“Student test scores should in no way count toward teacher evaluations because many teachers are still struggling to implement the standards and adopt new educational techniques that Common Core requires”.
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During the Board of Education meeting Wednesday, Perillo provided an update on education policy developments at the state and federal levels, which will likely lead to the development of new education standards for students in future years.
The new standards will be effective July 1, 2016.
State Schools Superintendent Michael Martirano said alterations made since last month were largely “fine-tuning”.
“Our teachers continue to be confused about the intent behind some of the standards”. The panel also couldn’t agree on a proposal to adopt school guidelines for teaching math in kindergarten through eighth grade now used in Minnesota and praised for their clarity.
The new system will be based on teacher recommendations from all across the state.
The board also approved making permanent, beginning this spring, the recent reduction in end-of-year standardized testing in two subjects that don’t have Common Core-based standards: science and social studies. Also eliminated were requirements to administer the ACT Explore, Plan and Compass assessments.
He said state Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia is looking into vendors to develop grade appropriate questions for tests, which has been a concern locally.
North Carolina has spent more than $65 million to train teachers on the Common Core standards, which are supposed to focus on key concepts and help students understand how to apply them in real-life situations. “These proposed new standards not only increase rigor and ensure developmental appropriateness, but also provide a foundation to ensure our students are equipped with the skills needed for college, careers and the 21st century world of work”. Green said. “The State Board is always open for public input and I encourage continued engagement on all education issues in our state”.
“This process has been going on for close to a year”, he said Thursday. “I thought that they really did pare down the amount of material that we had to cover for the year”.
The commission’s recommendations will go to the State Board of Education, which has final authority to come up with specific Common Core changes. Lawmakers in Indiana, Oklahoma and SC repealed the standards in 2014.
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As a result of the commission’s action Friday, state education leaders have recommendations they can use to overhaul benchmarks for student progress in English and math. Many educators have said special education and ESL students, who enter school significantly behind their peers through no fault of their own, are expected under Common Core to perform on level in mainstream settings, and that, they say, is fundamentally unfair.
