CAPE CORAL, Fla. -- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visited Ida Baker High School in Cape Coral Thursday to announce the creation of an executive order to eliminate Common Core, also known as Florida Standards, and come up with different standards for Florida students.
Governor DeSantis is urging Educational Commissioner Richard Corcoran to create a road map for "authentic, Florida-based standards", increase the quality of the instructional curriculum, and to streamline testing so teachers are not teaching to the test.
"One of the things we would constantly hear on the campaign trail is a frustration with a lot of parents in particular with this idea of Common Core, and some of the testing and some of the things that go into that," said DeSantis.
The governor also stressed the importance of making civics education a priority in Florida.
"It all needs to be looked at, it all needs to be scrutinized, and we need to sit down with the experts, the stakeholders, great superintendents, great leaders in the community, and figure out he do we write the best #1 standards in the United States of America," said Corcoran.
"This is not going to be something that is going to be dictated by the federal government. It's going to be something that springs up from the communities here in the state of Florida," said Gov. DeSantis.
The Florida Standards were approved by the State Board of Education in 2014, based on revised elements of the Common Core State Standards, with the goal to engage students so that they gain the critical thinking and problem-solving skills essential for college, career and life.
Executive Order 19-32 directs Florida Department of Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran to comprehensively review the academic standards for Florida’s Kindergarten through grade twelve students and provide recommended revisions to Governor DeSantis. The recommendations shall:
- Articulate how Florida will eliminate Common Core (Florida Standards) and ensure we return to the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic;
- Provide a roadmap to make Florida’s standards number one in the nation;
- Reflect Florida Department of Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran’s consultation with relevant stakeholders to include parents and teachers;
- Deem how to increase the quality of instructional curriculum;
- Suggest innovative ways to streamline testing;
- Identify opportunities to equip high school graduates with sufficient knowledge of America’s civics, particularly the principles reflected in the Unites States Constitution, so as to be capable of discharging the responsibilities associated with American citizenship; and
- Outline a pathway for Florida to be the most literate state in the nation.
