BECKLEY, W.Va. — Senate President Bill Cole and Speaker of the House Tim Armstead issued a joint letter Wednesday revoking the state’s agreement to establish Common Core standards.
The Memorandum of Agreement was signed in 2009. It “commits … to a state-led precess that will draw on evidence and lead to development and adoption of a common core of state standards … in English language arts and mathematics for grades K-12.”
Common Core has been a favorite target of Republicans; the repeal bill was one of the top GOP agenda bills this year.
The West Virginia Board of Education approved the adoption of Common Core State Standards for English and math in May 2010, which would be called West Virginia Next Generation Content Standards. West Virginia schools began administering the Smarter Balanced Assessment this spring.
Cole said the letter represents legislative commitment to repeal Common Core and eliminate Smarter Balanced testing “once and for all.”
“We must find a way to improve our student achievement and fix our education system, and the way to begin that progress is to eliminate Common Core in West Virginia…
