Last night the New Hanover School Board unanimously passed a resolution asking the General Assembly and the NC State Board of Education for clarity pertaining to the adoption of Common Core Standards.  While the media carried articles on this local school board discussing a resolution (here, here, and here), I found absolutely NO coverage regarding the passage of this resolution. I wonder why?

Here is the Resolution:

RESOLUTION REGARDING IMPLEMENTATION OF

“COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS,” AND “CEDARS”

WHEREAS: The North Carolina State Board of Education voted July 2010 to adopt “Common Core State Standards,” and the North Carolina General Assembly passed laws in 2011 instructing the North Carolina State Board of Education to implement the “Common Core State Standards” and assessments; and,

WHEREAS: The “Common Core State Standards” bind our State to standards owned and copyrighted by private organizations from which we cannot subtract, replace, or add to-beyond an additional 15 percent; and,

WHEREAS: The “Common Core State Standards” have never been validated empirically to establish increased student achievement; nor have the standards been demonstrated to be the vehicle to build the skills to make our students and nation internationally competitive; and,

WHEREAS: The assessments have not been fully developed and cost are unknown; and

WHEREAS: The required costs associated with the assessments, expanding the current number of technological devices, and expanding bandwidth to each school in the system to accommodate mandatory online testing has not been determined; and

WHEREAS: It has not been determined clearly which governmental body will assume financial responsibility for full implementation; and

WHEREAS: The connections between the “Common Core State Standards,” the assessments aligned to these standards, and the collection of longitudinal student data all within the Race to the Top Grant, have generated considerable confusion for the public. Further clarification regarding data collection, dissemination and security as well as the use of federal grant dollars is needed.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: That the New Hanover County Board of Education requests that the North Carolina State Board of Education and the North Carolina General Assembly clarify the standards, assessments and financial commitment by engaging in full public discussions.

Donald S. Hayes, Chairman

New Hanover County School