Backing off . . .

This is probably old news for many of you, but important to share.  Earlier this week we learned that Indiana has become the first state to back out of a commitment to the common core standards.  Though we have been reading about a number of states reviewing their commitment and others pulling back from the two testing consortia, this is a first that leads to the question will other follow.  Will this decision provide leverage for others at the state level advocating for the same outcome?

You can read about the decision in this NPR article.  Below are some comments from Governor Pence who signed the legislation.


"I believe our students are best served when decisions about education are made at the state and local level," said Pence in a release about Senate Bill 91.

"By signing this legislation, Indiana has taken an important step forward in developing academic standards that are written by Hoosiers, for Hoosiers, and are uncommonly high, and I commend members of the General Assembly for their support," he said.

It is interesting to see legislators on the far right and far left find common ground for different reasons in their objections to the common core.  So far, I don't see and don't expect it to take hold in our state, but there are other states experiencing attempts at legislation that passed in Indiana.  Some of those decisions will be determined by who is elected at the state level in the November elections as this issue takes on more significance in those elections.

I don't see this as a tipping point, but it should certainly be a concern for common core advocates.