Common Core Crashing in the Carolinas: SC Is Out, NC Is Heading That Way
On May 30, Republican Governor Nikki Haley of South Carolina signed a bill that requires the state to drop the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) as of the 2015-2016 school year. South Carolina joins Indiana as states that have eliminated CCSS.
CCSS will stay in place in South Carolina for the 2014-2015 school year. The bill charges the South Carolina Department of Education with developing new standards, which the state school board and the Education Oversight Committee must approve. Any new standards not developed by the state education department would need the approval of a joint resolution of the legislature.
The new law also prohibits the state from administering CCSS assessments being developed by the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium.
Meanwhile, in North Carolina, legislation that would move the Tar Heel State’s public schools away from CCSS is moving through both chambers of the General Assembly.
Last week, the House approved a proposal to dismantle CCSS and direct the State Board of Education to devise new standards with help from a new commission. A similar bill has cleared the Senate’s education committee.
The current bills stipulate that, as in South Carolina, CCSS would continue to be used until replaced by the Board of Education.
About the Author
Christopher Piehler is the former editor-in-chief of THE Journal.