in Connecticut and to address the concerns raised by state residents and educators.[328]
- March 5, 2014: The New York State Assembly votes 117-10 to pass a bill delaying implementation of significant portions of Common Core.[329] The New York State United Teachers union expressed its support for the changes following the vote, especially a measure requiring a two-year delay before Common Core test scores could be used for evaluating teacher performance.[330]
- February 19, 2014: National Education Association President Dennis Van Roekel criticized the implementation of Common Core, arguing that the effectiveness of the standards would be lessened in the absence of a "major course correction" to salvage the beneficial elements of Common Core.[331] From 2008 through 2013, the NEA Foundation for the Improvement of Education received $4,484,177 in grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.[28]
- January 31, 2014: Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear (D), Commissioner of Education Terry Holliday and State Board of Education Chair Roger L. Marcum sign a letter withdrawing Kentucky from the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PAARC) testing consortium. The letter cites limited resources, public confusion about PAARC and the legal requirement for an unbiased competitive bidding process for standardized testing materials as the state's reasons for withdrawing.[332]
- January 25, 2014: The New York State United Teachers union's board withdrew its support of the Common Core State Standards as they were implemented in New York. After the unanimous decision, President Richard Iannuzzi stated, "We’ll have to be the first to say it’s failed."[333]
2013
- December 31, 2013: From 2008 through 2013, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation spends approximately $233 million promoting the Common Core State Standards Initiative.[28]
- December 10, 2013: The Kansas State Board of Education votes 8-2 to withdraw from the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium and to replace its Common Core-aligned exams with different tests commissioned from the University of Kansas. The new exams were to be used beginning in the 2015-2016 school year.[334][335]
- November 19, 2013: The Massachusetts State Board of Education votes 6-3 to delay the implementation of Common Core-aligned tests by two years.[336][337]
- November 15, 2013: At a meeting with the Council of Chief State School Officers, United States Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan describes the opposition to Common Core as "white suburban moms who — all of a sudden — their child isn’t as brilliant as they thought they were, and their school isn’t quite as good as they thought they were."[18]
- November 14, 2013: The Alabama State Board of Education votes 7-2 to rescind a 2009 memorandum of agreement with the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers. However, this vote did not withdraw Alabama from Common Core itself. Instead, it asserted that the state administration retained control over state education standards while reaffirming the state's participation in Common Core.[338] In April 2013, Alabama State Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh (R) insisted that a repeal of the standards was "off the table."[339]
- November 4, 2013: At the National Education Writers Association conference, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten criticized the implementation of Common Core across the United States and particularly in New York. In her speech, she argued that the implementation of the new standards had been "far worse" than the Healthcare.gov website rollout.[340] From 2008 through 2013, the American Federation of Teachers Educational Foundation received $5,400,000 in grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.[28]
- October 29, 2013: The Michigan State Legislature votes to restore funding for the implementation of Common Core. Funding was halted beginning on October 1, 2013, due to an education budget bill passed on June 4, 2013.[341][342]
- October 18, 2013: Iowa Governor Terry Branstad (R) issues an executive order renaming the Common Core-aligned standards in the state as the "Iowa Core," stating, "The State of Iowa, not the federal government or any other organization, shall determine the content of Iowa’s state academic standards." The executive order also states, "Only aggregate student data shall be provided to the federal government to comply with federal laws."[343]
- September 20, 2013: Arizona Governor Jan Brewer (R) issues an executive order renaming the Common Core-aligned standards in the state "Arizona's College and Career Ready Standards" and stating that the state of Arizona retains control of its assessments and curriculum.[344]
- September 12, 2013: The Pennsylvania State Board of Education votes 13-4 to approve a revised set of academic standards. It included the Pennsylvania Core Standards, which were modeled on the Common Core State Standards. The State Board of Education had revised the academic standards after receiving a mandate to do so from Governor Tom Corbett (R) on May 20, 2014.[345]
- July 25, 2013: State Representative Andrew Thompson introduces HB 237 in Ohio to withdraw from Common Core. The bill did not make it out of committee.[346][347]
- July 3, 2013: The National Education Association's Representative Assembly endorses Common Core standards, but rejects using Common Core test scores to evaluate teacher performance.[348]
- June 4, 2013: The Michigan State Legislature approves an education budget bill with an amendment preventing state funding for the implementation of Common Core beginning on October 1, 2013.[349]
- June 1, 2013: The Kansas State Legislature narrowly fails to pass a bill that would delay implementation of portions of Common Core. Although the Kansas State Senate passed the bill with a vote of 24-12, the Kansas House of Representatives rejected the bill with a vote of 55-58.[350]
- May 20, 2013: Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett (R) orders the State Board of Education to review and modify the Common Core State Standards to address concerns raised by state residents and educators.[351]
- May 11, 2013: Indiana Governor Mike Pence (R) signs a law delaying the implementation of Common Core in Indiana for one year.[352]
- April 30, 2013: American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten issues a press release calling for a moratorium on using Common Core test scores to evaluate teacher performance until the standards are "properly implemented and field-tested." The same press release noted that an internal poll had found that 75 percent of teachers supported the standards.[353]
- February 15, 2013: The National Parent‑Teacher Association receives a one-year, $240,000 grant from the GE Foundation to create "state-specific assessment guides" for those states that had already adopted the Common Core State Standards.[354]
2012
- August 3, 2012: The Utah State Board of Education votes 12-3 to withdraw from the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, which develops Common Core-aligned tests.[355]
- August 1, 2012: Achieve, Inc., which helped write the "Benchmarking for Success: Ensuring U.S. Students Receive a World-Class Education" report in partnership with the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers in 2008, receives a three-year, $7 million grant from the GE Foundation to help promote the Common Core State Standards. The GE Foundation also contributed to the financing of the 2008 report.[356]
- June 7, 2012: Erie City School District in Pennsylvania receives a four-year, $8.6 million grant from the GE Foundation. The press release accompanying the announcement stated that this was to help teachers and students prepare for Common Core standards. The district previously received a five-year, $15 million grant from the GE Foundation in 2007 as part of its "Developing Futures in Education" initiative.[357]
- June 2012: Student Achievement Partners, a nonprofit that exists to support Common Core adoption and implementation, receives two grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation totaling $6,533,350.[358]
- April 27, 2012: The Wyoming State Board of Education votes 8-4 to adopt Common Core. Superintendent of Public Instruction Cindy Hill voted against its adoption.[359] Only Alaska, Nebraska, Texas and Virginia declined to adopt the new standards.[10][11]
- February 1, 2012: Student Achievement Partners, a nonprofit that exists to support Common Core adoption and implementation, receives a four-year, $18 million grant from the GE Foundation. The press release accompanying the announcement stated that this was the "largest corporate commitment to date for the Common Core State Standards and reflects GE's longstanding dedication to preparing American students for an increasingly competitive workforce."[360]
