LANSING -- With the fight over the Common Core State Standards set to resume in both House and Senate hearings next week, one opponent in the legislature wants lawmakers taking the same tests students will face.
Rep. Tom McMillin (R-Rochester Hills), who has been vocally opposed to the standards, is sponsoring a bill that would require state officials including the governor and the entire legislature to take the same exams as Michigan students.
The "Mandatory Public School Test Validation Act" would require the governor, the state superintendent of public instruction, members of the state board of education and the members of the Michigan Legislature to take the same test as public school students in either the third, eighth or 11th grade.
The bill would put an "independent testing agency" in charge of the testing, but does not specify who would choose the grade level state officials would be tested on.
McMillin has been a prominent voice in the debate over Michigan's implementation of both the Common Core and the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium tests under development to assess students on the standards.
Michigan is a governing state in Smarter Balanced, but may be forced to withdraw from the group because of a provision in the upcoming state budget which bars the Michigan Department of Education from spending any money on Common Core implementation without legislative approval.
This is something that should be done in every state.
Wouldn't you love to see Governor Cuomo, NYSED Commissioner King, Regents Chancellor Tisch, the state legislature and the rest of ed deformers in the state forced to take their vaunted new Common Core tests?
I would.
Then we can compare the scores and see which politicians and officials outscore the districts and regions they represent.
As for Cuomo, King and Tisch, we can compare their scores to governors and educrats all over the country and see if they measure up.
And of course if they don't measure up two years running, they'll be declared "ineffective" and removed from their jobs.
Let's start this movement now.
Require the politicians and state officials to take the Common Core tests.
It's time for some data-driven accountability at the very top.
May I add district superintendents and administrators to the list of those taking the test? Their increments and bonuses will be tied to AYP. I would like to volunteer to sit on the committee determining the cut scores.
ReplyDeleteThe job is yours, anon. Remember, these cut scores must be "rigorous" and "high quality." Just like their vaunted Common Core tests.
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