Education

Berkeley County lawmaker says “no” to Common Core

The voters have spoken, and the South Carolina government has listened: the federally mandated Common Core approach to education is on its way out in South Carolina.classroom small

Larry Grooms, the South Carolina senator from St. Stephen, lobbied to remove Common Core standards from the state’s public schools and replace it with a curriculum tailored for South Carolina schools.

“After three years of working to rid our state from the misguided Common Core, I am please to report that we have won a great victory,” Grooms recently stated. “Under this legislation, Common Core Standards for Mathematics and English language arts must be replaced with new state developed standards.”

The bill went through its second reading with a unanimous vote, 42-0.

“With the help of all Senate Republicans and one Democrat, on a 27-15 vote, my amendment to replace the Common Core standards was adopted. After the adoption of other important amendments the bill received unanimous approval,” Grooms said.

Over the next year, the South Carolina Department of Education and Education Oversight Committee will work with teachers, business leaders, and the community to create appropriate ELA and Math standards for this new curriculum. Following new training for teachers, the revised standards will be used in classrooms for the first time during the 2015-2016 school year.

Natalie Vereen-Davis

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