News Brief
State Chiefs: Common Core Requires Flexibility, Not a Pause
Education Week (05/28/13) McNeil, Michele; Gewertz, CatherineThe Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) has said the states have all the power they need to smooth out the transition between No Child Left Behind and the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). According to a draft document from CCSSO, states should be able to hold school accountability designations steady for a couple of years during the transition to new tests debuting in 2015. For instance, schools designated as low performing or as focus schools would retain that status during the transition to CCSS, even though data will be reported for each year of the transition and accountability interventions will still be made. Secondly, CCSSO's draft document calls on federal officials to be open to state requests for delays in using test scores as part of teacher evaluations, with CCSSO Executive Director Chris Minnich noting that few states would need the delay. Lastly, the document says states should be allowed to choose which tests they administer to determine accountability in 2013-14, enabling them to use the Smarter Balanced pilot test. Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna says, "[It's] absolutely critical that it's known that we are moving to a higher level of accountability. Nobody is looking for a pause or relief from accountability." CCSSO insists there is no single, one-size-fits-all solution on how to manage the transition, and North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction June Atkinson says each state is on a different timeline with different rules, regulations, and state laws.
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