With the appointment of the new U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, some Michigan lawmakers are wasting no time drafting legislation to end participation
in Common Core. Michigan higher education faculty in English education,
developmental English, and freshman composition are following the recently
introduced House Bill 4192, promoting the termination of Michigan’s ongoing
implementation of Common Core (adopted in 2010), with the expressed goal of
“giving districts and parents more control.” The bill promises to “respect
and support the ultimate right a parent to opt his or her child out
ofany(my emphasis) public school
activity that the parent finds unacceptable with no negative repercussions or
interference from the state.” Supporters of HB 4192 want to adopt the
standards Massachusetts had adopted before Massachusetts adopted the Common
Core.

TheDetroit Free Pressreported Feb. 15 and 16 that opposing lawmakers in the Michigan House point out that Massachusetts adopted Common Core in part because many of the state’s students were taking developmental courses in college under the older standards that promoters of this bill now want to see replace Common Core in Michigan. The Michigan Education Association teachers union, and, according to theDetroit Free Press, the Michigan
Department of Education, oppose the bill, that latter stating that Common Core
is an important part of the state’s ongoing commitment to making Michigan a top
10 state in academic performance. The other interesting aspect of this
development is that the Michigan Competitiveness Committee — and not the House
Education Reform Committee — heard the first round of testimony in
mid-February, 2017.