Gov. Hutchinson sends Common Core letter to state education officials
by August 12, 2015 7:27 pm 150 views
Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Wednesday sent a letter to the State Board of Education commenting on the recommendations from the Governor’s Council on Common Core Review, officials said.
According to the letter, the Governor’s Council on Common Core Review voted July 20 to approve a set of findings and recommendations to send to the state board.
The council held several meetings around the state to hear from people on the Common Core issue.
In the letter, Hutchinson outlined several proposals for the issue.
“I have reviewed the recommendations with Commissioner (Johnny) Key, and I understand that the Department of Education will initiate revision of the English Language Arts and Math standards according to Arkansas Code Annotated 6-15-101 and ACTAAP Rules 4.0.,” Hutchinson wrote. “The process allows the ADE to seek feedback from the public on the current and revised standards, and it allows the Content Revision Committees ample time to review and revise the standards as necessary.”
Hutchinson said he was asking ADE to examine any copyright issues with the Common Core State Standards.
“To avoid any issues, I would recommend the ADE proceed with a new name for the standards, if need be,” Hutchinson said.
The governor is also calling for the Arkansas Department of Education and the state board to “facilitate and support increased communication between the ADE, school districts and parents on standards.”
“In addition, I would like the ADE and the State Board to take into consideration the other areas addressed by the council, including the implementation of the standards,” Hutchinson said. “The ADE and the State Board may decide that certain recommendations are suitable for other bodies to review, and if this is the case, we can discuss what action should be taken.”
“For example, the Council recommended the state to examine funding, which is a matter that the legislature addresses each biennium through the adequacy study. In regard to recommendations about special education testing, I recognize that the ADE will need to take into account federal regulations about special education students. Lastly, I want to direct the ADE and the State Board to continue to utilize safeguards and protect student data.”