NEWS

Department of Education taking input on Common Core

Maria DeVito
Reporter

Parents and educators can now weigh in on what standards students should be meeting at each grade.

The Ohio Department of Education has an online survey for people to give feedback on proposed changes to Ohio’s learning standards in English language arts and mathematics, which are based on Common Core, according to a news release. The deadline for feedback is Monday.

People can review the proposed changes by visiting the department of education website where there is a link on the home page.

In February the department started an effort to update the standards, which are statements that describe the skills and knowledge students should have at each grade level.

Advisory committees of education leaders for each set of standards reviewed more than 1,000 comments from a six week survey that started Feb. 24 and then determined the standards to revise. The proposed draft was put together under an advisory committee’s oversight, according to a news release.

Committees and working groups used the comments to clarify text in certain places and made the language more understandable to the students who have to reach the standards.

Paolo DeMaria, superintendent of public instruction, said in a news release the initial feedback lead to the strong draft that is now being reviewed.

"Continued involvement from educators and parents ultimately will help ensure that the revised standards accurately reflect the improvements requested earlier this year,” he said in the release.

After the comment period ends, a committee will review them and refer them to working groups if more revisions are needed. Then the proposed standards head to State Board of Education and Ohio Senate and House of Representative education committees. The approval process should wrap up in December.

But this wouldn't be the last time standards are reviewed. The review process for science, social studies and financial literacy standards starts this fall, according to the release.

mdevito@gannett.com

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Twitter: @MariaDeVito13