Have you been hearing about the “Common Core State Standards”? Here is a video which explains the frightening concept and which explains that this is just one component of a larger agenda. The speaker, Jane Robbins of the American Principles Project, begins the explanation with the Race to the Top program, but the roots of transformation of education began decades ago. A significant year was 1965 when federal moneys were first given to states bringing federal mandates to local districts, and another critical year was 1994 when Goals 2000 and the School-to-Work Opportunities Act were passed. President Obama’s Race to the Top program is the most recent step in the destruction of American education. Local control has been systematically destroyed. Please watch all five parts of this video.

Teachers are the latest scapegoat in the attempt to improve education. Bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. and legislators in Olympia are devising ways of assessing students and collecting student data for evaluating teachers and principals. Bureaucrats should allow districts the freedom of local control and allow those closest to the students to find appropriate solutions.

Veteran teacher Bob Dean describes what unintended consequences are likely to occur in his commentary in The Columbian.

The disturbing education issue that is not being mentioned in the media or by policy makers is the massive amount of personal information that will be collected on every child, all in the name of “education.” Ultimately, the government will have archived massive amounts of personal information about every person from birth.

The federal law “No Child Left Behind” (NCLB) required that ALL children must be proficient in math and language arts by 2014. It was a noble goal, but it was unrealistically naive. Now states want relief…..

Sadly, if a lie is repeated often enough, it eventually becomes believed as the truth. Educators, legislators, the media, educators, and others have all been referring to the MSP and HSPE—and the former State assessment, the WASL—as “standardized” tests. Not True.

Are the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) the solution to all our education ills? No, but they are the pet project of bureaucrats, data-analysts, employees at the Federal Department of Education, and the like.

Whether or not to use the state assessment as a graduation requirement is a state decision. It is not required by the federal No Child Left Behind law.

The new Measurements of Student Progress (MSP) are called “formative” assessments and the High School Proficiency Exam (HSPE) is being called a “summative” assessment. What does that mean?

Over the next few years, the state will phase-in computerized state assessments.

The Highs School Proficiency Exam (HSPE) is the new name for the high school level WASL. See information taken from the OSPI website HSPE information.