The New York State Assembly has approved a bill to delay some of the effects of the state’s Common Core learning standards. The measure, sponsored by Democrat Catherine Nolan, passed Wednesday by a vote of 110-to-10.
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver says the bill delays the effects of the new learning standards for two more years, for both students, and teachers. Teachers fear that they will be evaluated on their pupils’ test scores when there wasn’t enough time to prepare and teach the new material.
“You can’t count it against students that here they are, taking an exam, that they weren’t prepared for, that the teachers weren’t prepared to teach,” Silver said.
“It is a logical bill.”
There is support for a moratorium on the effects of Common Core in the State Senate, and Silver predicts the two houses will ultimately agree on a new law.
Governor Cuomo has set up a panel to look at the matter.
Republican lawmakers, who are in the minority in the Assembly, proposed an amendment to get rid of the Common Core standards altogether. Democrats argued that it’s too late for that, and the state would lose over $1 billion in federal aid already spent by schools on implementing Common Core. The amendment was defeated.