2011
- November 4, 2011: The Montana State Board of Public Education votes to adopt Common Core on the recommendation of Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau (D).[361][362]
- July 20, 2011: Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn announces that Washington will adopt Common Core.[363]
- June 20, 2011: The North Dakota Department of Public Instruction announces that North Dakota will adopt Common Core.[363]
- April 4, 2011: The Maine State Board of Education votes to adopt Common Core.[363] On March 25, 2011, Maine Governor Paul LePage (R) signed LD 12 to authorize adoption of the new standards.[364]
- January 24, 2011: The Idaho State Legislature votes to adopt Common Core. The vote from the Idaho State Senate Education Committee was unanimous.[365] The Idaho State Board of Education voted to adopt Common Core on November 17, 2010.[366]
2010
- 2010: A total of 40 states adopt Common Core, although Minnesota only adopted the English-language arts portion of the standards.[10][11]
- July 21, 2010: The Thomas B. Fordham Institute releases its fourth study related to the Common Core State Standards. In this study, the authors found that the proposed standards were "clearly superior to those currently in use in thirty-nine states in math and thirty-seven states in English. For thirty-three states, the Common Core is superior in both math and reading." According to the study, only California, Indiana and the District of Columbia offered "clearly superior" English-language arts standards. Standards in the other states were "too close to call." The Fordham Institute received a $959,116 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to conduct the study.[28]
- June 2, 2010: The National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers announces the finalized Common Core State Standards. The press release promotes endorsements for the standards from the following officials:[367]
- Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue (R)
- Delaware Governor Jack Markell (D)
- Florida Commissioner of Education Eric J. Smith (R)
- West Virginia Superintendent of Schools Steve Paine
- American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten
- National Education Association Vice President Lily Eskelsen
- April 14, 2010: The United States Department of Education releases Phase 2 applications for Race to the Top. In order to qualify for a Phase 2 grant, states must commit to "adoption of a common set of K-12 standards [...] by August 2, 2010, or, at a minimum, by a later date in 2010 specified by the State in a high-quality plan toward which the State has made significant progress, and its commitment to implementing the standards thereafter in a well-planned way."[254] A total of 35 states and the District of Columbia apply for Phase 2 grants.[368] The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation spent $2.7 million to fund the creation of applications in 24 states.[28]
- March 10, 2010: The National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers issue a revised official draft of the English-language arts and mathematics standards for public comment.[369] The revised draft received "nearly 10,000" online survey responses before the public comment review period ended.[370]
- February 2010: The Kentucky State Board of Education votes to adopt Common Core, although the standards were not finalized at the time of the vote. Kentucky thereby became the first state to adopt the new standards.[371] From 2008 through 2013, the Kentucky Department of Education received $10,800,877 in grants from the Gates Foundation. The Gates Foundation also provided a grant of $476,553 to a foundation affiliated with the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce to promote Common Core and a grant of $501,580 to a foundation affiliated with the National Education Association to help implement Common Core in the state. An article by The Washington Post stated that the Gates Foundation spent "at least" $15 million to build support for the new standards and to improve implementation. Kentucky Commissioner of Education Terry Holliday stated in the article, "Without the Gates money, we wouldn’t have been able to do this."[28]
2009
- October 21, 2009: The public comment review period on the first official draft of the English-language arts and mathematics standards ends. The Common Core State Standards Initiative received 988 completed surveys commenting on the proposed standards.[372]
- September 21, 2009: The National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers issue the first official draft of the English-language arts and mathematics standards for public comment.[373]
- July 24, 2009: President Barack Obama and United States Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan formally announce Race to the Top. The press release emphasizes that having states adopt "internationally benchmarked standards and assessments that prepare students for success in college and the workplace" is one of the four "significant areas" that Race to the Top is meant to accomplish.[374] Duncan appointed Joanne Weiss, who formerly served as the chief operating officer for NewSchools Venture Fund, to lead the program. From 2008 through 2013, NewSchools Venture Fund received $8,771,893 in grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.[28]
- June 14, 2009: In the keynote address at the Governors Education Symposium, United States Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan announces that $350 million of the $4.35 billion in the Race to the Top fund would be allocated to the development of "rigorous assessments linked to the internationally benchmarked common standards." The press release following his speech noted that he was referring to standards already under development by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers as part of the Common Core State Standards Initiative.[375] The Department of Education eventually spent $372 million ($186 million apiece to the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers and the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium) to help fund the creation of Common Core-aligned exams.[253]
- June 1, 2009: The National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers announce the establishment of the Common Core State Standards Initiative. The press release highlights the fact that a combined 49 states and territories had agreed to participate in the creation of the standards. Alaska, Missouri, South Carolina and Texas were the four states who did not participate at that time.[376]
- March 7, 2009: The United States Department of Education issues a press release stating that a program titled Race to the Top is in development. The announcement notes that states must implement "rigorous college- and career-ready standards and high-quality assessments that are valid and reliable for all students" in order to become eligible for a Race to the Top grant.[377] An unpublished draft of the Race to the Top program referred specifically to the Common Core State Standards still under development, but an official with the Council of Chief State School Officers requested that it be removed due to concern that it would "cause people to be real suspicious."[28]
- February 17, 2009: President Barack Obama signs the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law, providing the United States Department of Education with $4.35 billion for the Race to the Top fund, a competitive grant program for states that encouraged innovation and improvements in public education.[378]
2008
- December: The National Governors Association, the Council of Chief State School Officers and Achieve, Inc. publish a report titled "Benchmarking for Success: Ensuring U.S. Students Receive a World-Class Education." The report calls for a "common core" of education standards. The report acknowledges that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the GE Foundation "generously supported" its publication. From 2008 through 2013, the Council of Chief State School Officers received $27,952,409 in grants from the Gates Foundation.[28] Notable participants in the report's creation included:[379][6]
- Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano (D), Co-Chair
- Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue (R), Co-Chair
- Intel Corporation Board of Directors Chairman Craig R. Barrett, Co-Chair
- Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer
- Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri (R)
- Virginia Governor Tim Kaine (D)
- Colorado Commissioner of Education Dwight Jones
- Massachusetts Commissioner of Education Mitchell Chester
- Thomas B. Fordham Institute President Chester E. Finn Jr.
