The education community came together in a strong show of support for the standards

More than one hundred educators and business leaders from around the state gathered in the Senate Lounge at the Capitol on Wednesday to show their support for the Common Core State Standards(link is external) (CCSS) in schools. The Senate Education Committee held the hearing to discuss bills that would prevent implementation of CCSS. The vast majority of Missouri schools have already developed or revised curriculum, selected and adopted new instructional materials and have started using the standards.

“These are the clearest, most concise goals that I’ve seen. My kids are now able to read complex texts, think critically about the content and make arguments based on the author’s viewpoint, not their own opinion,” said Cathy Cartier, a 10th grade English language arts teacher in the Affton school district and the 2012-13 Missouri Teacher of the Year. “The standards do not tell me how to get the kids to reach the standards. I determine curriculum. ”

The witnesses testified that the Common Core standards are more rigorous than existing educational goals in Missouri. "I believe strongly in the importance of increased standards for our children over a sustained period of time," said State Board of Education President Peter Herschend. "Since the Outstanding Schools Act of 1993, each time we have revised standards, we have increased expectations of what students should know and be able to do.”

The overall message from witnesses at the hearing was to stay the course on Common Core.

Two Senate bills, SB 514 and SB 798, would bar the State Board of Education, the Department or school districts from implementing the Common Core standards and would make void any current implementation. 

Learn more about the Missouri Learning Standards at www.MissouriLearningStandards.com.