Pennsylvania Senate Democrats Urge Slowdown of Common Core
Via FYI by PLS – this is a subscription based website so I’m sharing quotes given by the Pennsylvania Senate Minority Leader, State Senator Jay Costa (D-Allegheny):Sen. Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) said implementation of the Common Core Standards is another example of the Corbett Administration’s “quiet changes” that “lack legislative input.” He compared the roll out of the Common Core Standards with bonus depreciation and the attempt to privatize the management of the lottery system. “Now we’re here today to fight
Missouri Common Core Transparency Bill Passes Out of Committee
The Missouri House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee passed SB 210 out of committee on a 17-0 vote yesterday after a 2 hour-long public hearing which included 900 written witness statements by those who supported the bill and testimony by the Missouri Education Commissioner Chris Nicastro who I was told didn’t really address the content of the bill.
SB 210 requires the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to hold public hearings on the Common Core State Standards in every congressional district. Prior to the first public hearings the department will be required to conduct and post a fiscal analysis of the Common Core State Standards cost on the state and local school districts. They are also required to compile a report of what data will be collected and what entities will receive that information.
The bill also requires public notifications of the meetings, fiscal study and report on data collect by DESE and local school districts so parents can attend and have access to that information. All hearings are to be conducted by December 31, 2013. DESE is then to compile a report to be issued to the President Pro Tempore of the Missouri Senate, Speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives and the joint committee on education that summarizes public testimony on the Common Core State Standards. This is due by January 31, 2014.
This bill is informational only so a repeal bill will still be needed. Talking to Gretchen Logue of Missouri Education Watchdog I was informed that the bill is expected to pass out of the House Rules Committee (all bills