- Education Trust President Kati Haycock
- National Council of La Raza President Janet Murguía
- June: The Hunt Institute hosts a conference for the National Governors Association. The subject of the conference was how to improve public education in order to make the United States a global leader.[380]
- May: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awards The Hunt Institute a $2.2 million grant "to promote the adoption of national standards among governors."[380] From 2008 through 2013, The Hunt Institute received $10,011,892 in grants from the Gates Foundation.[28]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Common Core. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- School board elections project
- Education policy project
- Education policy in the United States
- U.S. Department of Education
- Arne Duncan
- Race to the Top
- Academic performance
External links
- Common Core State Standards Initiative
- Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers
- Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium
- National Education Association
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
- National Governors Association
- National Conference of State Legislatures
- U.S. Department of Education
Additional reading
- Education Week, "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Every Student Succeeds Act," accessed January 8, 2016
- Politico, "How Common Core quietly won the war," accessed October 12, 2015
- U.S. News & World Report, "As Test Results Trickle In, States Still Ditching Common Core," September 21, 2015
- U.S. News & World Report, "Initial Common Core Goals Unfulfilled as Results Trickle In," August 31, 2015
- U.S. News & World Report, "Common Core Tests Can Come at Cost for Underprivileged Students," August 10, 2015
- U.S. News & World Report, "Are New Common Core Tests Better Than Old Multiple-Choice Exams?" May 20, 2015
- Brown Center Report on American Education, "Part II: Measuring effects of the Common Core," March 24, 2015
- U.S. News and World Report, "Common Core: Myths and Facts," March 4, 2014
Support of Common Core
- CNN Schools of Thought, "Common Core has no better alternative," December 2, 2014
- Common Core State Standards Initiative, "Quotes from Supporters"
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, "5 Common Core Supporters That You Should Hear"
Criticisms of Common Core
- Washington Post, "6 reasons to reject Common Core K-3 standards — and 6 rules to guide policy," May 2, 2014
- Diane Ravitch's Blog, "Common Core"
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Common Core State Standards Initiative, "About the Standards," accessed July 23, 2014
- ↑ Common Core State Standards Initiative, "English Language Arts Standards," accessed July 23, 2014
- ↑ Common Core State Standards Initiative, "Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects," accessed January 27, 2016
- ↑ Los Angeles Daily News, "As Common Core pushes cursive writing out of the way, a spirited minority wants to script penmanship back in," November 16, 2013
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Common Core State Standards Initiative, "Standards for Mathematical Practice," accessed December 10, 2013
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Education Week, "Benchmarking for Success: Ensuring U.S. Students Receive a World-Class Education," accessed June 20, 2014
- ↑ PBS, "Standards: Are We There Yet?" accessed March 7, 2014
- ↑ Education Week, "No Child Left Behind," September 19, 2011
- ↑ McGraw-Hill Education, "Education Brief: The Common Core State Standards Initiative," February 2011
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 National Conference of State Legislatures, "Common Core State Standards," accessed March 7, 2014
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 ACSD, "Common Core Standards Adoption by State," accessed March 7, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Department of Education, "Testing: Frequently Asked Questions," accessed July 9, 2015
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Education Week, "The National K-12 Testing Landscape," June 23, 2015
- ↑ Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, "About," accessed July 9, 2015
- ↑ Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, "About PARCC," accessed July 9, 2015
- ↑ ACT, "What ACT Does," accessed July 9, 2015
- ↑ San Diego Reader, "Chula Vista parents protest switch to Common Core State Standards," September 19, 2013
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Washington Post, "Arne Duncan: ‘White suburban moms’ upset that Common Core shows their kids aren’t ‘brilliant,'" November 16, 2013
- ↑ U.S. News, "South Carolina Parents Remove Children From School to Protest Common Core," November 18, 2013
- ↑ Staten Island Advance, "Some Staten Island parents planning to keep their children home from school Monday for National Common Core Protest Day," November 15, 2013
- ↑ The Buffalo News, "BTF, parents picket Regent’s home in protest over state standards, tests," December 8, 2013
- ↑ POLITICO, "Louis C.K. hits Common Core," April 29, 2014
- ↑ FairTest, "Public Letter on Standardized Testing from Authors and Illustrators of Books for Children and Youth," October 22, 2013
- ↑ NPR, "Education Reform Is Becoming A Celebrity Cause," August 8, 2014
- ↑ The Huffington Post, "Expecting More: Rigor and Excellence in Our Classrooms," December 24, 2013
- ↑ POLITICO, "When Common Core becomes a punch line," April 30, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Chamber of Commerce, "Dispelling Common Core Misperceptions," January 22, 2014
- ↑ 28.00 28.01 28.02 28.03 28.04 28.05 28.06 28.07 28.08 28.09 28.10 28.11 The Washington Post, "How Bill Gates pulled off the swift Common Core revolution," June 7, 2014
- ↑ National Public Radio, "Three Questions: Jeb Bush On The State Of Common Core And Testing In Florida," January 30, 2014
- ↑ New York Times, "Common Core Curriculum Now Has Critics on the Left," February 16, 2014
- ↑ Common Core State Standards Initiative, "Quotes from Supporters," accessed August 28, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, "5 Common Core Supporters That You Should Hear," accessed August 28, 2014
- ↑ Dallas News, "Exxon CEO defends Common Core education standards that Perry and Cruz have opposed," December 3, 2014
- ↑ Montgomery Advertiser, "State Superintendent Tommy Bice sharply critical of Common Core bill," March 7, 2014
- ↑ Diane Ravitch's Blog, "Why I Cannot Support the Common Core standards," February 26, 2013
- ↑ The Boston Globe, "Will Pioneer Institute knock out Common Core?" July 18, 2014
- ↑ The New American, "Data Mining Students Through Common Core," April 25, 2013
- ↑ The American Conservative, "Common Core and Data Mining: Fact and Fiction Part II," March 10, 2014
- ↑ Yahoo! News, "Common Core Ruins The Lives Of Poor, Unskilled Americans By Making GED Needlessly Complex," January 5, 2015
