Common Core Curtailed in Colorado

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Thus, no matter how full-throated the endorsements of Common Core by such worthies as former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, the parents go marching on.

“Colorado Springs School District 11 struck a blow against the Common Core by voting to remove the majority of its students from the new, mandatory standardized tests,” Chris Neal wrote in School Reform News this month. “District 11, which has nearly 30,000 students, announced its plans to randomly test the minimum number of students needed to meet the federal requirement, allowing the rest to opt out.”

“The school board passed the resolution unanimously, and as a result, only a small number of students would have to take the tests if the state government will allow the district to carry out its plan.”

If it is up to parent/activists such as Anita Stapleton of Colorado Against Common Core, the state might do just that. “The Colorado Department of Education has been lying to our district about the state statute that mandates the testing, telling districts they don’t have the parental refusal right,” Stapleton stated.  “An opt-out option is better, because then the schools have to develop alternative testing models. Refusing to test is a form of civil disobedience, and parents are being punished for this.”

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