In
Kentucky, the main driver for adopting the Common Core State Standards was Senate
Bill 1 passed in 2009 by an
overwhelming vote of the Kentucky General Assembly. When I came to Kentucky to interview for the
commissioner's position in late spring of 2009, the key questions from the
Kentucky Board of Education related to Senate Bill 1 implementation. Once I was
appointed commissioner, I worked closely with Sen. Ken Winters and Rep. Carl
Rollins and other key legislators to form a Senate Bill 1 steering committee.
Bob King, President of the Council on Postsecondary Education, and Phil Rogers,
then Executive Director of the Professional Standards Board, were also key
partners on the steering committee. From the very first meeting with the
steering committee and with the Interim Joint Education Committee, it was very
clear that Senate Bill 1 had been passed with the expectation that Kentucky
would adopt the standards being developed by the National
Governor's Association and the
Council
of Chief State School Officers which
eventually became the Common Core State Standards. So, let me be clear. Anyone
who says the General Assembly did not support or was not aware of the standards
that were being developed and eventually approved by the Kentucky Board of
Education is either not aware of the events that transpired in Kentucky or is
trying to deceive the public.
Another
myth that seems to be circulating is that the standards were developed in
secret. Again, this statement is either made by someone who was not aware of
the actual events or by someone purposefully trying to misinform the public.
The standards were developed with significant input from Kentucky teachers and
college professors. There were several iterations of the standards that were
publicized for teacher and public feedback. Kentucky teachers were very
positive about the standards and felt that their collective voices had been
heard.
My final
note for this week is the myth that this is a national curriculum and the
federal government is trying to control what is taught to our children. This
accusation is so ludicrous that it really does not deserve an explanation,
however, let me make two key points. The standards were developed by teachers,
college professors, and national education organizations by analyzing what the
top countries in the world education rankings are expecting of students in
order to ensure college/career readiness and international competitiveness of
their high school graduates. From the summer of 2009 until present day, I have
been present at all national meetings between National Governor's Association and Council of Chief State School Officers where the standards
were reviewed and finalized. At no meeting was there anyone from the federal
government dictating or even suggesting what should be included in the
standards. My second point is that, the federal government is barred by law
from dictating a national curriculum. The Kentucky Board of Education and the
Kentucky Department of Education are barred by state law from requiring a
certain curriculum. All curriculum decisions rest with schools and districts.
Next
week, I will review the actual steps taken in Kentucky to ensure teachers,
parents, and communities were prepared for the standards -- which in Kentucky
are called the Kentucky Core Academic Standards. Kentucky teachers actually took the Common
Core State Standards and interpreted the standards for teacher use.
The
ultimate measure of whatever standards we implement per Senate Bill 1 will be
the percentage of students who graduate from our high schools that are college-
and career-ready. Since the implementation of the Kentucky Core Academic
Standards in our state, we have moved from 34 percent of our graduates who are
college/career- ready to 47 percent of our graduates reaching college- and
career-readiness.
Kentucky
citizens may want to know the real facts rather than listen to a bunch of
misinformation from people who either are not aware of the real events or who
are attempting to deceive the public. A key question might be to ask these
folks what their agenda really is. Our agenda at the Kentucky Department of
Education and Kentucky Board of Education is to help more children graduate
with the skills needed to be successful in college and careers.
Doc. H,
ReplyDeleteWould you entertain a public forum to discuss this?
Steve
Would like a public forum sponsored by someone like Prichard Committee or Ky Chamber of Commerce with a panel to include diverse views and balanced. General Assembly has had numerous committee meetings to discuss Senate Bill 1 which was the vehicle for implementation of Common Core and the Kentucky Board of Education had several open meetings to review and discuss. All meetings were open for public comment
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