On Monday, March 10, 2014, I presented to the Sioux Falls School Board during the 5 minute open comment period, regarding the SBAC Field Test. I simply read the email I had sent to all board members earlier in the day. And I promise, each letter was personally addressed. March 10, 2014 Dear School Board…
By South Dakota law, schools are required to administer an annual test to measure academic progress in grades 3-8 and 11. South Dakota schools have been doing this since the inception of No Child Left Behind. Because of that federal mandate, South Dakota developed the Dakota STEP test aligned to our academic standards to show…
Wow! In this well written, articulate blog, a student from South Dakota has spoken out about what adopting the Common Core has meant for students. Both father and child have given permission to post here. The first rule of education should be “Do No Harm.” A STUDENT’S PERSPECTIVE ON THE COMMON CORE CURRICULUM FEBRUARY…
SB 64, the bill that will prevent the Board of Education from adopting any further uniform national standards for two years, has passed the House of Representatives. You can read the full text of this bill here. This bill also requires four public hearings before any content standards can be adopted. This bill does not…
I spoke with Representative Bolin a few minutes ago. He too is disappointed in how the HB 1187 vote went, but the pendulum is swinging in our favor from where he started in this battle. And he is encouraged by that. And he wants to encourage you not to give up. The number of emails…
In Part One of this series, Pioneer Institute Executive Director Jim Stergios talks about the basis for education reform in Massachusetts, and how that state-driven success model differs from Common Core national education standards. He corrects some of the myths about Common Core, drawing on Pioneer Institute’s extensive research to show that the national standards…
SB 129, a bill to overturn the Common Core in South Dakota, will be heard in the Senate Ed Committee on February 13, 2014. We don’t so much need you to come to Pierre, as we need you to email and call the senators on the Senate Ed Committee. Please urge them to vote “YES”…
On a personal note, there are some things I just don’t understand. I don’t understand the reluctance to hear a dissenting view about the Common Core Standards. Isn’t it the job of government, the people’s representatives, to hear all sides of an issue? I don’t understand that instead of listening to the concerns of parents…
SB 129 will be heard in Senate Ed Committee at 7:45 am on Thursday, February 13, 2014. SB 129 is a bill to supplant the Common Core. It’s time to contact legislators. If you are able to make the trip to Pierre on Thursday, 2/13/14, that would be fantastic. Even if you do not want…
South Dakotans Against Common Core 