Today, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education met to discuss education standards for Massachusetts students. The Board voted unanimously in support of the new Common Core standards advocated by the Patrick-Murray administration. Governor Patrick has made it clear that Massachusetts will not agree to the national education standards unless they are as high as, or higher than our current standards.
- Governor Patrick remains firmly committed to the MCAS as a graduation requirement for high school seniors, and as an accountability measure to ensure the success of our students.
- Lt. Governor Tim Murray testified at the meeting to enforce the commitment of the Patrick administration to harboring some of the best and brightest students in the nation.
- Meanwhile, Charlie Baker and Tim Cahill have continually politicized the topic of education in order to hide their own proposals which will greatly deteriorate the quality of education in Massachusetts.
- Baker has proposed $2.5 billion in tax cuts that will devastate school funding, much like what he already did to cut school funding when he was in charge of the state budget.
- Cahill is already proposing cuts to local aid, which will hurt businesses and communities as well as prove devastating to the education system.
- A bipartisan chorus of officials and organizations across the state have spoken out in support of the new standards, including:
Associated Industries of Massachusetts
"Education matters to Massachusetts employers because it is one of the few areas where a high-cost, highly regulated commonwealth competes effectively with other states and countries. Employers also care about education because they recognize the importance of having a work force with the math skills for metal machining, the science skills for biotechnology or the literacy skills to fill out job applications.
Opponents of the move to Common Core view it as an abandonment of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Achievement System (MCAS) that has pushed Bay State students to the head of the class when measured against their peers. AIM does not share that concern. Common Core will maintain the emphasis on testing and accountability while improving the performance of Massachusetts students in key areas such as science, probability and strategic reasoning."
Massachusetts Business Roundtable
"The Massachusetts Business Roundtable (MBR) is committed to high standards for academic achievement and accountability for schools, teachers, and students. Throughout its history, the members of MBR have expressed strong support for standards and assessment, as well as investments in educator quality, as necessary strategies to ensure the national and global competitiveness of our students and workforce. In an increasingly competitive national and global marketplace, MBR continues to support those opportunities that will make Massachusetts students competitive both nationally and globally, today and into the future. The Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education (MBAE) commissioned an independent study that concludes that the common core state standards are as rigorous, or in some cases more so, than the current Massachusetts standards. To the extent that adoption of the common core state standards helps our schools, teachers, and students achieve MBR's goal of ensuring that Massachusetts students are globally competitive - and does not represent a retreat from our current system of standards and assessment - MBR supports their adoption."
Progressive Business Leaders Network
"PBLN supports the position of Massachusetts Secretary of Education Paul Reville and the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education that the Common Core Standards provide far more than adequate rigor, flexibility, independence and quality to ensure Massachusetts remains a national leader in education of our children. Together with the landmark education reforms of January 2010, the adoption of the Common Core Standards will dramatically increase the prospect of innovation and excellence reaching all teachers and students in the Commonwealth in the days ahead."
Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education
"A business group that advocates for Massachusetts education standards also offered support for the standards shift. After soliciting a report from a national education research group, the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education moved to support the national "Common Core" standards, saying they would add to Massachusetts's already well-regarded education standards and help prepare Massachusetts students for a competitive job market...The group argued that there is significant overlap between the state's existing standards and the Common Core standards, and that they provide enough flexibility for Massachusetts to strengthen areas in which the national model is weaker than the state's." (State House News, July 20, 2010)
Former Education Commissioners under Republican Governors Robert Antonucci and David Driscoll
"We strongly support the adoption of the Common Core standards. We were there throughout the conception, development and implementation of the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks, and recognize the role they have played in improving academic achievement statewide over the past 17 years. That said, the final Common Core standards increase expectations and represent an advancement over our already strong Massachusetts standards."
Former Boston Superintendent of Schools Thomas Payzant
"The Common Core standards set the right expectations for students and build on the rigorous Massachusetts curriculum frameworks. As a former superintendent, I can attest to the fact that it is vital to have a set of clear and concise expectations to equip teachers with the solid content base they need to educate students to proficiency and higher." (State House News, July 20, 2010)
Boston Globe Editorial - "With Help from Mass. Feds Devise Sound School Standards" June 20, 2010
"Federal academic standards have the potential to improve schools not just in low achieving states, but also in Massachusetts. While some education reformers here are reluctant to stray from successful made-in-Massachusetts standards, the state Board of Education has good reason tomorrow to approve the so-called Common Core standards." (Click here to view the editorial.)
Lowell Sun Editorial - "Improving Education" June 20, 2010
"[W]e are heartened that the Bay State exerted considerable influence on the process.If approved by the state Board of Education tomorrow, Massachusetts would be the 24th state to accept the "common core" standards. We support the acceptance of the federal standards, but plan to maintain a close watch to ensure that education in Massachusetts remains a national model." (Click here to view the editorial.)
Metrowest Daily News Editorial - "A National Standard for Education" June 20, 2010
"National standards for America's schools make sense, just as it made sense in 1993 to get all Massachusetts schools working from a common set of standards. And while we're proud of our schools and our students, it could hurt the state if, once national standards are adopted, we find our state on the sidelines trying to explain why we can't compare our schools' performance to those of other states...Political footballs aside, these national standards are not a threat to educational quality in Massachusetts. We'll have high standards either way." (Click here to view the editorial.)
Springfield Republican Editorial - "Massachusetts School Standards Must Set High Bar" July 21, 2010
"We trust the governor and his educational advisers - many of whom were involved in the passage of the landmark Educational Reform bill in 1993 - don't want to roll back the clock on the progress the Commonwealth has made in preparing students to compete in a world that is changing by the millisecond." (Click here to view the editorial.)