- ↑ Education World, "Hilary Clinton Supports Common Core but Calls Roll-Out ‘Disastrous’," April 15, 2016
- ↑ The Washington Post, "What Hillary Clinton said about the Common Core State Standards," accessed April 7, 2016
- ↑ SOMD.com, "Md. Joins 49 States in Common Core State Standards Initiative," June 2, 2009
- ↑ Bernie Sanders, "Voting Record," accessed April 7, 2016
- ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "Donald Trump Vows to Slash Funding for Education, EPA," January 11, 2016
- ↑ Hugh Hewitt, "Donald Trump On 2016 And Trolling The GOP," February 25, 2015
- ↑ Tampa Bay Times, "Jeb Bush to Common Core opponents: 'conspiracy theories are easy attention grabbers,'" October 17, 2013
- ↑ Politico, "The New Hampshire GOP summit: 6 takeaways," April 19, 2015
- ↑ Politico, "Jeb's education talk omits the words 'Common Core,'" accessed February 19, 2015
- ↑ Bloomberg, "Jeb Bush Draws Tea Party Ire Touting Education Record," accessed February 19, 2015
- ↑ NJ.com, "Christie: Dump Common Core education standards," May 28, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "Christie bails on Common Core ahead of presidential bid," May 28, 2015
- ↑ 52.0 52.1 State of New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie, "Governor Christie Establishes Study Commission to Review the Effectiveness of All K-12 Student Assessments," accessed January 26, 2015
- ↑ Higher Core Standards, “ICYMI: VIDEO: Governor Chris Christie: Republican Governors Are Leading the Way on Common Core," August 2013
- ↑ Breitbart, "Ted Cruz: ‘We Should Repeal Every Word of Common Core’," accessed April 7, 2016
- ↑ cnsnews.com, "Cruz tells anti-tax group 'No' to Common Core in schools," February 27, 2015
- ↑ The Gazette, "Fiorina, O'Malley agree education vital to innovation, disagree on federal role," December 7, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Times, "Carly Fiorina: Common Core being ‘overly influenced’ by testing, textbook companies," August 19, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, “S.Res.345,” accessed January 22, 2015
- ↑ Mike Huckabee for President, "Common Sense Education," accessed July 8, 2015
- ↑ The Times-Picayune, "Judge rules against Bobby Jindal's Common Core suit ," October 21, 2015
- ↑ Daily Caller, "Bobby Jindal’s Anti-Common Core Lawsuit Takes Major Blow," September 16, 2015
- ↑ AmericaNext.org, "K-12 Education Reform: A Roadmap," accessed February 25, 2015
- ↑ Fox News, “Louisiana Gov. Jindal sues federal government over Common Core,” August 27, 2014
- ↑ Politico, "Bobby Jindal sues federal government over the Common Core," August 24, 2014
- ↑ The Hill, "Bush, Kasich get F grades on Common Core, group says," August 19, 2015
- ↑ Girard at at Large, "Governor Pataki Champions States Rights," April 16, 2015
- ↑ FOX News, "Sen. Rand Paul on Harry Reid versus rancher Cliven Bundy: We need to tone down the rhetoric, but the government has overreached," April 21, 2014
- ↑ Texas Legislature Online, "HB 462," accessed June 14, 2015
- ↑ The New York Times, "Marco Rubio, After Hitting Chris Christie, Is Suddenly All Too Glad to Go at Jeb Bush," January 21, 2016
- ↑ Tampa Bay Times, "Rubio comes out against Common Core, putting him at odds with Jeb Bush," July 25, 2013
- ↑ Townhall, "The Troubles with Common Core," April 21, 2014
- ↑ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “Gov. Scott Walker calls for Legislature to repeal Common Core standards," July 17, 2014
- ↑ Chalkbeat, "New York state recommends changes to over half the Common Core learning standards," September 21, 2016
- ↑ http://katu.com/news/local/common-core-test-scores-are-out-for-oregon-find-the-results-for-your-childs-school KATU 2, "Oregon's standardized test scores are out: Find the results for your child's school," September 8, 2016]
- ↑ ‘’Albany Business Review,’’ “Scores, opt-outs both rise on 2016 Common Core tests,” August 1, 2016
- ↑ [www.governing.com/topics/education/tns-illinois-parcc-common-core.html Governing the States and Localities, "Illinois Ditches Common Core Tests for High Schoolers," July 12, 2016]
- ↑ Argus Leader, "State wins over parents in Common Core lawsuit," June 21, 2016
- ↑ KSPR, "Missouri lawmakers eliminate Common Core," April 20, 2016
- ↑ Heartland, "Missouri Adopts New Standards to Replace Common Core," May 31, 2016
- ↑ Red Letter Politics, "North Dakota becomes 9th state to reject Common Core," May 3, 2016
- ↑ WXIA, "Tennessee phases out Common Core," April 17, 2016
- ↑ cnycentral.com, "State changes controversial Common Core tests," March 17, 2016
- ↑ Ed Source, "Superintendents, but not teachers, give high grades to Common Core rollout," March 11, 2016
- ↑ The Kansas City Star, "Kansas forges ahead with plan to stop Common Core standards," February 20, 2016
- ↑ The News Star, "Edwards drops Common Core lawsuit appeal; not so fast, AG says," February 4, 2016
- ↑ [thinkprogress.org/education/2016/02/04/3746327/jindal-common-core-lawsuit/ Think Progress, "Louisiana's New Governor Is Abandoning Bobby Jindal's Common Core Lawsuit," February 4, 2016]
- ↑ 87.0 87.1 telegram.com, "Group appeals certification of Worcester school board member's Common Core ballot question," January 22, 2016
- ↑ New York Post, "UFT spends $1M thanking Cuomo for Common Core backtrack," January 15, 2016
- ↑ 89.0 89.1 9 WCPO Cincinnati, "Kentucky Republicans introduce bill to dismantle Common Core," January 6, 2016
- ↑ 90.0 90.1 Montana Public Radio, "First Montana Common Core Test Results Are In," December 21, 2015
- ↑ 91.0 91.1 MyTechBits.com, "West Virginia board repeals Common Core standards," December 19, 2015
- ↑ The Journal, "West Virginia board repeals Common Core standards," December 17, 2015
- ↑ the White House, "WHITE HOUSE REPORT: The Every Student Succeeds Act," December 10, 2015
- ↑ myAJC, "Senate retires No Child Left Behind, adopts Every Student Succeeds. Obama will sign tomorrow," accessed December 10, 2015
- ↑ 95.0 95.1 WBNG 12 Action News, "Bill passed to make Common Core optional, support pre-K education," accessed December 9, 2015
- ↑ telegram.com, "Anti-Common Core group collects 80,000 signatures for '16 ballot question," December 2, 2015
- ↑ 97.0 97.1 The Two-Way, "Massachusetts Drops Federal Common Core Test, Aiming At Its Own," accessed November 23, 2015
- ↑ Learning Lab, "Education Board Approves ‘MCAS 2.0’ For State Test," accessed November 23, 2015
- ↑ Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, “HB 1490 Work Group Process," accessed November 11, 2015
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- ↑ The St. James Leader Journal, “Public Hearing on Missouri Education Standards is Oct. 26," accessed November 11, 2015
- ↑ KTAR News, "Common Core out: Arizona education board votes to repeal controversial standards," accessed November 11, 2015
- ↑ News 4 Tucson, "Arizona School Board votes out Common Core," accessed November 11, 2015
- ↑ The New York Times, "Test Scores Decline as New Jersey Aligns Exams With Common Core," accessed November 11, 2015
