Bill to end Common Core advances to House

Lawmakers moved closer to erasing the national Common Core education standards in Indiana on Tuesday with legislation that cleared the state Senate.

Senate Bill 91, authored by Sen. Scott Schneider, R-Indianapolis, requires the State Board of Education to adopt Indiana-based college and career readiness educational standards by July 1. It also prevents the state from following the Common Core standards adopted in 2010.

House Speaker Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, said members of his caucus welcomed the bill’s passage so they could vote on a bill that would send a message about the state’s academic standards.

Bosma said House Republicans will be working to ensure “goals are reached of having an independent Indiana standard, one of the highest in the nation, as we have enjoyed in the past. And really to be certain we aren’t just rubber stamping a standard that’s lower — as acknowledged by most — than our current standards are today.”

Nonetheless, the legislation has received little protest from Common Core supporters and the State Board of Education because it would mandate a process the board has undertaken.

Legislation passed last year forced a “pause” on Common Core standards beyond second grade and required the board to evaluate and set new Indiana Grades K-12 education standards. The board is expected to present a final draft of academic standards in late March. The State Board of Education will decide Thursday when to conduct public hearings on mathematics and English standards later this month.

SB91 cleared the Senate on Tuesday 36-12, with only Democrats voting against it. Sen Earline Rogers, D-Gary, said lawmakers don’t understand that Common Core — academic guidelines for classroom instruction created by an association of state governors — doesn’t dictate teaching methods. That confusion, she said, has caused some parents and lawmakers to oppose the standards.

Before last year, Common Core standards enjoyed strong support at the state level from then-Gov. Mitch Daniels and then-State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett. Since then, Gov. Mike Pence and Glenda Ritz, state superintendent of public instruction, have signaled their intent to create standards unique to Indiana.

Star reporter Tony Cook contributed to this story. Call Star reporter Eric Weddle at (317) 444-6222. Follow him on Twitter: @ericweddle.