Revisions to the Common Core education standards will be introduced in Louisiana’s public school classrooms this fall, in a quiet end to a once-heated dispute in the state.
The Associated Press reports Louisiana lawmakers signed off Tuesday on the changes, and Gov. John Bel Edwards announced he supports the rewrite as well, the final backing needed for the reworked standards to take effect in the 2016-17 school year.
“We can now all pull together and focus our energy and resources exclusively on increasing student achievement,” Edwards says.
A 26-member review panel, created by lawmakers in response to controversy surrounding Common Core, recommended changing 21% of the English and math standards used in public schools.
The changes, for example, add requirements that children learn financial literacy at an earlier age. Examples of specific curriculum requirements, like specifying that students read a play by Shakespeare, are proposed for removal.
The state education board already had agreed to the reworked standards. The House and Senate education committees granted their approval on Tuesday. Senators voted 5-2 for the revisions, while House members agreed without objection.
The Common Core standards have been adopted by more than 40 states to better prepare students for college and careers. Opponents say the standards are developmentally inappropriate and part of federal efforts to nationalize education.
Supporters of the rewrite say it makes the standards more Louisiana-specific.
