Dance Explains Common Core Standards

One week after an Ellicott City man was arrested in Towson while trying to ask questions about new Common Core education standards, Baltimore County Public Schools Superintendent Dallas Dance has released a video attempting to explain the controversial national standards.

"Simply put, all Common Core is a new standards for what we want students to know and do in grades K-12 in English Language Arts and in Mathematics,” Dance said in the video released Friday.

“What Common Core is not is a curriculum,” Dance said in the video that runs more than 4 minutes.

Dance said county school officials will write their own curriculum.

“Baltimore County cannot opt out of Common Core standards and why would we?,” Dance said.

The new education standards have drawn criticism from some who say they usurp local control of education.

Last week, Dance and the county school system played host to state education officials during a public meeting to answer questions about the new standards.

Larry Small, an Ellicott City Man, was arrested while speaking out at that meeting. The charges were later dropped by Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenburger.