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Alaska’s Legislature Doesn’t Seem to Know They Don’t Have Common Core…
The Alaska legislature has approved legislation that would allow parents to refuse student participation in assessments and “give parents a powerful tool to push back again Common Core.”
Well – let’s start by pointing out that Alaska does not have the Common Core State Standards – nor have they ever.
Legislators are merely using the cover of “big bad Common Core” name to promote policies that are bad for children.
The move to do so is dangerous, disingenuous, and frankly absurd.
When it comes to participation in assessments goes – yes, parents should have the right to determine what is best for their students. And that means deciding whether their students benefits from taking school assessments. That said, pulling students out of state assessments (that are no longer simply fill-in-the-bubble and ask students to think critically about what they’ve learned) is a bad idea – it robs parents and teachers of valuable information about how students are performing academically, and how they can improve.
Here’s a helpful list of reasons why state assessments are valuable.
About the Collaborative for Student Success
At our core, we believe leaders at all levels have a role to play in ensuring success for K-12 students. From ensuring schools and teachers are equipped with the best materials to spotlighting the innovative and bold ways federal recovery dollars are being used to drive needed changes, the Collaborative for Student Success aims to inform and amplify policies making a difference for students and families.
To recover from the most disruptive event in the history of American public schools, states and districts are leveraging unprecedented resources to make sure classrooms are safe for learning, providing students and teachers with the high-quality instructional materials they deserve, and are rethinking how best to measure learning so supports are targeted where they’re needed most.