States Enter Nationwide Curriculum Process With Reservations
Forty-six states agreed to a process to create a common core of English and math standards — see www.ccsso.org. This is a major development but a letter of agreement from California’s Governor and State Superintendent indicates some states are keeping their options open. Below are the direct quotes from the letter.
“California is pleased to participate in the CCSO-NGA initiative to develop common core standards. In particular, we welcome the opportunity to participate in the international benchmarking efforts. This benchmarking will be important for our nation and helpful in California’s efforts to prepare all students to succeed in the global economy.
“As a high-standards state, we have specific issues to bring forward with regard to our participation:
- As highlighted by the Fordham Institute, American Federation of Teachers and others, California has some of the highest standards in the nation. We will fully participate in the common core development process, but we cannot commit to adopting them until we have determined that they meet or exceed our own.
- California cannot commit to being bound by the premise that the common core standards must represent 85 percent of all state standards in English language arts and math…
With these conditions understood, we look forward to being a part of this important national effort. Thank you for the invitation to participate.”
