Two bills were introduced this week in the Alabama Legislature that, if passed, would repeal Alabama’s College and Career Ready Standards. These standards were adopted by the State Board of Education in 2010 following public hearings around the state.
Schools have been implementing the new math standards this year, and they are training now for implementation of the English/language arts standards in the fall.
Education leaders have expressed deep concern that repealing the standards now could undo Alabama’s recent educational progress.
Senate Bill 190 and House Bill 254 are identical bills that would do three things:
- overrule the State Board of Education’s 2010 adoption of the College and Career Ready Standards, and prevent money from being spent on implementing them;
- forbid the state from using data to improve student achievement; and
- require all future academic standards to be approved by a majority vote of the Legislature instead of the State Board of Education.
State Board members Mary Scott Hunter and Tracy Roberts recently published an op-ed explaining the process of adoption, and sharing their concerns for changing the course of Alabama students. In the commentary, they stated, “A return to our previous, and less rigorous standards would send the wrong message to the nation. It would frustrate teachers who have worked very hard to successfully teach the new Alabama Standards. Most importantly, a return to less rigor would be lowering our expectations of our students. They deserve better.” (Link to the full op-ed published on al.com).
Hunstville Superintendent, Casey Wardynski, also spoke out in a Huntsville Times article, stating, “It would be very detrimental to our economy, and quite frankly, to the development of our children.” (Link to full article on al.com)
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