- ↑ U.S. News, "Parents Support Testing, but Think There's Too Much," accessed October 23, 2015
- ↑ Education Post, "2015 Parent Attitudes Survey," accessed October 23, 2015
- ↑ Empire State News, "Governor Launches Common Core Task Force," September 29, 2015
- ↑ New York Times, "New York Will Trim Common Core Exams After Many Students Skipped Them," September 16, 2015
- ↑ Fox 4, "Low test scores from Kansas students causes concern among educators," September 9, 2015
- ↑ San Jose Mercury News, "California's school test scores reveal vast racial achievement gap," September 9, 2015
- ↑ CityLimits.org, "Cuomo’s Common Core Move Draws Cheers, Critics," September 9, 2015
- ↑ Education Week, "Common Core proficiency rate in Georgia below 40 percent," September 4, 2015
- ↑ Masslive.com, "Ballot question to end Common Core in Massachusetts will move forward," September 2, 2015
- ↑ Ashland Daily Tidings, "State reports 21 school districts failed to meet federal Common Core testing targets," August 28, 2015
- ↑ CT Post, "Lower scores on the Common Core," August 28, 2015
- ↑ Education Week, "Nevada settles with Common Core test maker for $1.3 million," August 25, 2015
- ↑ Education Week, "Opt-Out Movement Draws 'Little Public Sympathy' in New Poll," August 18, 2015
- ↑ The Republic, "First year of new Common Core tests in Washington: About half are proficient, but not grade 11," August 17, 2015
- ↑ ABC 11, "The Future Of Common Core Is On Shaky Ground In NC," August 17, 2015
- ↑ WYNT.com, "Common Core protesters hit goal of 200,000 test refusals," August 12, 2015
- ↑ Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette, "Ax Common Core name, governor says," August 13, 2015
- ↑ New Hampshire Union Leader, "NH waiver: SAT wins out over Common Core," August 9, 2015
- ↑ Local 8 Now, "Governor Haslam names Common Core review panel," August 4, 2015
- ↑ WBNG, "New NYS Commissioner of Education to review common core standards," August 3, 2015
- ↑ Huffington Post, "Senate Votes Overwhelmingly For Bipartisan No Child Left Behind Rewrite," July 16, 2015
- ↑ The Tenth Amendment Center, "Delaware Governor Vetoes Common Core Opt-Out Bill," July 20, 2015
- ↑ LegiScan, "Delaware House Bill 50," accessed July 21, 2015
- ↑ Newsday, "New firm gets $44M contract to develop New York's Common Core tests," July 9, 2015
- ↑ Albuquerque Journal, "House bill would scrap Common Core mandates," July 9, 2015
- ↑ Charleston Gazette, "State education department launches review of Common Core-based standards," July 8, 2015
- ↑ The Missouri Times, "State abandons ‘common core’ testing," July 10, 2015
- ↑ State of Nevada Department of Administration, "Notice of Award," July 6, 2015
- ↑ Education Week, "Data Recognition Corp. Poised to Win $51M Testing Contract in Nevada," July 13, 2015
- ↑ Cleveland.com, "Ohio picks AIR to replace just-ousted PARCC for Common Core tests," July 1, 2015
- ↑ The Advocate, "Bobby Jindal signs Common Core accord, says next step is electing leaders to scrap standards," June 30, 2015
- ↑ Cleveland.com, "Ohio dumps the PARCC Common Core tests after woeful first year," June 30, 2015
- ↑ The Register-Guard, "Oregon governor signs Smarter Balanced opt-out law," June 24, 2015
- ↑ Breitbart, "New Lawsuit Challengers Constitutionality of Common Core," June 22, 2015
- ↑ Education Week, "Maine Leaves Common-Core Test Consortium," June 22, 2015
- ↑ The Oregonian, "Oregon Senate votes to help students, schools avoid Common Core tests," June 11, 2015
- ↑ ABC 7, "Common Core review panel suggests ending PARCC testing," June 8, 2015
- ↑ The Charleston Gazette, "W.Va. superintendent defends Common Core to Legislature," June 7, 2015
- ↑ St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "Missouri Legislature throws Common Core test out the window," June 4, 2015
- ↑ The Advocate, "Bobby Jindal lawsuit challenging Common Core now in hands of federal judge," May 31, 2015
- ↑ Politico, "On Common Core, Jeb Bush is a party of one," May 29, 2015
- ↑ Alabama.com, "Common Core is done in New Jersey, Chris Christie says," May 28, 2015
- ↑ The Oregonian, "Red lights, Common Core and 'conversion therapy': This week in new Oregon laws," May 23, 2015
- ↑ The Advocate, "Key bill that's part of achieiving Common Core accord clears Louisiana's Senate; here's what's next," May 21, 2015
- ↑ WKOW, "Joint Finance Committee approves several education proposals," May 20, 2015
- ↑ Delgazette.com, "Jordan introduces bill to repeal Common Core," May 20, 2015
- ↑ The Advocate, "Second Common Core agreement bill clears Senate panel," May 18, 2015
- ↑ The Times-Picayune, "Common Core compromise bill passes Louisiana House Education Committee," May 13, 2015
- ↑ U.S. News & World Report, "Tennessee Governor Signs Bill Stripping Common Core," May 12, 2015
- ↑ Jackson Free Press, "Superintendent to Launch Own Review of Common Core Standards," May 5, 2015
- ↑ Daily Caller, "Tennessee’s Big Common Core Review Ends Up Mostly Favorable," May 16, 2015
- ↑ Chalkbeat Tennessee, "Most Common Core standards are keepers, according to Tennessee’s public review," May 14, 2015
- ↑ Time Warner Cable News, "Assembly Speaker Calls Common Core Opt-Outs a Huge Concern," April 27, 2015
- ↑ Kingston Times, "Kingston math opt-outs at 44 percent," May 4, 2015
- ↑ ABC 15, "State Board of Education to review Common Core standards," April 28, 2015
- ↑ Metro News, "State delegate files brief to end Common Core, standardized testing," April 27, 2015
- ↑ The Clarion-Ledger, "Bryant vetoes Common Core bill; Reeves criticizes move," April 23, 2015
- ↑ Chalkbeat Tennessee, "Common Core bill awaits governor’s signature after passage in legislature," April 21, 2015
- ↑ Daily Caller, "New Bill Could Repeal Common Core In Tennessee," April 24, 2015
- ↑ WBIR.com, "Common Core, exploding targets highlight packed House session," April 20, 2015
- ↑ KTBS, "Common Core opponents fall short on La. House test vote," April 21, 2015
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- ↑ Syracuse.com, "NYS opt-out movement grows; tens of thousands - maybe more - expected to skip tests," April 14, 2015
- ↑ Business Insider, "Over 50% of students in some New York school districts are boycotting Common Core tests," April 15, 2015
- ↑ Delaware.gov, "Delaware Colleges Say Smarter Balanced Assessments Are Good Measure Of College Readiness," April 14, 2015
- ↑ Inside Higher Ed, "Common Core Gets a Footing," April 28, 2015
- ↑ Benzinga, "Kentucky Common Core Rollout: First State to Implement Standards Demonstrates "Faster Progress" in Learning," April 7, 2015
- ↑ KiroTV.com, "Seattle teachers join movement to boycott new standardized tests," April 7, 2015
- ↑ 8 News Now, "Decision to opt out of common core testing left to school districts," April 3, 2015
- ↑ Reno Gazette-Journal, "Assembly hearing on Common Core ban gets heated," April 1, 2015
- ↑ Mississippi Business Journal, "KILL BILL: Common Core death knell heads to Gov. Bryant’s desk," March 31, 2015
