Letter: Common Core tied to federal testing

8:27 PM, Oct. 15, 2013  |  Comments

It's true that Common Core does not force school districts in Wisconsin or anywhere to give up control of curriculum or teaching methods (www.sheboyganpress.com on Oct. 3). That happened long ago when states and the national government began requiring districts to administer state tests in order to receive funds.

"What gets tested is what gets taught" has become a cliche with the vast increase of student testing, but it speaks to the truth that tests do now, in large part, determine what teachers end up doing in class. Tests are the keys to the curriculum. The big difference with Common Core is that most states have given up their ability to control their tests.

Common Core is tied to two national tests that are entirely federally funded and will be linked to each other. So tests have caused local control to become state control, and Common Core will mean state control becomes federal control. It all comes down to the test: Funding, teacher evaluations, school takeovers, curriculum and so forth. That's a lot of power to give away.

Joy Pullmann

Education research fellow

Heartland Institute