News
Rex supports national standards, Sanford blocks S.C.'s participation
Tuesday July 7, 2009
By JASON WERMERS
For the first time since a wave of high-stakes tests swept the country during the past two decades, there is a serious effort to get one national set of academic standards instead of a different set for every state.
But South Carolina is one of four states that have not signed on to the effort, known as the Common Core State Standards Initiative. The others are Alaska, Texas and Missouri.
"Although South Carolina is prevented from being an 'official' participant due to Gov. Mark Sanford's refusal to sign on, I have been assured by the effort's leaders — including the National Governors Association — that we can participate unofficially," state Superintendent of Education Dr. Jim Rex wrote on the state Department of Education's Web site.
Sanford's communications office did not respond to calls from The Item on Tuesday and Wednesday asking why he won't sign onto the initiative, but a spokesman has been quoted in published reports as saying that the governor has no reason to sign because he doesn't have a role in setting curriculum.
The program, developed by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, requires the governor and the education leader of each state to sign on to be counted as an official participant in what the groups describe as a "state-led process to develop a common core of state standards."
Rex signed, and he enthusiastically endorses having a national set of standards.
"The U.S. economy has changed dramatically," Rex said. "American companies compete today, not only with businesses on the other side of town but also with businesses on the other side of the globe. American schools compete with schools in Taipei, Bangalore and Beijing, and they must prepare students to meet challenges that can't even be imagined today."
Anytime standards are set, a test is usually developed to measure how well students are mastering the concepts they are supposed to be learning at each grade level. For example, South Carolina's standards form the basis for the now phased-out Palmetto Achievement Challenge Tests and the new Palmetto Assessment of State Standards, which was administered to students statewide for the first time in the 2008-09 school year.
That means that if national standards are developed, expect a national test to follow soon thereafter.
Locally, Dr. Yvonne Barnes, assistant superintendent for curriculum in Sumter School District 17, said she agrees with the concept of having national standards in English and math as well as any accompanying national test.
"You cannot really have a measure that equalizes the performance of students nationally unless you have standards that are the same in every state," Barnes said. "It also leads to the development of curriculum that focuses on those key strands and standards that need to be taught to students wherever they may be."
South Carolina has been recognized nationally for having rigorous, challenging standards and test benchmarks. Chester E. Finn Jr., president of the Washington think tank, the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, singled out South Carolina as being one of only a few states doing a good job of setting the bar high for students.
So the prospect of a national standard could raise fears among some that South Carolina and other states with high standards could end up "dumbing down" their expectations.
"That ludicrous idea ignores the stark reality of our world," Rex said.
"To me, the goals of a consensus approach to stronger curriculum standards in English and math seem logical and worthwhile," he added. "After all, how could our ability to compete be damaged if our best minds reach an agreement on how students can communicate better with words and numbers? And how could our nation not become stronger if students in our increasingly mobile society find academic continuity when their families move from one state to another?"
Barnes agrees with Rex, saying it's important for South Carolina to be part of the process for setting national standards and developing a national test. Barnes has expressed concerns about the cut scores for South Carolina's existing tests. The state plans to set cut scores based on student performance on the first PASS, which was given this spring. Barnes said she hopes the new Palmetto Assessment of State Standards exams, which were administered for the first time this past school year, will have benchmarks that are rigorous yet realistic.
"We hope the results will be better for our children," Barnes said. "That's who we're impacting more than anybody else. We want to keep them motivated and stimulated. When you're constantly looking at failure, it's not because they're not doing well but because of the way the rating system works."
ON THE NET
To find out more about the Common Core State Standards Initiative, go to www.ccsso.org/federal_programs/13286.cfm
To see state Superintendent of Education Dr. Jim Rex's statement on the national standards program, go to http://ed.sc.gov/agency/superintendent/messages/JimRexMessageonCommonCoreStandards.html
For an overview of the Palmetto Assessment of State Standards, go to http://ed.sc.gov/agency/Accountability/Assessment/NewAssessmentProgramGr3-8.html
To see South Carolina's academic standards, go to http://ed.sc.gov/agency/Standards-and-Learning/Academic-Standards
To see national praise for the rigor of South Carolina's standards and testing benchmarks, go to http://ed.sc.gov/news/more.cfm?articleID=1135
Contact Staff Writer Jason Wermers at jwermers@theitem.com or (803) 774-1295 or by email at jwermers@theitem.com.
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