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BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana's use of the Common Core education standards has provoked passionate arguments and lengthy hearings in recent years. But revisions to those English and math standards sparked nothing similar Friday.
Instead, The Advocate reports (http://bit.ly/1TIhlfF ) a public hearing on the proposed standards rewrite was over in less than 30 minutes.
Only a half-dozen speakers showed up for a gathering ordered last year by state lawmakers seeking to end controversy over the once white-hot issue.
A 26-member panel of mostly educators recommended changing about 20 percent of the standards. The state education board approved the changes in March after a public meeting marked by heated arguments.
On Friday, speakers took turns quietly spelling out their views in a mostly empty auditorium. Their comments will be forwarded to the House and Senate education committees, which plan their own hearings by June 27.
If the House and Senate education committees and Gov. John Bel Edwards approve the changes, the rewritten standards will be used. If either lawmakers or Edwards turns them down, educators will have to launch a new review.
Keith Courville, executive director for the Associated Professional Educators of Louisiana, praised the revisions and said it was time to settle the issue.
"We have standards made by Louisiana teachers," Courville said. "We just need to get on with this, move on with this."
Scott Richard, executive director of the Louisiana School Boards Association, said local school districts will face costs to roll out revised standards at a time of scarce state resources. He said it's vital that local districts get assistance from the state Department of Education.
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Information from: The Advocate, http://theadvocate.com
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