Forty-five U.S. states and the District of Columbia voluntarily adopted Common Core State Standards for public education, but what about the states that opted out? Here's a look:
Alaska decided to stay with its own state standards, but that might be changing. Alaska has joined about half of U.S. states in a testing consortium that is designing assessments aligned to Common Core standards.
Minnesota adopted Common Core English standards in 2010, but kept its own math standards, which the state’s policymakers considered superior.
Nebraska withdrew its initial support for Common Core standards after failing to win a $123 million grant through the federal Race to the Top program. The state did a side-by-side comparison of its own standards and Common Core standards and determined that most of the same material is covered.
Texas not only rejected Common Core standards, but the state’s Legislature also passed a bill prohibiting the State Board of Education from adopting them or using assessments based on the Core. Statements from the Texas governor’s office cite worries about federal intrusion and the cost of implementing the standards.
Virginia recently updated its state standards, and elected to keep them. A side-by-side comparison conducted by the state showed that Virginia’s English standards align with Common Core on most points. A statement from the state education office found fault with the optional reading lists accompanying the Core’s English standards.
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