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Regular Session, 2013
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 68
BY SENATOR CROWE
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT. Requests BESE and the Department of Education to
withdraw from the Common Core State Standards Initiative and cease all activities related
to implementation of such standards.
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON1
To urge and request the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and the2
Department of Education to withdraw from the Common Core State Standards3
Initiative and the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers4
and to immediately terminate all plans, programs, activities, and expenditures5
relative to implementation of the common core state standards and any instruction6
and testing based upon such standards.7
WHEREAS, Article VIII, Section 1, of the Louisiana Constitution directs the8
legislature to provide for the education of the people of the state, and further requires the9
legislature to establish and maintain a public educational system; and10
WHEREAS, the Common Core State Standards Initiative, also known as the11
"Common Core", was initially undertaken by a voluntary collective of states, including12
Louisiana, at the behest of the National Governor's Association and the Council of Chief13
State School Officers; and14
WHEREAS, the Common Core that resulted from this effort is not based upon state15
or local standards, but is comprised of nationally-based standards and tests primarily16
developed by non-governmental organizations and unelected, unaccountable boards and17
consortia based outside of the state of Louisiana and has been unduly influenced by the18 SCR NO. 68
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intervention of the federal government; and1
WHEREAS, development of the Common Core was financed by private foundations,2
thereby using wealth and influence to bypass local school boards, usurp the authority of the3
state legislature, and impose control over Louisiana's education standards and related tests;4
and5
WHEREAS, adoption of the Common Core binds the state to an established6
copyright over standards, which the state has limited ability to alter; and7
WHEREAS, although the General Educational Provisions Act prohibits federal8
authority over curriculum and testing, the U.S. Department of Education's cooperative9
agreements tacitly confirm that the Common Core's test-building and data collection10
functions are federally managed; and11
WHEREAS, student behavior indicators including testing for mental health, social12
and cultural habits (including religious practices), and family status will be used for13
Common Core tests and assignments; and14
WHEREAS, the Common Core violates state and federal privacy laws by requiring15
the storing and sharing of private student and family data, without consent, using a pre-16
school through post-graduate tracking system and a federally-funded State Longitudinal17
Database, thus creating surveillance capability between states and federal agencies; and18
WHEREAS, the Common Core violates constitutional and statutory prohibitions by19
pressuring states to adopt these common standards through the use of financial incentives20
tied to the federal Race to the Top program, with attendant penalties for noncompliance; and21
WHEREAS, the Common Core is an unproven experiment on a grand scale which,22
as yet, lacks sufficient supporting empirical data, and, if implemented, will remove23
traditional math, replace classic literature with increased technical reading, and prohibit24
teachers from reviewing the tests, depriving them of information needed to tailor classroom25
instruction in the best manner to ensure student success; and26
WHEREAS, this top-down, autocratic process and the foundational principles driving27
the Common Core undermine the teacher's role and utterly fail to support the American28
ideals of local control and parental choice in education, standards, and testing; and29
WHEREAS, five states - Alaska, Minnesota, Nebraska, Texas, and Virginia -30 SCR NO. 68
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rejected the Common Core from the start, and the increasing concern with the Common Core1
is evidenced by the fact that Indiana recently passed legislation pulling out of the Common2
Core initiative, and at least twelve other states are currently considering prohibiting3
implementation of the Common Core state standards.4
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby5
urge and request the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and the6
Department of Education to withdraw from the Common Core State Standards Initiative and7
the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers and to immediately8
terminate all plans, programs, activities, and expenditures relative to implementation of the9
Common Core state standards and any instruction and testing based upon such standards.10
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the11
president and each member of the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and12
the state superintendent of education.13
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Jeanne C. Johnston.
DIGEST
Crowe SCR No. 68
Requests BESE and the Department of Education to withdraw from the Common Core State
Standards Initiative and the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers
and to immediately terminate all plans, programs, activities, and expenditures relative to
implementation of the common core state standards and any instruction and testing based
upon such standards.