CAPE CORAL, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday issued an executive order eliminating Common Core education standards from Florida schools.
DeSantis said he wants to remove all “vestiges” of Common Core that remain in the existing standards, which are important because school children take high-stakes tests that are linked to them.
The executive order directs Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran to hold public hearings and develop new standards by January 2020.
DeSantis said he wants to streamline standardized testing, as well as increase the rate of literacy in schools.
"One of the things we would constantly hear about on the campaign trail is frustration from parents with Common Core and the testing," DeSantis said at Ida S. Baker High School in Cape Coral.
The Common Core standards cover mathematics and arts and literacy. The standards cover what students should know at the end of each grade level.
Parents have long argued against Common Core, complaining guidelines were too rigid with too much testing for students.
"When you complained about Common Core, I heard you. I told you I would do something about, and today we're acting to bring those promises into reality," DeSantis said.
“Governor @GovRonDeSantis has wasted no time as it pertains to this important issue. We fully support the decision to review the standards and sincerely appreciate and applaud his urgency.” @TinaDescovich, FCSBM President #FLpol pic.twitter.com/wP5hpzL0c3
— FCSBM (@fcsbm) January 31, 2019
The Florida Coalition of School Board Members praised DeSantis' announcement.
"Since its inception, the FCSBM has raised concerns about the Florida State Standards and called for the Department of Education to review its effectiveness and age-appropriate alignment," the group said in a statement.
Florida was one of the states that relied on Common Core, which was part of an initiative launched by top education officials and governors across the nation. But opponents decried them as a nationalization of education policy and standards.
In 2014, state legislators tweaked the standards and renamed them, but many of the underlying standards remained the same.
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