Bill that would undo Common Core academic standards all but dead (WI)

Wisconsin State Journal ^ | 3-6-14

[afraidfortherepublic]

A bill that would give the Legislature power to write and approve Wisconsin's academic standards is unlikely to pass in its current form, the leader of the state Senate said Thursday as hundreds of teachers, school administrators and business leaders -- including Madison superintendent Jennifer Cheatham -- converged on the Capitol to oppose it.

And the chairman of the Senate Education Committee, which held a hearing on the measure, told The Associated Press that at least five Republican senators told him they opposed the measure that would likely lead to the undoing of the Common Core standards adopted in 2010. That would leave the bill at least four votes shy of the 17 needed to pass.

"The bill isn't dead, but it looks unlikely to pass in its current form," Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said in an email. Fitzgerald, who is in charge of setting the Senate's agenda for the last two or three days it plans to meet this year, said the proposal is "still a work in progress."

At a charged hearing Thursday, Cheatham was among four superintendents who urged lawmakers to oppose the bill.

"The ultimate tragedy of this bill is that it distracts from our crucial day-to-day focus on teaching and learning, which is the key to any urban school district's success," Cheatham said. "If passed, both our teachers and students would be taking a huge step backwards."

With the bill's future in jeopardy, its chief sponsor, Sen. Leah Vukmir, R-Brookfield, issued a statement saying she wasn't giving up and that she believed momentum for the idea was growing. Vukmir said no senator had told her they opposed it and she would be "shocked" if five senators were against it.

[afraidfortherepublic]

Leah Vukmir bill to roll back Common core in trouble

FReep Mail me if you want on, or off, this wisconsin interest ping list.

[napscoordinator]

I know that Common Core stinks, but how are kids going to pass the new SAT that will have Common Core Math? That is going to be a challenge.