Common Core Roundup: What are States Doing for Education Freedom?

It’s a new year, and the state legislatures have come roaring back into session chock full of ideas to stop the Common Core education standards that are damaging school systems all across the country. Last year, we saw Missouri, Oklahoma, and South Carolina withdraw from the standards, and 2015 looks to be off to a good start.

Here is a roundup of anti-Common Core legislation introduced in the first month of 2015.

Indiana
While Indiana has already formally withdrawn from Common Core, Governor Mike Pence replaced the standards with the nearly identical “Indiana Core,” in order to continue to qualify for a waiver from No Child Left Behind. H.B. 1099 would remove the requirement that Indiana standards must conform to the federal standards necessary to receive a waiver. This is an important step in restoring Indiana’s education freedom.

Kentucky
H.B 33 calls for a repeal of Common Core standards in Kentucky, and the creation of new state standards, developed with public involvement and preserving local autonomy.

Mississippi
The Mississippi Senate has introduced two bills to combat Common Core so far this year. S.B. 2469 allows parents to opt their children out of the standards, including any testing and data collection requirements, while S.B. 2690 repeals the standards entirely and blocks the use of federal funds for student data collection or sharing.

New York
Assembly Bill 411 calls for the creation of task force to evaluate Common Core standards in the state and recommend an alternative approach to education standards.The bill bans the board of education from issuing any assessment until the task force releases its recommendations.

Tennessee
The Tennessee Senate has filed two bills that would repeal Common Core and require the creation of new standards, developed with local input, to replace them. S.B 4 asks for new standards by 2016, while S.B. 5 extends the deadline until 2017.

West Virginia
H.B. 2184 is the simplest and most powerful Common Core bill we’ve yet seen this year. Rather than calling for new standards or the creation of study commissions, this bill simply demands an immediate end to Common Core standards and aligned assessments, followed by no equivocating language.

It is still early in the year, and the above bills are just the beginning of what we can expect to see in the months to come. To keep abreast of all the latest news and legislation relating to Common Core, and to find out how you can get involved in your state, be sure to visit FreedomWorks’ “Common Core Fails” Issue Page.