- ↑ ABC 15, "Arizona Senate rejects bill to ditch Common Core," March 30, 2015
- ↑ New York Daily News, "State teacher’s union chief calls for Common Core testing boycott," March 31, 2015
- ↑ Education Week, "Judge Tosses Out Anti-Common-Core Lawsuit from Gov. Jindal, Legislators," March 30, 2015
- ↑ Reuters, "Arizona governor calls for review of Common Core standards," March 24, 2015
- ↑ Lohud, "Coming up: Panel examines opting out of tests," March 23, 2015
- ↑ Arkansas Online, "Senate panel backs revised bid to end Common Core-tied tests," March 21, 2015
- ↑ Washington Post, "Education digest: Jindal again tries to scrap Common Core in Louisiana," March 22, 2015
- ↑ ABC 2, "State Senate passes multiple bills," March 17, 2015
- ↑ WLTX 19, "Common Core Standards Dead in South Carolina," March 11, 2015
- ↑ Breitbart, "CA SUSPENDS STUDENT TESTING WHILE STATE BUILDS COMMON CORE," March 13, 2015
- ↑ AZ Central, "Common Core testing 'opt out' bill passes Ariz. House," March 10, 2015
- ↑ Islandpacket.com, "S.C. education committee OK’s standards to replace Common Core," March 9, 2015
- ↑ The Register-Herald, "Senate committee votes to study, not repeal, Common Core," March 9, 2015
- ↑ Education Week, "House delays debate on ditching Common Core standards," March 10, 2015
- ↑ WKYC.com, "State Senate expected to vote on Common Core bill," March 4, 2015
- ↑ The Ohio Legislature, "House Bill 7: Status," accessed March 10, 2015
- ↑ Idaho Ednews, “Legislative Roundup, 3.2.2015: Common Core Survives a Challenge,” March 2, 2015
- ↑ CBS News, “New Mexico students walk out in protest of Common Core standards,” March 2, 2015
- ↑ Post and Courier, “Common Core replacement standards clear another hurdle,” March 2, 2015
- ↑ Washington Post, “Common Core opposition unites 2016 hopefuls at CPAC, with Jeb Bush lone outlier,” March 1, 2015
- ↑ The Intellegencer, “West Virginia Common Core Repeal Moves On,” March 3, 2015
- ↑ The Federalist, “First Big Intra-Party Fight in Congress A Win For Conservatives,” March 2, 2015
- ↑ Aberdeen News, "Common Core opponents lose in South Dakota House vote," February 25, 2015
- ↑ KTVQ, "House bill to eliminate Common Core passes second reading," February 23, 2015
- ↑ Breitbart, “Missouri Judge Rules ‘Smarter Balanced’ Common Core Test Consortium Unconstitutional,” February 25, 2015
- ↑ YourWestValley.com, "Senate rejects bid to let schools opt out of Common Core," February 23, 2015
- ↑ Breitbart, "ARIZONA HOUSE EDUCATION COMMITTEE VOTES TO DUMP COMMON CORE," February 19, 2015
- ↑ Cronkite News, "Some lawmakers’ bills target standardized testing in Arizona," February 16, 2015
- ↑ News 8000, "2015 could be the first and last year for Wisconsin's new standardized tests," February 16, 2015
- ↑ Tenth Amendment Center, "New Hampshire Bill to Help Bring Down Common Core Passes Senate," February 19, 2015
- ↑ The Times-Picayune, "Congress and Obama administration battle over Common Core and other contentious education issues," February 13, 2015
- ↑ Cincinnati.com, "Bill frees students from Common Core results," February 13, 2015
- ↑ Clarion-Ledger, "Full repeal of Common Core fails in Senate," February 11, 2015
- ↑ Arkansas Times, "Hutchinson forms task force on Common Core, with Lt. Gov. Griffin to chair," February 11, 2015
- ↑ Nola.com, "14 Louisiana school districts ask for penalty waivers for Common Core opt-outs," February 10, 2015
- ↑ Fox News, "Jindal unveils national plan to repeal Common Core," February 10, 2015
- ↑ Inforum, "ND lawmakers hear five hours of arguments on bill to withdraw from Common Core," February 2, 2015
- ↑ Breitbart, "GOV. JERRY BROWN HIT WITH MASSIVE $1 BILLION COMMON CORE BILL," January 31, 2015
- ↑ Breitbart, "COLORADO BOARD OF ED ENDORSES BILL TO REJECT COMMON CORE STANDARDS, TESTS," February 2, 2015
- ↑ The Advertiser, "Jindal issues executive order on PARCC tests; BESE responds," January 30, 2015
- ↑ The Clarion Ledger, "Common Core killer unleashed to full Senate," February 2, 2015
- ↑ NJ.com, "Got gripes about Common Core? Here’s your chance," January 20, 2015
- ↑ Daily Caller, "Kasich Says Fellow Republicans Are Lying About Common Core," January 26, 2015
- ↑ Breitbart, "MISSISSIPPI STATE HOUSE APPROVES COMMON CORE ‘REBRAND,’" January 25, 2015
- ↑ The Topeka Capital-Journal, "Anti-Common Core bill returns," January 23, 2015
- ↑ Highland County Press, "Portman introduces bill to block federal intrusion on state education," January 20, 2015
- ↑ Gulf Live, "State Sen. Michael Watson of Pascagoula files bill to repeal Common Core, form advisory board," January 19, 2015
- ↑ The Clarion-Ledger, "Miss. withdraws from Common Core testing," January 16, 2015
- ↑ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "January 13, 2015
- ↑ CarsonNow.org, "Assemblyman O'Neill hosts Common Core curriculum forum Tuesday in Carson City," January 12, 2015
- ↑ Daily Reporter, "Rallies for state workers' pay raise and against Common Core set on 1st day of Miss. session," January 5, 2015
- ↑ The Clarion Ledger, "LIVE: Updates from 'Stop Common Core' rally," January 6, 2015
- ↑ The Times Picayune, "Louisiana's newest education official opposes Common Core," January 6, 2015
- ↑ Charleston Daily Mail, "State legislators hear arguments for, against Common Core," December 16, 2014
- ↑ The Blaze, "Scott Walker Is Dialing Back His Common Core Opposition," December 18, 2014
- ↑ The Daily Caller, "New Teachers Aren’t Ready For Common Core, Says Report," December 10, 2014
- ↑ Arizona Daily Star, "Tucson teacher claims reprisals for criticizing Common Core," December 2, 2014
- ↑ New Orleans City Business, "Vitter changes course on Common Core," December 1, 2014
- ↑ Education Week, "Sen. Vitter Comes Out Against Common Core Standards," December 1, 2014
- ↑ The Clarion-Ledger, "Reeves wants to scrap Common Core," December 1, 2014
- ↑ Washington Post, "Oklahoma wins back its No Child Left Behind waiver," November 24, 2014
- ↑ New Orleans City Business, "Dismissal sought of Jindal’s anti-Common Core suit," November 20, 2014
- ↑ News 5 WCBY, "Hundreds speak out against Common Core in Johnson City," November 19, 2014
- ↑ The Tennesseean, "Common Core’s days look numbered," November 19, 2014
- ↑ Seattle PI, "Ga. to open school standards to public comment," November 11, 2014
- ↑ The Times-Picayune, "Bobby Jindal seeks to join Louisiana legislators Common Core lawsuit," November 6, 2014
- ↑ Cincinnati.com, "Common Core repeal passes House committee," November 5, 2014
- ↑ Chalkbeat Tennessee, "Haslam announces public review of Common Core two years ahead of schedule," October 22, 2014
- ↑ The Atlantic, "Tennessee Set to 'Review' the Common Core," October 24, 2014
- ↑ The Daily Caller, "Chicago School Boss Wants Out Of Common Core Test," October 23, 2014
- ↑ GulfLive, "State Board of Education approves emergency contract for Common Core testing," September 18, 2014
- ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "The Conservative Case for Common Core," September 10, 2014
