What Year Did Mn Adopt Common Core Standards Language Arts
Minnesota Commissioner of Teaching Brenda Cassellius visits the Minnesota Public Radio studios in St. Paul, Minn., on May 26, 2011.
MPR Photo/Nikki Tundel
On The Daily Circuit Tuesday, nosotros discussed how the new Common Core standards for K-12 schools are irresolute U.Southward. education. In Minnesota, Gov. Tim Pawlenty adopted the English language language arts standards, merely not the math standards while he was in office. Gov. Marking Dayton has stuck with that determination.
Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius spoke with The Daily Excursion most the thinking behind that decision.
Brenda Cassellius: They felt that ours were more rigorous and matched where kids were mastering those (skills) in their content areas.
Tom Weber: So, in other words, the idea was the proposal for what they want to do in Mutual Core in math, Minnesota is already doing and more - so why join information technology?
BC: Right, it was dissimilar and nosotros had already gone through revising our standards to be college and career ready; they had worked on that extensively, in terms of having that focus exist on mastery. And so they wanted to stick with what they were doing and they felt good about what they were doing and they felt proficient virtually the direction they were going, in terms of rigor in the standards. And Minnesota is second in the nation in math scores, then nosotros do pretty well with our math and our teachers accept adhered to those standards and have been working pretty diligently on them, in terms of their own curriculum and placement of where they take those offered in the middle and loftier schools, so kids tin can principal and move on."
TW: And that was a determination made during the Pawlenty assistants when Alice Seagren was commissioner. When you came in every bit commissioner, did you concord with that decision?
BC: I tin tell you I was a pretty big proponent of Common Core, nationally. So when I came in, I questioned the decision and I talked with my staff here. I did inherit the determination, then I wanted to insure myself, as a new commissioner, that we didn't adopt them just to not prefer them - merely that we had really skillful, audio reasons not to adopt them. And Beth Aune, the director of standards here at the department, assured me nosotros had more than rigor inside our standards; that they were placed in the correct grade levels; and that they were audio, in terms of how they were structured dorsum and congenital back to kindergarten - so kids could progress throughout the years.
So, I had my own comfort level with them, after speaking with director Aune.
TW: Did you lot consider the avenue of joining Mutual Core, simply to say yous're a part of a larger thought, only that we'd keep doing our affair here in Minnesota?
BC: Well, I idea about that, too, but as we got started on the (No Child Left Behind) waiver and certifying our standards for the waiver, I spoke with folks about our standards and made sure nosotros had high standards. And then, I just experience we're in a good spot here and our teachers are really instruction them. Then, we got our NAEP scores dorsum and I could encounter we were making progress there, so I didn't desire to upset the apple cart.
We too had a new accountability arrangement we would be working with; we have our tests all aligned to that new arrangement, so we had a number of things in the hopper already working, and to switch gears at present on teachers, I call back, would accept been very difficult.
TW: But let me clarify, yous still are a big proponent of Common Core on a national level."
BC: Right, I however think it'due south a good try.
TW: Ane of the states that has adopted Common Cadre is Massachusetts, and a lot of times in education circles, Minnesota and Massachusetts are compared to each other as being loftier-achieving states. So, I wonder if it's skillful enough for Massachusetts, why isn't it skillful enough for Minnesota?
BC: I wondered that, besides. The majority of states take adopted both, I believe Minnesota is the only state to have only adopted 1 (English language linguistic communication arts), and really, I think it's virtually pacing and where we were at in timing and not wanting to change the game on teachers.
We have a number of initiatives going on where nosotros're holding schools to a higher standard, and we desire be brand sure we tin motion those things in a timely way that's strategic and purposeful.
TW: And in sum, yous're proverb 'we're not function of Common Core, merely that's because we think we're doing improve things here and accept more rigor.'
BC: Allow me exist clear, it's non that we don't desire to Mutual Core, merely to non go. We're doing it because we believe nosotros have a sound system right now that's working that's placing the states atop other states in the nation, and nosotros believe teachers know these standards and they're starting to embed them. And we meet our scores are going up in math, and then nosotros want to be sure we stay the course, and that we continue to take what'due south expert and arrive amend, and continue to move frontward and back up teachers.
TW: If all of that that'due south happening really well right at present changed, could Minnesota change and bring together Common Core?
BC: Certain, it might accept some land legislation, and I'yard not sure how legislators feel about changing to Common Core, but it could be done.
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Source: https://www.mprnews.org/story/2012/06/12/daily-circuit-minnesota-adopting-common-core
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