In a 6 to 2 vote on Thursday, the Alabama Board of Education approved a resolution to reaffirm that Alabama — not out-of-state entities — has control of their College and Career Ready standards, also know as Common Core.
The board voted to end a 2009 Memorandum of Agreement with the National Governor’s Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, the developers of Common Core.
State School Superintendent Dr. Tommy Bice told Yellowhammer News today that the vote means that Alabama will continue to participate in Common Core, but that the Alabama Board of Education will maintain total control of the state’s education standards.
Bice also said that Alabama will work with other states to ensure that students are receiving the same level of education across the nation. In other words, Bice believes Common Core will ensure that students leaving Alabama will not be behind or ahead in their studies when enrolling at another school outside the state. Bice said this standard especially helps children in military families who move to a different military base every few years.
Some Board members said Thursday’s vote will diminish federal intrusion into state education policy, but skeptics said the vote will have little to no impact at all.
“We have got to get kids ready for college and careers, “ school board member Mary Scott Hunter of Huntsville said. “We have a giant hill to climb.”
Board Member Ella Bell of Montgomery agreed and said that having Common Core in place gives minority students a chance to receive a better education.
“I fully support Common Core, it gives children an opportunity for quality education,” Bell said.
Jeff Newman of Millport and Betty Peters of Kinsey were the two board members who voted against the resolution.
Peters said voting on the resolution was pointless because the 2009 agreement is not currently legally binding. Newman added that allowing Common Core standards to continue in the state will cede more control of Alabama’s education system to the federal government.
“We were heading in the right direction before Common Core,” Newman said. “The Common Core allows federal intrusion.”
If Peters’ and Newman’s comments are any indication, today’s vote will do very little to ease concerns among conservative activists who have made the repeal of Common Core their top priority.
Common Core standards have been approved by 45 states and Washington, D.C. Common Core’s stated goal is to “level the playing field” for students around the country, bringing uniformity to education standards across the U.S.
State Sen. Scott Beason, R-Gardendale, said he will file legislation to repeal the Common Core standards during the upcoming legislative session, but Alabama Senate Pro Tem Del Marsh, R-Anniston, said he will not allow the issue to come up for a vote.
“The State Board of Education is an elected body responsible for setting education policy and we are seeing them take action to alleviate concerns over Alabama’s College and Career Ready Standards,” Marsh told Yellowhammer today. “I applaud their efforts thus far.”
A spokesperson for Gov. Bentey said he remains opposed to Common Core.
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