- ↑ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "Corbett urges state to continue reviewing national Common Core education standards," September 8, 2014
- ↑ The Morning Call, "Is Corbett doing an about-face on state's Common Core?" September 8, 2014
- ↑ Stamford Advocate, "Malloy questions Connecticut Common Core test," September 5, 2014
- ↑ POLITICO, "Common Core repeal costs Oklahoma its NCLB waiver," August 28, 2014
- ↑ Office of the Governor - Bobby Jindal, "Bobby Jindal v. The United States Department of Education and Arne Duncan," accessed August 28, 2014
- ↑ 253.0 253.1 POLITICO, "Common Core test anxiety," July 2, 2014
- ↑ 254.0 254.1 United States Department of Education, "FR Doc 2010-8376," April 14, 2010
- ↑ ABC News, "APNewsBreak: Jindal Sues Feds Over Common Core," August 27, 2014
- ↑ The News-Press, "Lee County makes history, opts out of state-mandated tests," August 28, 2014
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed July 7, 2014
- ↑ Fox News, "Judge rules against Gov. Jindal in Louisiana Common Core lawsuit," August 19, 2014
- ↑ Daily World, "Vitter voices support for Common Core standards," August 3, 2014
- ↑ KSL.com, "Common Core violates state statute, lawsuit says," July 31, 2014
- ↑ 9 WAFB, "Gov. Jindal administration files countersuit over the Common Core education standards," July 29, 2014
- ↑ The Times-Picayune, "BESE votes to join Common Core lawsuit against Gov. Bobby Jindal," July 30, 2014
- ↑ The Times-Picayune, "Bobby Jindal sues to get Louisiana out of Common Core test consortium," July 30, 2014
- ↑ Cincinnati.com, "Ohio House leaders move to repeal Common Core," July 28, 2014
- ↑ Huffington Post, "Bobby Jindal Sued By His Allies Over Common Core," July 22, 2014
- ↑ WFMyNews2.com, "Gov. McCrory Signs Common Core Changes Into Law," July 22, 2014
- ↑ The Salt Lake Tribune, "Utah guv wants academic standards re-examined," July 18, 2014
- ↑ The Salt Lake Tribune, "Rolly: Herbert wants to appease the right on Common Core," July 21, 2014
- ↑ Wisconsin State Journal, "Scott Walker calls on Legislature to repeal Common Core in January," July 18, 2014
- ↑ Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel, "Gov. Scott Walker calls for Legislature to repeal Common Core standards," July 17, 2014
- ↑ WCTI 12, "NC House approves final Common Core bill," July 17, 2014
- ↑ Charlotte Observer, "Common Core elimination bill moves forward in NC," July 16, 2014 (dead link)
- ↑ News & Observer, "Gov. McCrory says he will sign NC Common Core bill," July 16, 2014
- ↑ The Times-Picayune, "BESE offers final Common Core compromise to Gov. Bobby Jindal," July 16, 2014
- ↑ Education Week, "N.J. to Reduce Influence of Common-Core Tests on Teacher Evaluation," July 15, 2014
- ↑ Fox News, "Okla. Supreme Court upholds Common Core repeal," July 15, 2014
- ↑ Columbia Daily Tribune, "Governor vetoes teacher gun bill, signs Common Core reform measure," July 14, 2014
- ↑ KMBC 9, "Nixon endorses measure to replace Common Core standards," July 14, 2014
- ↑ The Kansas City Star, "Nixon faces decision on guns in school, experimental drugs, Common Core," July 14, 2014
- ↑ American Federation of Teachers, "AFT Resolutions - The Role of Standards in Public Education," accessed July 14, 2014
- ↑ American Federation of Teachers, "AFT Resolutions - Our Commitment to Fighting Back and Fighting Forward," accessed July 14, 2014
- ↑ POLITICO, "Another teachers union ding for Arne Duncan," July 13, 2014
- ↑ Ed Notes Online, "#AFT14 Convention Video - Common Core Debate - Mulgrew is Going to Punch Someone in the Face," August 7, 2014
- ↑ New York Post, "Teachers union president threatened to ‘punch’ Common Core opponents," August 7, 2014
- ↑ New York Daily News, "Michael Mulgrew defends Common Core: ‘You sick people need to deal with us and the children that we teach,'" August 8, 2014
- ↑ Education Week, "Common Core compromise bill approved by NC Senate," July 11, 2014 (dead link)
- ↑ POLITICO, "Next NEA leader's first task: Win back public," July 6, 2014
- ↑ Education Week, "NEA Calls for Secretary Duncan's Resignation," July 4, 2014
- ↑ The Day, "Malloy promises additional $15 million for Common Core," June 27, 2014
- ↑ The Connecticut Mirror, "Malloy offers ‘Connecticut Core’ as Common Core fix," June 26, 2014
- ↑ 10 KTEN, "Okla. education board delays action on Common Core pending lawsuit," June 26, 2014
- ↑ 7 News, "Lawsuit alleges Common Core repeal was unconstitutional," June 26, 2014
- ↑ National Review Online, "Was Oklahoma’s Repeal of Common Core Unconstitutional?" June 27, 2014
- ↑ Education Week, "Michigan Drops Common-Core Test, But Might Still Use Its Questions," June 30, 2014
- ↑ Capital, "Last night of session: What got done and what didn’t," June 20, 2014
- ↑ The News Tribune, "Deals in Albany on medical marijuana, Common Core," June 19, 2014
- ↑ WNCN, "NC House committee rejects Senate common core plan," June 19, 2014
- ↑ Washington Post, "North Carolina moves to repeal Common Core," June 5, 2014
- ↑ POLITICO, "Fact Sheet on Governor’s Proclamation Regarding Common Core Standards and PARCC Assessment," June 18, 2014
- ↑ POLITICO, "Bobby Jindal issues orders to sever Common Core ties," June 19, 2014
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Gates Foundation backs two-year delay in linking Common Core test scores to teacher evaluation, student promotion," June 10, 2014
- ↑ POLITICO, "Mary Fallin signs bill repealing the Common Core," June 6, 2014
- ↑ Education Week, "S.C. Governor Signs Bill Requiring State to Replace Common Core," June 4, 2014
- ↑ WRAL.com, "Senate approves version of Common Core repeal plan," June 5, 2014
- ↑ WRAL.com, "House, Senate take bites from Common Core apple," June 4, 2014
- ↑ The Daily Caller, "Arizona Ditches Common Core Testing Consortium," May 30, 2014
- ↑ The Heartland Institute, "Bill to Replace Common Core Headed to SC Governor’s Desk," May 23, 2014
- ↑ Education Week, "Tennessee Quits PARCC, Leaving 15 Members," June 20, 2014
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Common Core’s testing framework is crumbling," June 29, 2014
- ↑ The Daily Statesman, "Education bills await governor's approval," June 3, 2014
- ↑ The Kansas City Star, "Missouri lawmakers approve a Common Core compromise," June 3, 2014
- ↑ Satatogian, "Common Core sparks flood of legislation," June 16, 2014
- ↑ Office of the Governor, "The State of Georgia - Executive Order," May 15, 2014
- ↑ Education Week, "Michigan Joins Ranks of States Uncertain About Common Core Tests," May 15, 2014
- ↑ Crain's Detroit Business, "Michigan lawmakers vote to delay teacher evaluation rules," May 15, 2014
- ↑ Tennessee General Assembly, "Bill Information for HB1549," accessed June 20, 2014
- ↑ Nashville Public Radio, "After Lobbying Against It, Haslam Signs Bill Delaying Common Core Test," May 19, 2014
- ↑ Education Week, "Pearson Wins Major Contract From Common-Core Testing Consortium," May 2, 2014
