Texas Joins Three States to Oppose Standards

Texas, South Carolina, Alaska, and Missouri have decided not to participate in an effort for new math and English standards, put forward by National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, according to a report from Terrence Stutz of the Dallas Morning News (registration).

According to the article, participation is voluntary but could eventually involve the distribution of federal funds. "State Education Commissioner Robert Scott, with the backing of Gov. Rick Perry, has turned down an invitation to work with the other states in drafting 'common core' standards for English and math classes, spelling out what students at all grade levels should be taught in those subjects," the article states.

State officials emphasized that implementation of the new standards would be costly. For instance, the State Board of Education has just approved new math textbooks, which could need extensive changes to comply with the new rules.

Here's a key passage from Mr. Stutz:

"Texas historically has never been supportive of the idea of national standards for our schools," said Debbie Ratcliffe, a spokeswoman for the commissioner and the Texas Education Agency. "We believe most Texans want to see our standards developed in Texas."

State Board of Education member Don McLeroy, the former chairman of the panel, noted that the education board now has responsibility to approve curriculum standards and there is no reason to surrender that authority to a national panel.

"It's a very bad idea," said McLeroy, R-College Station. "It's not up to the federal government or national groups to set standards for our schools. In Texas, we have elected officials to determine those standards, and if people disagree with their decisions, they can vote against them."

Texas could be forgoing federal aid by not taking part in the effort.

Comments

[Cindy Roine]

Know why other countries are passing us up so fast it makes your head spin? -- state standards! They have national ones. Wake up!