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July 15, 2014      4:26 PM

Common Core controversy may erupt at the SBOE

Conservatives on the SBOE making time for critics of Common Core, which is already outlawed in Texas

State Board of Education Chair Barbara Cargill has agreed to set aside time on Friday morning for Common Core opponents to present their arguments on the new Advanced Placement US History course test, which will roll out next year.

Critics, particularly those on the conservative Breitbart online news outlet, have labeled the new AP US History framework “stealthy,” “radioactive” and “David Coleman’s next great deception.” Coleman, as you may be aware, was a key architect behind the Common Core standards before he was named president of College Board, which administers the PSAT, SAT for college readiness and AP tests for college credit.

Cargill, who is squarely in the board’s conservative bloc, said a discussion of the AP US History course did not make the board’s agenda due to timing. But the board does have time available on Friday morning for testimony about items that aren’t on their agenda.

“I have told people, if you’ll get the word out, we can have people address us during public on Friday morning,” Cargill said. “So that’s what we’re doing.”

The Common Core has been adopted by more than 40 states, plus the District of Columbia. Texas never joined. While a handful of states have backed out of the effort in recent months, the vast majority will begin testing under the new math and English standards, whether under a testing consortia or with state-developed tests.

To place “AP US History” and “Common Core” in the same sentence, however, would be a stretch. The Common Core, developed by states in conjunction with the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, sets math and English standards, not history.

By Kimberly Reeves