Michigan Common Core Standards Under Debate

Reported by Daniel Lai and John McKay

New education benchmarks currently being implemented in Michigan schools are under debate as the state legislature takes steps this week to block funding that would fully implement the standards.

The Common Core Standards, which the State Board of Education unanimously adopted in June 2010, is a set of rigorous, college and career-ready curriculum standards for students that 46 states across the nation have also adopted to bring consistency in education. But some believe the benchmarks could lead to a federal takeover of Michigan's educational system by taking power away from the legislature and local school districts, according to an article in the Detroit Free Press.

On Tuesday, the state House of Representatives approved a measure as part of the overall budget that prohibits the Michigan Department of Education from spending funds on implementing the Common Core standards for math or English, MLive.com reports.

The legislation is backed by Rep. Tom McMillin, a Republican from Rochester Hills. He told Patch on Wednesday that he would like to “take a pause, at least” to evaluate the Common Core Standards mandate.

McMillin said he is opposed to the idea of Common Core Standards, but is more concerned about the mandate.

“I think it’s a big mistake to let the National Governor’s Association in Washington decide what’s going to be taught in our schools,” he said.

Still, he said, schools that have taken steps to implement the standards should be free to adopt them if they feel it fits the curriculum—without the mandate. 

But Martin Ackley, director of Office of Public and Governmental Affairs at the Michigan Department of Education, said in response to McMillin's comments that it is not just a "pause."

"There is nothing in the language above that indicates that this is a “pause,” as Rep. McMillin would like people to believe. This is an outright prohibition (“shall not”), with no guarantee that the prohibition will be lifted," he said in a statement released Wednesday. 

"Local school districts have been working for three years, and spent hundreds of hours in planning and implementing the high-quality Common Core State Standards for their students to be career- and college-ready. This provision in the bill will leave school boards, administrators, teachers, and parents with no clear direction on how they continue planning their locally-developed curricula to meet the state standards," he wrote.

Superintendent Brian Whiston said Dearborn Public Schools has embraced the changes adopted by the state in 2010.

"We support Common Core and we are in the process of implementing (the program). We believe it creates high standards and better prepares students for career and college. We have spent a lot of money aligning to these standards and want to continue moving forward," Whiston said in an email to Patch.

Pamela Adams, president of the Dearborn Public Schools Board of Education, said the district is already far enough along with adapting to the new standards that turning back now could have a detrimental effect on districts such as Dearborn, including jeopardizing the district's waiver for meeting Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) under No Child Left Behind.

"As a school board, we support the Common Core standards. It is a way of evaluating all students against the same criteria. Not just students locally, or here in Michigan but across the country," she said. "If we all aim for the same standards, there is measurable data to know where the district stands.

"We have been aligning our curriculum to the common core for some time now. To abandon that would be a waste of time and planning and we believe, not in the best interest of students. We all need the same base point to work from so the playing field is level," Adams said.

Rep. George Darany, D-Dearborn, said not funding the Common Core curriculum could be detrimental to Michigan schools.

"It is extremely concerning that the leadership in Lansing does not value how important a quality education is for our students and the future of our state. By reducing funding to the Michigan Department of Education for implementing the Common Core Standards, we are shortchanging our children," he said.

"These standards are a set of goals that students should achieve at each grade level, not a curriculum or a threat to local control. Without Common Core, Michigan children will run the risk of falling further behind their peers across the country and around the world. Our local school districts have been working diligently to plan and implement the high-quality, Common Core standards so our students are college-ready and able  to compete for 21st century jobs."