The State Board of Education approved new academic standards Monday to replace the Common Core in Indiana schools. Vocal opposition to the proposed standards wasn’t enough to deter board members.
The crowd cheered as State Board member Andrea Neal cast the lone no vote in opposition to proposed math and English language standards.
About 20 people spoke against the proposed standards before the vote. But state superintendent Glenda Ritz says she’s confident the standards the board approved Monday are right for Indiana schools. The next step, she says, is getting information to classroom teachers.
“So we’ll begin getting information out to them early this summer, and they’ve already got the standards, they’re already looking at things," Ritz says. "Teachers will go home and start to think about lessons that will align with them.”
Board member Tony Walker says he thinks the state has spent too much time focusing on standards alone and needs to encourage parents and teachers to go above and beyond standard requirements.
“The standards are a floor for achievement, not a ceiling," Walker says. "This is the minimum requirements that we’re saying every student should be able to do when they graduate when they graduate from an Indiana school.”
The state still needs to pick a test to assess the new standards.