The Truth About SB-190

I almost never post about political happenings, but I just couldn't sit back this time. There are too many people out there bombarding the public with false information under the guise of "helping students." How is it okay for a group who claims to support Christian values and morals to propagate half truths and out-right lies?!

The group I'm referring to has made outrageous claims that are easily proven false. Here are just a few examples:

Myth: Common Core is secret and many parents are unaware of the standards.
TRUTH: They're right here on the state department's website, accessible to anyone.

Myth: Common Core is anti-Christian and anti-American.
TRUTH: Standards are objectives to be met, not curriculum. Standards refer to the goals and outcomes of the learning, while curriculum is the medium used to teach the objectives. As an example, an objective might be "Use text clues and background knowledge to draw conclusions." The curriculum I use to teach this objective could be my text book, trade books, website, science books, newspapers, or any other appropriate material. Common Core does not dictate material.

Myth: Common Core takes control away from the State Department of Education in determining standards.
TRUTH: The SDE chose to use the standards as well as add some specific only to Alabama, renaming the new document Alabama's College and Career Ready Standards, with the goal being that all students who graduate from an Alabama high school will be ready to enter either college or the work force.

Myth: Common Core invades students' privacy by collecting data and "tracking them through retirement."
TRUTH: Standards are objectives, not a data collection mandate. States that are part of the Race To the Top grant must collect data as part of the grant, but Alabama is not a RTT state.

Myth: Under Common Core, high school seniors are only required to read at an eighth grade level.
TRUTH: From the CCRS document, twelfth grade standard 9.) By the end of Grade 12, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of the Grades 11-College and Career Readiness (CCR) text complexity band independently and proficiently. [RL.11-12.10]


Senate Bill 190 is a bill that would repeal Alabama's College and Career Ready Standards, and set our state on a backwards track. If passed, we would be required to STOP teaching the rigorous standards and revert back to our previous courses of study. No material that is "Common Core" approved or written to address Common Core standards could be purchased with state funds or used. Scariest of all, this bill strips power from the SDE to create standards and gives it to the legislature.

If you are a legislator, I urge you to vote no on this bill. Please do not stop the forward progress that we are making as a state. Our students deserve to learn and be held to the same standard (or higher) than the rest of the country! They're competing for jobs and scholarships with students across the nation, and even globally. CCRS are the rigorous standards that Alabama's students need!

If you're a parent, grandparent, or concerned citizen, please let your voice be heard by signing this petition or contacting our legislators and telling them to vote no on SB-190.