PolitiFact | Fact-checking attacks on Common Core school standards

PolitiFact | Fact-checking attacks on Common Core school standards:

Fact-checking attacks on Common Core school standards

By Cara Fitzpatrick, Amy Sherman, Jeffrey S. Solochek
Published on Monday, October 21st, 2013 at 6:01 a.m.

Related rulings:

"Common Core expects English teachers to spend at least half of their reading instructional time at every grade level on informational texts."

Sarah Stotsky, Tuesday, October 15th, 2013.

Ruling: False | Details

The goal of Common Core is "to instill federally determined attitudes and mindsets in students including political and religious beliefs."

Florida Stop Common Core Coalition, Wednesday, October 16th, 2013.

Ruling: Pants on Fire! | Details

Teachers were not involved in developing the Common Core State Standards.

Public comments at a Common Core hearing, Tuesday, October 15th, 2013.

Ruling: False | Details

Common Core means "there are over 300 data elements the government is going to be collecting about your children and about you."

Tim Curtis, Tuesday, October 15th, 2013.

Ruling: Mostly False | Details

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New standards for schools -- called the Common Core -- have been getting a lot of attention lately. (Tampa Bay Times photo)

As states surge toward full implementation of Common Core State Standards for public schools, the din is rising from some fronts to pull back.

In Florida, Gov. Rick Scott, whose tea party base offers perhaps the most strident opposition, is listening. In open forums Scott requested last week, people stepped forward to give their views. Criticism ranged from what’s taught in English class all the way to conspiracy theories involving iris scans.

PolitiFact Florida reviewed comments from the hearings and found that several of the most dramatic criticisms aren’t backed up by the facts. Here is a brief review of some of their findings. (See individual reports for more details.)

Common Core refers to a set of national education standards adopted by 45 states, including Florida. They came out of years of discussion between private nonprofit groups and state education departments.

The goal: to better prepare students for college and careers and ensure that students in different states learn the same academic concepts.

The Obama administration has used its education grant process, Race to the Top, to encourage states to use the new standards, but no state is required to adhere to Common Core.

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One frequent complaint at the hearings is that teachers were not involved in developing the standards.

The Common Core State Standards Initiative, the official group that organizes the