- ↑ Fox News, "Bid-rigging lawsuit throws $240M-a-year Common Core testing contract into limbo," June 18, 2014
- ↑ Education Week, "American Institutes for Research Fights Pearson Common-Core Testing Award," May 6, 2014
- ↑ Education Week, "Protest of Pearson Common-Core Testing Contract Rejected," July 3, 2014
- ↑ WBAL TV 11 News, "Bills would impact implementation of Common Core," March 28, 2014
- ↑ National Education Association, "Landmark Common Core Bills Pass Maryland General Assembly," April 2, 2014
- ↑ AP, "Indiana Withdrawing from Common Core Standards," March 24, 2014
- ↑ Tampa Bay Times, "Florida Education Department gives nonprofit $220 million contract to replace the FCAT," March 17, 2014
- ↑ KnoxNews, "Tenn. House votes to delay Common Core standards," March 13, 2014 (dead link)
- ↑ WBIR, "Common Core repeal efforts stall in Tennessee Senate," March 20, 2014
- ↑ The Courant, "Malloy Creates New Task Force On Common Core," March 11, 2014
- ↑ Capitol Confidential, "Assembly votes for Common Core changes," March 5, 2014
- ↑ Capitol Confidential, "NYSUT lauds Assembly for Common Core moratorium," March 6, 2014
- ↑ POLITICO, "Nation’s biggest teachers union slams 'botched' Common Core implementation," February 19, 2014
- ↑ Education Week, "Kentucky Withdraws From PARCC Testing Consortium," January 31, 2014
- ↑ POLITICO, "New York teachers turn on Common Core," January 27, 2014
- ↑ The Topeka Capital-Journal, "Kansas opts to create its own Common Core tests," December 10, 2013
- ↑ The Daily Signal, "Kansas Reclaims Control of Testing, Drops Common Core Assessments," December 19, 2013
- ↑ Education Week, "Two-Year Transition to Common-Core Tests Approved in Massachusetts," November 19, 2013
- ↑ The Daily Signal, "More Cracks in the Core: Massachusetts Halts Common Core Implementation," November 22, 2013
- ↑ AL.com, "State education board rescinds common core agreement, but remains committed to controversial standards," November 14, 2013
- ↑ AL.com, "Sen. Del Marsh says legislation to repeal Common Core 'off the table' for now (updated)," April 23, 2013
- ↑ CAPITAL, "Weingarten: Common Core implementation ‘far worse’ than Obamacare rollout," November 4, 2013
- ↑ Michigan Coalition for High Student Standards, "Michigan Coalition for High Student Standards applauds state leaders. House action today is a win for Michigan students, educators and families," October 29, 2013
- ↑ CBS Detroit, "Michigan Gives Final OK To Common Core Standards," November 2, 2013
- ↑ Office of the Governor of Iowa, "Branstad signs Executive Order 83 to ensure local control in the development of Iowa Core standards and assessments," October 18, 2013
- ↑ Office of the Arizona Governor, "Executive Order 2013-08 - Reaffirming Arizona's Right to Set Education Policy," September 20, 2013
- ↑ The Morning Call, "State ends weeks of limbo, signs off on Common Core academic standards," September 13, 2013
- ↑ Lancaster Eagle Gazette, "Ohio Republicans target Common Core," November 29, 2013
- ↑ 130th General Assembly of Ohio, "Status Report of Legislation," accessed June 20, 2014
- ↑ Education Week, "NEA Delegates Endorse Common-Core Supports, But Not Testing," July 3, 2013
- ↑ The National Review Online, "Michigan Delays Common Core Implementation," June 5, 2013
- ↑ The Topeka Capital-Journal, "House narrowly defeats late Common Core challenge," June 1, 2013
- ↑ The Morning Call, "Gov. Tom Corbett postpones legislative vote on controversial Common Core education standards," May 21, 2013
- ↑ StateImpact, "After Lawmakers Pause Common Core Implementation, Teachers Ask What's Next," May 17, 2013
- ↑ American Federation of Teachers, "AFT's Weingarten Calls for Moratorium on High-Stakes Consequences of Common Core Tests," April 30, 2013
- ↑ National PTA, "GE Foundation Grant Helps National PTA Expand Common Core Work," February 15, 2013
- ↑ The Salt Lake Tribune, "Utah drops out of consortium developing Common Core tests," August 4, 2012
- ↑ Achieve, "Achieve Receives New Grant from GE Foundation to Strengthen Focus on Common Core Implementation Efforts," August 1, 2012
- ↑ GE, "GE Foundation Commits $8.6 Million Grant to Help Erie Students, Teachers Achieve Higher Education Standards," June 7, 2012
- ↑ Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, "Awarded Grants," accessed July 7, 2014
- ↑ Casper Star-Tribune, "Wyoming board OKs common core standards," April 27, 2012
- ↑ GE, "Common Core State Standards Receives Largest Corporate Investment to Date With GE Foundation $18 Million Commitment," February 1, 2012
- ↑ Education Week, "Montana Adopts New English and Math Standards," November 4, 2011
- ↑ Education Week, "Common-Standards Watch: Montana Makes 47," November 4, 2011
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- ↑ Maine Legislature, "125th Maine Legislature, First Regular Session," accessed June 20, 2014
- ↑ Idaho Department of Education, "Idaho Adopts Common Core Standards," January 24, 2011
- ↑ Idaho Education News, "State Board Approves Common Core State Standards," November 17, 2010
- ↑ National Governors Association, "National Governors Association and State Education Chiefs Launch Common State Academic Standards," June 2, 2010
- ↑ United States Department of Education, "35 States and D.C. Seek Share of $3.4 Billion in Race to the Top Fund," June 1, 2010
- ↑ National Governors Association, "Draft K-12 Common Core State Standards Available for Comment," March 10, 2010
- ↑ Common Core State Standards Initiative, "Reactions to the March 2010 Draft Common Core State Standards: Highlights and Themes from the Public Feedback," accessed June 20, 2014
- ↑ Education Week, "In National First, Kentucky Adopts Common Standards," February 11, 2010
- ↑ Common Core State Standards Initiative, "Summary of Public Feedback on the Draft College- and Career- Readiness Standards for English-Language Arts and Mathematics," accessed June 20, 2014
- ↑ National Governors Association, "Common Core State Standards Available for Comment," September 21, 2009
- ↑ United States Department of Education, "President Obama, U.S. Secretary of Education Duncan Announce National Competition to Advance School Reform," July 24, 2009
- ↑ United States Department of Education, "Duncan Offers Stimulus Funds for States to Develop Rigorous Assessments Linked to Common Standards," June 15, 2009
- ↑ National Governors Association, "Forty-Nine States and Territories Join Common Core Standards Initiative," June 1, 2009
- ↑ United States Department of Education, "The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009: Saving and Creating Jobs and Reforming Education," March 7, 2009
- ↑ United States Department of Education, "Race to the Top Program Executive Summary," accessed June 20, 2014
- ↑ Common Core State Standards Initiative, "Development Process," accessed June 20, 2014
- ↑ 380.0 380.1 Home School Legal Defense Association, "Common Core Timeline," accessed June 20, 2014
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