BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - The North Dakota Department of Public Instruction approved new standards to guide teaching in grades K-12, replacing the Common Core State Standards used in a majority of schools nationwide.
Educators are expected to meet over the summer to adjust their instruction, The Bismarck Tribune (https://bit.ly/2pcaVbw ) reported. The state will also select a new standardized test.
Last year, 71 math and English teachers began rewriting the standards. The department approved those standards last week.
The former math and English standards were based off of Common Core and had been in effect since 2011. Common Core aimed to instill a set of standards in schools throughout the United States, but faced backlash from parents and conservative groups who viewed them as a federal overreach.
Bismarck and Mandan school officials said that while not much has changed in the new standards, they add clarity for teachers, students and parents.
“The Common Core standards were a compromise of a bunch of states, and these are catered a little more specific to North Dakota,” said Mike Bitz, Mandan’s school superintendent.
The new standards aren’t a “wholesale change,” said state Rep. Ben Koppelman, but they’re a positive step in getting away from Common Core.
“I think what’s going to happen is we’re now going to see how these changes affect our state, see if they’re positive compared to our previous standards … and I believe there will be some improvements,” the Republican from West Fargo said.
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Information from: Bismarck Tribune, https://www.bismarcktribune.com
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