Lawmakers Complete Action to Common Core Repeal Bill

Editor’s Note: For the latest updates on the final day of the legislative session, be sure to keep checking our live blog.

Updated Saturday, March 12, 2016 at 7:28 p.m.: 

Members of the Senate have concurred in the House amendments to House Bill 4014 after voting 27-4 during a Saturday evening floor session.

With the concurrence and passing vote, the bill now heads to Governor Tomblin for further consideration.

Original Story: The House of Delegates has agreed to adopt the Senate’s amendments to a bill that would repeal the state’s Common Core education standards and aligned standardized tests.

Delegates, however, further amended the bill to remove the requirement to submit high school students in grades 9 and 10 to a standardized test. The House also removed the requirement for the West Virginia Board of Education to develop a policy setting accountability measures for testing.

As amended, the bill still requires the repeal of the Smarter Balanced Assessment, the standardized test aligned with Common Core. 

The bill as amended in the Senate requires the deans of the West Virginia University and Marshall University departments or colleges of English, math and enginering appoint a commission to review the state’s current education standards and suggest changes to the state Board of Education.

The Board voted to repeal Common Core in December and replace it with the West Virginia College and Career Ready Standards. The commission, made up of West Virginia teachers, principals and professors in the fields of English, math and science would be overseen by the chancellor of the Higher Education Policy Commission.

Senators also included an amendment that would keep the current science standards in place, allowing them to take effect in July of this year, but would make those standards subject to the review of the commission.

If the Senate agrees to the House’s additional amendment, the bill will move on to Governor Tomblin for consideration.

Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story reported the House removed all high school testing requirements. The Hous eonly removed those requirements for 9th and 10th graders. Eleventh graders will still be submitted to a standardized test.