The North Carolina Academic Standards Review Commission is assessing the state’s reading and math standards. They’ve been working since January, and they have two more meetings to complete their work. The recommendations they make will go the State Board of Education.
North Carolina’s current standards are based on the Common Core. WakeEd believes it is critical to maintain high standards that prepare students for career and college success and that are aligned with assessments that provide a way to compare our performance to other states.
We are concerned that the draft recommendations of the commission include repealing the current standards and replacing them with those of another state. The commission was asked to recommend modifications. Wholesale repeal and replacement should not happen. Are none of our current standards appropriate for our students? None?
Another concern: teachers shared a lack of alignment between the standards and assessments. One way the Commission can help is to call for high-quality aligned assessments. The recommendation can be made to the State Board of Education, and the State Board of Education will take the recommendation to the state legislature.
Why? Because in 2013, the legislature decreed that no assessments aligned to the common core could be purchased or implemented without General Assembly legislation to authorize the purchase.
That’s right. The General Assembly gets to decide when the State Board of Education can direct the Deparment of Public Instruction to implement assessments aligned to the standards currently in place.
Here’s what you can do. You can contact the commission co-chairs and let them know you support the current standards and you want aligned assessments for our students and teachers. You can also contact members of our State Board of Education. Chairman Bill Cobey participates as a member of the review commission.
As the year winds down, we’ll keep you informed about recommendations as they are released and ways you can advocate for rigorous academic standards for our students.
