Common Core Facts

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In states all over the country, policymakers have examined the Common Core State Standards by listening to the public. Some states, like Florida, have held hearings throughout the state. Opponents of the standards have used these hearings as an opportunity to spread fear and misinformation about the implications of implementing the standards in schools. Thanks to PolitiFact, the public can separate the truths from the misinformation with the use of their Truth-o-Meter.

Common Core means the government is collecting 300 data elements about students, says anti-Common Core activist

By PolitiFact Florida, the Tampa Bay Times and The Miami Herald October 15, 2013

"Tim Curtis, an activist against Common Core, said that thanks to Common Core, 'There are over 300 data elements the government is going to be collecting about your children and about you.' "Common Core State Standards do not include new requirements for the government to collect data on school children. It's true that school districts and the state of Florida already collect a long list of data on students. That data is aggregated for the federal government, after stripping out students' personal information, and that data collection doesn't change whether states adopt Common Core or not. "Common Core opponents are mixing two separate issues here: the transition to Common Core and data collection that already occurs. "We rate this claim Mostly False."

The goal of Common Core is "to instill federally determined attitudes and mindsets in students including political and religious beliefs."

By PolitiFact Florida, the Tampa Bay Times and The Miami Herald October 21, 2013

""The Common Core standards, along with the aligned curriculum and the mining of nearly 400 data points reveal that the goal of the standards is not simply to improve academic achievement but also to instill federally determined attitudes and mindsets in students including political and religious beliefs," states a report on the website of the Florida Stop Common Core Coalition. "The goal of Common Core "is not simply to improve academic achievement but also to instill federally determined attitudes and mindsets in students including political and religious beliefs," said an anti-Common Core group. "Their evidence, though, is flimsy at best: A computer model that has a data field for voting status or religion, which would typically be used by a private school. We could find no public schools that kept such data, and Florida Department of Education has no plans to require that they do. That's a far cry from attempting to instill particular religious or political beliefs. "We rate this Pants on Fire!"

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Achieve has developed materials to help states, districts, and others understand the organization and content of the standards and the content and evidence base used to support the standards. Visit www.achieve.org/achieving-common-core.

If you find a news clip supportive of the Common Core, please send it to Chad Colby at ccolby@achieve.org.