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H.J.R. 8

             1     

JOINT RESOLUTION ON THE BENEFITS OF ADOPTING

             2     
COMMON CORE STANDARDS

             3     
2013 GENERAL SESSION

             4     
STATE OF UTAH

             5     
Chief Sponsor: Jim Bird

             6     
Senate Sponsor: ____________

             7     
             8      LONG TITLE
             9      General Description:
             10          This joint resolution of the Legislature recognizes the significant benefits that have
             11      come to Utah's students due to the adoption of the Utah Core Standards.
             12      Highlighted Provisions:
             13          This resolution:
             14          .    recognizes that the adoption of the Utah Core Standards by the Utah State Board of
             15      Education has brought significant benefits to the students of Utah as they prepare
             16      for college and careers.
             17      Special Clauses:
             18          None
             19     
             20      Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
             21          WHEREAS, Common Core standards are a set of Mathematics and English Language
             22      Arts content standards adopted by 45 states;
             23          WHEREAS, Common Core standards consist of concepts, knowledge, and skills that
             24      students need to understand and master as they move through their schooling and that prepare
             25      them for further education or careers after high school graduation;
             26          WHEREAS, the Common Core standards were developed by a state-led effort known
             27      as the Common Core State Standards Initiative and were coordinated by the National


             28      Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School
             29      Officers;
             30          WHEREAS, the process used to write the standards ensured they were informed by the
             31      best state and international standards, the best student test scores, the experience of teachers,
             32      content experts, states, leading thinkers, feedback from the general public, and the most
             33      important international models, as well as research and input from numerous sources, including
             34      state departments of education, scholars, assessment developers, and professional
             35      organizations;
             36          WHEREAS, the Common Core standards were designed to build upon the most
             37      advanced current thinking about preparing all students for success in college and their careers;
             38          WHEREAS, the Common Core standards are research- and evidence-based and aligned
             39      with college and work expectations;
             40          WHEREAS, the Common Core standards include rigorous and essential skills and
             41      knowledge in Mathematics and English Language Arts that progress and increase in depth from
             42      kindergarten through twelfth grade and are clear, understandable, and require mastery of both
             43      basic and complex concepts;
             44          WHEREAS, the standards have made careful use of a large and growing body of
             45      evidence, including scholarly research, surveys on what skills are required of students entering
             46      college and workforce training programs, assessment data identifying college- and career-ready
             47      performance, and comparisons to standards from high-performing states and nations;
             48          WHEREAS, a particular standard was accepted only when the best available evidence
             49      indicated that its mastery was essential for college and career readiness in a
             50      twenty-first-century, globally competitive society;
             51          WHEREAS, in their design and content, refined through successive drafts and
             52      numerous rounds of feedback, the standards represent a synthesis of the best elements of
             53      standards-related work to date and an important advance over previous standards;
             54          WHEREAS, the Common Core standards have been endorsed by an unprecedented and
             55      wide variety of businesses, private foundations, educational organizations, research groups, and
             56      experts in reading and mathematics;
             57          WHEREAS, the Common Core standards have been endorsed by a wide variety of
             58      politicians, educational organizations, research groups, businesses, private foundations, and


             59      experts in reading and mathematics, including the National Council of Teachers of
             60      Mathematics, the American Statistical Association, the Fordham Foundation, the National
             61      Parent Teacher Association, the Association of American Colleges and Universities, the United
             62      States Chamber of Commerce, ACT, Inc., Aetna, the Boeing Company, Dell Inc., IBM, ING
             63      Direct, Intel, MetaMetrics Inc., Microsoft, the National Association of Manufacturers, the
             64      Governor's Education Excellence Commission, the Utah State Board of Regents, Utah
             65      Technology Council, United Way, and Prosperity 2020;
             66          WHEREAS, on September 13, 2011, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie stated, "The
             67      Common Core State Standards are a building block in our state's education system meant to
             68      ensure that teachers and districts can innovate within a framework of high expectations and
             69      accountability. They are based on the fundamental belief that every child in every classroom
             70      deserves an education that will properly equip them with the skills they need for college and a
             71      career. Our aggressive implementation of these standards in partnership with districts will
             72      ensure that our children have an education that will serve them well in the next stages of their
             73      lives";
             74          WHEREAS, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush stated, in support of the core standards,
             75      "It is the states' responsibility to foster an education system that leads to rising student
             76      achievement. State leaders, educators, teachers and parents are empowered to ensure every
             77      student has access to the best curriculum and learning environment. Governors and lawmakers
             78      across the country are acting to adopt bold education reform policies. This is the beauty of our
             79      federal system. It provides 50 testing sites for reform and innovation. The Common Core
             80      State Standards are an example of states recognizing a problem, then working together, sharing
             81      what works and what doesn't";
             82          WHEREAS, the Utah State Board of Education began the effort to revise its
             83      mathematics core standards in 2007 after concerns were raised about the rigor of the state's
             84      current standards;
             85          WHEREAS, these revisions are based on the need to ensure that students learn what
             86      they need to know to be successful after high school;
             87          WHEREAS, in June of 2009, the Utah State Board of Education adopted four promises,
             88      which define Utah's current strategic efforts: (1) ensure that every Utah student gains the
             89      literacy and numeracy skills they need for success; (2) ensure that all Utah children receive


