Common core: put to the test: state legislatures have become ground zero for the new Common Core education standards.

• Author: Exstrom, Michelle
• Position: EDUCATION

Common Core State Standards. This term has become a flash point for lawmakers across the country as they debate whether establishing common English and math standards is in the best interests of their state.

Many legislatures held special hearings, in and out of official session times, to vet the standards. In 27 states, legislators introduced bills to halt or replace the Common Core State Standards, and they passed in five: Indiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma and South Carolina.

Indiana officials, at the direction of the legislature, have already developed their own new standards in time for this school year. (Many acknowledge they look very similar to the Common Core standards.) Missouri lawmakers voted to take more time to study the common standards and their potential impact in the classroom, while their counterparts in North Carolina created a committee to recommend changes or modifications to the standards.

The legislation passed in Oklahoma directs the state to revert to the standards in place prior to adopting Common Core until new standards are ready for the 2016-17 school year. Teachers in South Carolina will continue using Common Core standards to guide their classroom instruction until new state-developed ones are ready to go next year, according to legislation passed there.

State standards define what students should know and be able to do by the time they graduate from high school and move on to college or a career. In 2009, when the idea of using a new set of common English and math standards was first introduced to the states, it was roundly supported by business executives, parents, teachers and state education leaders from both sides of the aisle who shared the common concern that U.S. students were slipping behind the rest of the world, reflected in international comparisons.

To push all students to become more competitive in academics and their future workplaces, they welcomed the idea of the Common Core State Standards being promoted by the nation's governors and education commissioners.

Between 2010 and 2011, 45 states, five territories and the District of Columbia eventually adopted the common standards and began working with districts and teachers to implement them.

Old Debate, New Venue

So what happened? Why have the Common Core English Language Arts and math standards become political fodder? Controversy swirls around their development, where the funding came from, what's really in the standards, and what role the U.S. Department of Education has played in persuading states to participate.

Those who are suspicious of the standards have found allies in some parents, teachers and school administrators who were already weary of reform after reform. As legislators began to receive more phone calls and emails, it became clear to them that many of their constituents held concerns that this approach might not be the best one for their state.

Why are state legislators just now debating the merits of using these benchmarks? Some lawmakers say the answer is simple: No one asked them if this was a good idea.

In most states, the standards were never vetted during the legislative process, so neither were the public's concerns. This year, however, many leaders opened the debate, soliciting viewpoints from various sides about the promises and challenges of the new standards. Idaho Senator John Goedde (R), for instance, felt it was time to discuss and debate the issues in the public...