I wrote a piece last week about how Governor Haslam’s new stance on Common Core might actually be a tactic to save the core here in Tennessee. Given the Governor’s previous support for the core and the way in which the statement was worded, I felt that this was a reasonable possibility.

Then came Speaker Beth Harwell with this statement today to Chalkbeat:

I really think Tennessee is going to get to the point where they’ll just develop their own standards and try to make them some of the best standards in the nation. We’ve proven we can do that, and we just need to keep going.

The Governor’s statement put Common Core on life support, but with a chance of recovery. With speaker Harwell’s statement, I think Common Core might have just flatlined in Tennessee. Loosing the support of the two highest profile Republicans in the state, both former Core supporters, might be too much for advocates for the core to overcome.

If this does happen, it would represent a significant departure from our existing policy. Andy Spears over at TNEdReport highlights some of the vital questions that such a move would raise that could still make it more attractive to stick with the core, albeit under a new name like “Tennessee State Standards”:

Will Tennessee policymakers use the Common Core as a guideline for new standards? And how will development of Tennessee’s own standards impact the already-issued RFP for tests aligned to the Common Core in math and reading? Will there be yet another delay in the use of assessments aligned to Tennessee standards? Will teachers be sent yet another set of standards to teach students? And how will these new standards be developed?

All in all, I’m not ready to completely give up on the Common Core State Standards yet. I believe that, at least at the high school level, these standards represent good policy and that advocates should continue to fight for them. Anything is possible and nothing is a done deal, as the legislature has shown time and time again. I think that there’s still more that supporters can do to resuscitate support for the standards, but there’s no denying that it just went from a challenge to an effort requiring herculean proportions.

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