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House Sub-Committee on Common Core

Members of the House Sub-Committee on Common Core Standards were announced.  The House Education Subcommittee on Common Core Standards will be chaired by Saginaw Township Republican Tim Kelly. Legislators on the panel include vice-chair Rep. Amanda Price (R-Park Township); Rep. Tom McMillin (R-Rochester Hills); Rep. Dave Pagel (R-Oronoko Township); Rep. Margaret O’Brien (R-Portage); Rep. Bill […]

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The Federal Game of “Duncan May I?”

In the June 15, 2013  GOP weekly radio address Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), a former U.S. education secretary who now serves as the Senate education committee’s ranking member sad, “..we have a major disagreement about who should be in charge of our one hundred thousand public schools that educate fifty million American children.   To […]

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HIllsdale Lecture on Common Core

Common Core Education without Representation posted an excellent video today. HIllsdale College Professor Daniel B. Coupland speaks about the servile quality of Common Core’s skills-based focus: “As long as students are told that the end of education is a job or a career, they will forever be servants of some master.” He profoundly says: “If […]

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A Rational Explanation Against Common Core Funding and Implementation

In a recent news article, State Rep. Brandon Dillon, D-Grand Rapids, said  he has yet to hear a rational explanation for halting funding. “Almost all rational, reasonable people, whether Republican or Democrat, think this is the right thing to do for children,” With a simple analogy, I’d like to offer a rational and reasonable explanation […]

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Summer Hearings Planned to Separate “Fact from Fiction”

Now that the budget has been signed by Governor Snyder, House Speaker Jase Bolger (R) has asked lawmakers to get informed about Common Core.   Toward that goal, Representative. Lisa Posthumus Lyons (R), who chairs the House Education Committee is planning summer hearings on the Common Core. “I don’t think it’s bad to have standards. It’s […]

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Assessments Information Student Data & Privacy

Data Tracking and Common Core

One of the major controversies related to the Common Core standards is whether or not data collection is part of the standards.   Proponents of the Common Core and the website vehemently and explicitly deny it. There are no data collection requirements of states adopting the CCSS. Standards define expectations for what students should know and […]

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Now that we hit “pause” what’s next for Michigan?

With the Governor’s signature the implementation of Common Core and related assessments has been paused.  The standards cannot go forward without the approval of the legislature.   According to House Speaker Jase Bolger that decsion is likely to happen “in the fall.”  “I’ve asked members to go home all summer, to talk to people in the […]

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Governor Snyder signs budget

Today, Governor Snyder signed the $49 billion which included a provision that blocks the implementation of Common Core and related assessments unless they are authorized by the legislature. Snyder has also expressed frustration with budget language prohibiting the Michigan Department of Education from using any funding to implement programs or assessments related to Common Core, […]

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Michigan Hits Pause

Michigan  became the third state to hit  “pause” when it comes to instituting the Common Core standards. The Michigan Senate voted 24-14 to approve the Michigan Department of Education budget with State Representative Tom McMillin’s amendment that prevents the department from spending money to implement the Common Core State Standards. Local school districts can still […]

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Jeb Bush Peddles Common Core in Michigan

Jeb Bush is at Mackinac Island in Michigan this week talking about education.   Michigan is in a heated battle over Common Core.  State lawmakers are considering a budget measure to defund the standards and related assessments.   The Common Core standards were adopted by the Michigan Department of Education in 2010.   The budget measure passed […]