Stop Common Core in Washington State

REASONS 
FOR
 CONCERN
 ABOUT
 COMMON
 CORE


Adoption
Process
:

-
 Common 
Core 
Initiative 
is
 not 
“state‐led,”
 but
 rather 
the
Common 
Core
(CC) standards
 were
 created
 and 
funded
 by
 special 
interests.

 States 
had
 little 
to 
no
 input.


- The 
federal 
government 
has 
coerced 
states 
into 
accepting 
the
 CC 
standards, 
by 
tying
 their 
adoption 
to 
Race 
to 
the
 Top
funding,
 No
 Child 
Left
 Behind 
waivers,
 etc.


- Under
 the 
Constitution,
 the 
federal 
government 
has
 no
 role
 in
 education
 policy.

 Moreover,
 three 
federal
 statutes prohibit
 what
 the 
federal
 government 
has
 done
 with
 the 
CC
 and
 the 
attendant 
assessments.




-The 
federal 
government
 is 
funding
 the
 creation 
of 
the
 tests 
that 
will
 be 
aligned
 with
 CC
 and 
what’s 
on 
the
 tests
 will
 dictate 
what’s
 taught
 in
 the
 classroom.
 The 
inevitable 
result
 will
 be 
a 
national
 curriculum 
controlled
 by 
the 
federal 
government.


-A
 state
 must
 accept
 the 
CC
 standards
 word 
for 
word.
 It
 may
 add
 15%
 content
 but 
may
 not 
subtract
 anything.
 Anything 
it 
adds
 will 
not 
be 
included 
on
 the 
national 
tests.


-In 
order 
to 
change 
any 
strand 
of 
the 
CC, 
a 
state 
must 
persuade 
44 
other 
jurisdictions
 (and 
probably 
the 
US 
Dept 
of 
Education) 
to 
agree 
to 
the
 proposed
 change.



-The 
English
 language 
arts 
standards 
in 
CC 
de‐emphasize 
the
 study 
of
 literature
 and 
have
 been 
found
 by
 a
 University 
of 
Arkansas 
expert
 as 
inadequate
 to 
prepare
 students 
for
 college.



The architect of the Common Core Standards plans to align the SAT tests to these standards thereby pressuring homeschoolers and private schools to teach to these standards as well. Millions of children will be lost inside a one size fits all system designed to create equal mediocrity among the new “global citizens.”