Michigan Common Core Standards Under Debate

Reported by Jessica Schrader and Aysha Jamali

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

The Novi Community School district already uses the Common Core Standards in its curriculum.

"We've been using them for years," said Sheila Holly, executive secretary at Novi schools. "We already sent four science teachers for training in that."

Science, she said, is the latest addition to the standards.

The Common Core Standards, which the State Board of Education unanimously adopted in June 2010, are 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.

“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. 

"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 ..." said Martin Ackley, director of Office of Public and Governmental Affairs at the Michigan Department of Education, in a statement Wednesday. 

A part of the initiative is to replace existing state testing with common assessment systems to measure student performance annually.

Holly said Novi schools have embraced the Common Core Standards because it standardizes material for students across the country, who are often competing for the same colleges.

"If everyone has been taught the same, then everyone's on the same page," she said.

A final decision on the use of Common Core Standards in Michigan schools likely won't come for several months, state representatives say. 

Until then, Novi schools will continue to implement the standards. Learn more about the district's curriculum here.