             90      high quality instruction in every classroom every day; (3) make certain that all students are
             91      engaged in curriculum that embodies high standards and relevance to the world students will
             92      encounter after high school; and (4) ensure that high quality, effective assessments inform both
             93      instruction and accountability;
             94          WHEREAS, the Utah State Board of Education agreed that participation in the
             95      development of new Common Core standards in Mathematics and English Language Arts
             96      would serve as a critical part of its efforts to keep those promises;
             97          WHEREAS, comments on the standards were solicited and received during two public
             98      comment periods;
             99          WHEREAS, these comments, many of which helped shape the final version of the
             100      standards, came from teachers, parents, school administrators, and other citizens concerned
             101      with education policy;
             102          WHEREAS, on June 4, 2010, the Utah State Board of Education gave preliminary
             103      approval for Utah to move ahead in accepting the Common Core standards as a framework for
             104      setting the state's own standards in Mathematics and English Language Arts, and the Common
             105      Core standards were placed on the board's website for review;
             106          WHEREAS, during the summer of 2010, the Utah State Office of Education held
             107      several meetings where the Common Core standards were discussed;
             108          WHEREAS, meetings included conversations with superintendents, charter directors,
             109      curriculum directors, legislators, Parent Teacher Association members, higher education
             110      representatives, and business leaders;
             111          WHEREAS, the Common Core standards for Mathematics and English Language Arts
             112      were approved during the board's August 6, 2010, meeting, having been fully examined and
             113      vetted, and adopted by the Utah State Board of Education as the Utah Core Standards for
             114      Mathematics and English Language Arts;
             115          WHEREAS, the new Utah Core Standards for Mathematics and English Language Arts
             116      are part of the Utah Core Standards that include standards for other subjects such as Science,
             117      Social Studies, Career Technical Education, Fine Arts, Health, World Languages, and Driver
             118      Education;
             119          WHEREAS, Utah Core Standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what
             120      students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them;


             121          WHEREAS, Utah Core Standards are designed to be relevant to the real world,
             122      reflecting the knowledge and skills that young people need for success in college and careers;
             123          WHEREAS, with American students fully prepared for the future, Utah's communities
             124      will be best positioned to compete successfully in the global economy;
             125          WHEREAS, while Utah Core Standards help teachers organize and prepare for
             126      instruction, like building codes help an architect prepare a blueprint, the curricula used to
             127      implement the Utah Core Standards varies according to district or charter school needs, like
             128      homes built using building standards or codes are not identical, but are built based on the needs
             129      and values of the owner while still following the building code;
             130          WHEREAS, the Utah Core Standards do not tell teachers how to teach, nor do they tell
             131      schools or districts what materials must be used in classrooms;
             132          WHEREAS, the new Utah Core Standards are an important first step to meet the
             133      promise that every student leave high school with a high-quality, relevant education and ready
             134      for the future;
             135          WHEREAS, the Common Core standards were not developed or mandated by the
             136      federal government, are not federal or national standards, and may be withdrawn from adoption
             137      or changed by the Utah State Board of Education at any time;
             138          WHEREAS, local teachers, principals, superintendents, and others will decide how the
             139      Utah Core Standards are to be met and how best to help students meet the standards;
             140          WHEREAS, teachers will continue to devise lesson plans and tailor instruction to the
             141      individual needs of the students in their classrooms;
             142          WHEREAS, local teachers, principals, superintendents, and school boards will continue
             143      to make decisions about curriculum and how their school systems are operated;
             144          WHEREAS, the Utah Core Standards are supportive of Utah values and are designed to
             145      prepare students to become responsible, literate citizens; and
             146          WHEREAS, the Utah Core Standards are based on college, career, and civic readiness
             147      that lead to honest labor and are designed for the greater common good of Utah's citizens:
             148          NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah
             149      recognizes that the adoption of the Utah Core Standards have brought significant benefits to the
             150      students of Utah as they prepare for college and careers.
             151          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Utah State


             152      Board of Regents, the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, the Council of
             153      Chief State School Officers, and the Utah State Office of Education for distribution to each of
             154      Utah's school districts.




Legislative Review Note
    as of 2-7-13 11:08 AM


Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel


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