CLINTON — The Mississippi Department of Education says public comments on the state’s Common Core-derived academic standards were overwhelmingly positive.
Kim Benton, the department’s chief academic officer, said Thursday at a meeting of the state Board of Education that review panels will use the comments to consider changes to math and language arts standards. She says such changes could be proposed as rules by the board and go out for final public comment in December.
Benton predicted that there would be some changes proposed. Any changes would take effect in the 2016-2017 school year.
The department sought online comment for 90 days, with 1,300 people visiting the website. Of the 8,500 feedback items given, 90 percent agreed with the particular standard on which they commented. About half of the respondents identified themselves as teachers.
State Superintendent Carey Wright has strongly supported what are officially known as the Mississippi College and Career-Ready Standards. Like other Common Core-derived academic standards, they are intended to provide national benchmarks while helping students learn more analytically and less by memorization.
Opponents of Common Core say the standards are flawed and Mississippi adopted them only because of inappropriate federal pressure. Sen. Angela Hill, R-Picayune, and Sen. Michael Watson, R-Pascagoula, have been holding a series of meetings across the state to rally opposition.
Opponents have also criticized the comment process, saying it didn’t provide a broad enough window to criticize the standards.
As in other states, the standards have been a political football in Mississippi, with Gov. Phil Bryant and a number of Republican legislators expressing opposition. Bryant vetoed a bill that would have created a 15-member commission with the power to recommend standard changes to the Board of Education, saying it didn’t do enough to end Common Core. Bryant’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.
House Education Committee Chairman John Moore, R-Brandon, said he was satisfied with the process that the department is following and is not interested in the Legislature trying to further rewrite the standards.
Benton said some comments focused on kindergarten reading standards and 9th grade algebra standards. The sequence of math courses in junior high school and ninth grade have been a particular sore point under Common Core because they were radically realigned, making it harder for advanced students to reach calculus before high school graduation.
“If we are going to move our state forward educationally and economically, we have to build it on rigorous standards for our boys and girls,” Benton said.
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