As information about the devastating impact of Common Core on children stirs parents to fight common standards, the political impact is stirring Governors to rethink their state’s involvement in Common Core and assessments. Given that the Common Core is OWNED by the National Governors Association, it is significant when any of the Governors question their involvement.
Florida Governor Rick Scott “hinted” he is considering an “executive order to address growing controversy over Common Core State Standards.”
Florida was planning to use national exams created by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC. But Senate President Don Gaetz and House Speaker Will Weatherford have said Florida should develop its own plan for testing.
“PARCC is too expensive and it takes too long,” Scott said. “So I’m looking at a variety of things, whether it’s an executive order, some administrative and some legislative, to try to fix that.”
Scott also said he would try to address what he called “too much federal involvement” — an overture to tea party groups who consider the new benchmarks and tests an example of federal overreach….
…Once a clear Common Core supporter, Scott is in a political bind. Tea party groups, which make up an important part of his base, want Florida to jettison the new standards and tests. But schools across the state are already teaching Common Core, and Republican leaders in the House and Senate are standing behind the benchmarks.
Common Core was hastily adopted one state at a time. It will be defeated one state as a time. The momentum is swinging in our direction because ordinary people are standing up and saying, “No! We will NOT let the feds and special interests take over our schools.!”
In early June, Michigan hit “pause” and temporarily defunded Common Core pending a vote of the legislature. It’s decision time once again. In the next few weeks, state lawmakers are either going to move ahead and steam roll parents and teachers and cede our authority over education to the feds and special interests, or we’re going to press our lawmakers to Stop Common Core and retain control.
Parents and teachers, CALL Governor Snyder. Call your state lawmakers in the House AND Senate and tell them to Stop Common Core.