The Georgia State Board of Education Thursday approved revisions to the Common Core Georgia Performance Standards in English language Arts and math.
The newly adopted revisions had been posted for a 60-day public comment period that dates back to November.
State Board Chair Helen Rice said the board heard the concerns voiced by educators, parents and other involved parties and decided to make changes based on feedback.
“These revisions ensure that our standards are responsive to the needs of Georgia students and educators,” Rice said.
The standards were revised based on a formal review and evaluation process, and were the result of an executive order issued by Gov. Nathan Deal.
After the review process ended, the data was analyzed by the University System of Georgia. According to a statement issued by the state Department of Education, a working committee made up of Georgia public school teachers, post-secondary staff, parents and instructional leaders made the revisions based on public feedback and survey results for standards with less than 90 percent approval.
Some survey respondents, as well as the Academic Review Committee, felt certain standards needed to be emphasized in the teacher guidance documents developed by the state education department for each grade and subject.
Recommendations to be emphasized in the Guidance and Professional Learning include phonics instruction, cursive writing, literature and informational text, traditional computing methods, and the memorization of addition, subtraction and multiplication facts.
Letters in support of the revisions were submitted to the state board from a wide range of organizations with a vested interest in education, including the Georgia Association of Education Leaders (GAEL), the Georgia Association of Curriculum and Instructional Supervisors (GACIS), the Georgia Chamber and the Georgia Council of Teachers of English.
State School Supt. Richard Woods said the revisions are on the mark.
“I am committed to ensuring the very best standards for our students, and the governor and state board of education share that goal,” Woods said. “The proposed revisions are a step in the right direction.
“However, we must retain the authority to make changes to the standards, which we will do when educators tell us changes are necessary.”
