HELENA, Mont. (Feb. 26, 2015) – The Montana house passed a bill today to essentially void the Common Core state standards and establish an “accreditation standards review council” that would determine new standards. The vote was 54-46.
Introduced by State Rep. Debra Lamm (R-40) along with a number of co-sponsors, House Bill 377 (HB377) would discontinue the implementation of Common Core standards while providing requirements for the adoption or revision of curricular standards. It reads, in part:
the board of public education may not adopt and the superintendent of public instruction may not implement content standards or assessments based on or related to those developed by the common core state standards initiative. Any previous adoption of standards or assessments related to the common core initiative is void as of [the effective date of this act]
HB377 seeks to ensure that education involves the community and rejects one-size-fits-all solutions:
“The legislature intends to resist the nationalization and standardization of education to ensure that Montana’s basic system truly develops the full educational potential of each individual.”
The bill would mandate that “all meetings of a public agency at which proposals to adopt or amend the accreditation standards are discussed must be open to the public. The development of proposals to adopt or amend the accreditation standards must provide for the participation of teachers, school administrators, parents, and students from across the state.”
The bill also requires express written consent from parents and guardians in order for their children to be allowed to take Common Core assessments in Mathematics and English language arts during the 2014-2015 school year.
Under HB377, following the 2014-2015 school year, “the board of public education shall adopt and the superintendent of public instruction shall implement content standards and assessments in English language arts and mathematics identical to those content standards and assessments that were in effect prior to July 1, 2013.” New standards would be devised by “content standards development subcommittees” featuring educators experienced in teaching all ages.
Now that it has successfully passed through the state house, HB377 will be sent to the state senate. It will likely receive a new committee assignment in that chamber sometime in the near future. It must be voted upon affirmatively by the state senate before it can put on Gov. Bullock’s desk to be signed into law.
ACTION ITEMS
For Montana: Take action to support this important bill HERE.
For other states: Take action to fight Common Core in your state HERE.
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