An editorial from The Herald-Dispatch
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Senate is on a path toward adopting a more reasonable approach to dealing with concerns about the state’s Common Core educational standards than the one undertaken by the House of Delegates.
If the Senate’s path becomes law, the result should be less disruption for the state’s students and educators and a more thorough and reasoned review of the Common Core standards.
On Monday, the Senate Education Committee approved a rewrite of House Bill 2934, which as passed by House members would have required a repeal of the Common Core standards by July 1, 2016, and the development of new standards.
The bill passed by the Senate committee eliminated the mandatory repeal of the Common Core math and English/language arts requirements. The measure instead would require state Schools Superintendent Michael Martirano to conduct a comprehensive review of the standards, with an eye toward making sure the standards adequately prepare West Virginia students and that teachers receive enough training and professional development.
The review is to be completed by Jan. 1, 2017, and Martirano then would be required to recommend to the state school board any changes to the standards “necessary to assure that the standards are college and career ready.”
Essentially, the amended Senate version of the bill adopts an approach of “looking before leaping…
