We’ve seen an incredible amount of action on the Common Core State Standards in the last few days here in Tennessee.  First, on Wednesday the Senate voted against SB 1985, which would have delayed all standards not implemented by June of last year.  With a solid vote of 7-2, Common Core supporters breathed a sigh of relief.

That all changed late last night in the House.  During the passage of an unrelated bill, lawmakers sprung an ambush on the Tennessee House of Representatives by proposing two dozen amendments to a bill, which was proposed by Rep. Timothy Hill and would required that schools teach the values of the american constitution (nothing whatsoever about the common core).

The two amendments that won support would block Science and Social Studies standards and their PAARC assessments until July 1st, 2016.  Math and language arts would continue to move ahead. From this article in the Tennessean, it sounds as if Rep. Hill almost pulled his bill but received enough encouragement from the insurgents that he kept it on the floor.  The bill passed with over 80 votes and will now go to the Senate.

So what does this mean for the Common Core state standards in Tennessee? We will have to wait and see.  The Senate still has to vote on this legislation (remember, they defeated a similar proposal 7-2 in committee the day before) and the Governor can still veto, although that isn’t the best option for supporters looking to defend the standards because he can be overridden by a simply majority in both houses.  I’m hopeful that the Senate will retain the rationality it has already displayed and vote down this legislation but the House vote shows us that anything can happen when an opposed minority uses procedural means to accomplish their ends.

I think that the actions taken in the house spell disaster for our state and for our kids.  As I’ve written many times, most recently on SCORE in an open letter to state legislators, I believe that these standards are essential to our children’s future.  They push students to higher levels of thinking and hold everyone involved accountable for making sure it happens through the new PAARC assessments.  My experience tells me that we cannot afford to return to our old ways either here in Tennessee or elsewhere because our children’s very future is at stake.

Like any area of public policy the standards aren’t perfect.  Some things exist that should be tweaked as we go.  For example, a process should exist by which the standards are updated and improved each year during their implementation.  But we can’t do this if we don’t implement them.  The legislature should be united in its call to hold Tennessee children to a higher bar and provide the resources for teachers to do so.  We’ve made incredible progress here in Tennessee in recent years and we cannot afford to slide backwards now because of ideologically-based fears that have no grounding in the actual facts of the standards.

At time of extremely derisive national education politics, Tennessee has the opportunity here to be a shining beacon that guides the way forward through the smog.  We have an opportunity to show the country what proper implementation of these standards looks like and the potential they hold for our kids. But this opportunity will slip through our fingers and be lost if we don’t speak out.  With that in mind, this vote in the House might be a good thing.  Those opposed to the Common Core have shown their hand.  Now it’s up to supporters to counter that move.  Teachers and Common Core supporters everywhere, let your State Senators know where you stand as they consider the House bill.  Email and call your Senators, write letters to the editor of your local papers and post your experiences on social media.  Take the time to ensure your voice is heard so that we do not lose this opportunity to lead the way forward in raising the bar for teaching and learning in America.

By Jon Alfuth

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