On Monday, the Academic Standards Review Commission met to hear testimony from two well-known, outspoken critics of the Common Core, Dr. Sandra Stotsky and Dr. James Milgram.
Testimony given by the two did not differ from what they’ve issued before. Both take issue with how the standards were developed. Stotsky believes the English Language Arts (ELA) standards aren’t content-specific. Milgram believes the math standards are complex at early grades.
Commission members requested the two make specific recommendations of standards they should review and consider for adoption. Both Stotsky and Milgram recommended standards they each played a role in authoring (pre-Common Core ELA standards in Massachusetts, and pre-Common Core math standards in California).
The NC Department of Public Instruction does have a current survey online seeking parent and stakeholder comment on the standards. You can access the survey at: http://ncdpireview.weebly.com/community-surveys.html. This survey allows you to view the standards for math or English Language Arts at a specific grade level and provide feedback.
You can also contact members of the Academic Standards Review Commission to let them know your thoughts. WakeEd supports the current North Carolina English Language Arts and Math standards that are based on the Common Core. We believe it is critical to maintain high standards that prepare students for career and college success. And, we believe it is critical that these standards are aligned with assessments that provide a way to compare our performance to other states.
We strongly encourage you to reach out to commission members to share your thoughts.
Chairman Andre Peek (Wake) – andre.peek@nc.gov
Co-Chair Tammy Covil (New Hanover) – tammy.covil@nhcs.net
Dr. Jeffrey Isenhour (Catawba) – jeffrey_isenhour@catawbaschools.net
Ms. Katie Lemons (Stokes) – katie.lemons@stokes.k12.nc.us
Ms. Denise Watts (Mecklenburg) – denise.watts@cms.k12.nc.us
Ms. Ann Clark (Iredell) – a.clark@cms.k12.nc.us
Dr. Laurie McCollum (Rockingham) – lmccollum@rock.k12.nc.us
Ms. Jeannie Metcalf (Forsyth) – jmetcalf@wsfcs.k12.nc.us ; jeannie.metcalf@nc.gov
Dr. John Scheik (Wake) – email unavailable
Mr. Bill Cobey (Durham) – william.cobey@dpi.nc.gov
Dr. Olivia Oxendine (Robeson) – olivia.oxendine@dpi.nc.gov
