To the New Hampshire State Senators:
Currently HB 164 is pending in the Senate Education Committee. HB 164 was passed in the House and it authorizes the New Hampshire Legislature the sole authority to adopt Common Core Standards (National Standards). Nationalizing Education is a decision that should be made by our elected representatives and not an appointed Board of Education. Adopting national standards is a fundamental shift in control that needs careful consideration and should come from those who represent the voters in New Hampshire, not an appointed body.
Last year the Board of Education voted to adopt the Math and English/Language Arts Common Core Standards. Nationalizing education has state legislators now considering the costs and the regulations this decision will impose on their schools and budgets.
I testified in support of HB 164 however, we should not amend it to grandfather in the adoption of Math and English/Language Arts Common Core Standards. These subjects are the most critical, so if we insist on legislative authority to adopt Core standards, we should not grandfather in these core subjects.
How will centralizing education help students succeed? Who Governs the Standards? New Hampshire will have to follow rigid guidelines on where our standards should be set.
How does this empower parents? Are we going to shift power to the National level and further erode local control or are we going to maintain control in New Hampshire?
These are fundamental questions that need thoughtful consideration.
Experts like Prof. Sandra Stotsky and James Milgram have determined the math and English standards have serious flaws. This is a race to mediocrity and not to the top. If New Hampshire is going to adopt standards, they need to be done at the state level where we maintain control and offer the best standards to the students in public school.
New Hampshire signed on with the Smarter Balanced Consortium. Smarter Balance is the federally funded organization that will administer the daily/weekly assessments. The agreement mentions psychometric testing. Wikepedia’s definition of psychometric is testing attitudes, values, beliefs and personalities. What attitudes, values and beliefs will be assessed? What is considered an attitude or value that will be acceptable?
New Hampshire has already passed legislation to qualify for Race to the Top Funding. We have begun answering to a National entity rather than local communities.
I urge you to look closely at the impact of Nationalizing Education in New Hampshire and support HB 164 in the Senate Ed. Committee without any amendment.
Nationalization of healthcare has caused deep divisions in this country in addition to the enormous costs involved. If we are going to ask our schools to look at any initiatives that improve the quality of education it should be done, not from those outside New Hampshire but from those who are accountable to parents and taxpayers in this state.
While I agree the standards offered in New Hampshire were in need of improvement, we should expect our Department of Education to draft the best quality academic standards. Governor Lynch and the New Hampshire Department of Education have an obligation to provide the best quality academic education to the students in New Hampshire. Shifting power and authority to a National level is not the answer.
Thank you for your consideration:
Ann Marie Banfield
Education Liaison, Cornerstone Action
Resources:
1.) Wall Street Journal: National Curriculum Battle
2.) Testimony before the NH State and House Ed Committee
3.) Prof. Sandra Stotsky testimony before the TX State Legislature: The Mediocrity of the English/L.A. Common Core Standards
4.) Prof. James Milgram before the TX State Legislature: Critique of the Math Common Core Standards
5.) Approval of Signing a Memorandum of Understanding to Formally Join the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium: Michigan Department of Education
6.) Who Owns Common Core Standards
Who Owns the Common Core Standards?
The two non-government entities that own the CCSS are the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers. The first paragraph at this link spells that out. (the CCSSI official website)
The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers (collectively, NGA Center/CCSSO), as the owners of the Common Core State Standards (College- and Career-Readiness Standards and K-12 Standards in English Language Arts and Math), grant this license to the Licensee identified below, subject to the terms set forth herein. The Common Core State Standards are protected by copyright and/or other applicable law, and any use of the Common Core State Standards other than as authorized under this License is prohibited.
Commercial License
As a parent, where will you go if you feel a change should be made to the ELA or math content to be taught to the students in your neighborhood and community schools? To the school? the local school board? to the state education dept or the state school board? to the federal government? Sorry, it is out their hands. They no longer have control over the content for ELA and math that is to be taught to the students in the states that have adopted the CCSS.