PHOENIX — Arizona should keep the Common Core academic standards and the tests linked to them, at least for the time being, Gov. Doug Ducey said this morning.
In a speech to the state Board of Education, the governor slapped the federal government for its involvement in education and tying federal aid to states complying with certain standards. And he decried a "one-size-fits-all mentality" about education.
But Ducey, who campaigned on a promise to repeal Common Core, said he does not support House-passed legislation to entirely blow up the standards, calling that "unnecessary."
Instead, he directed the board, working with parents, teachers, students and others, to use the standards as a starting point for a "light of the day review" of what exists now and creating what would be Arizona standards.
"In any instance during your review you find situations where Arizona standards can outperform or improve our current standards, I ask you recommend replacement immediately," he said.
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After his speech, Ducey told reporters that "it's normal" to review standards. But he said that doesn't mean scrapping them and starting over.
"I'll give you an example: One of the standards says a child should learn to read by the end of third grade, that a child should know their multiplication facts by the end of third grade," the governor said.
"I imagine we'll be keeping those standards," Ducey continued. "Where we have a standard that fits and is necessary, that's something we want to embrace."
