Tennessee Ends Common Core, Approves New English & Math Standards

Tennessee's K-12 students will not study under Common Core standards anymore. New English and math standards will be issued for students after Gov. Bill Haslam's initial order.

The newly approved Tennessee Academic Standards will roll out more refined "glossary definitions" of English and math standards. Some standards for math formulas will be clearer, and others will be eliminated in an effort to reduce course content, NBC's 11Alive reported.

Tennessee Plans Some Changes

The Tennessee Academic Standards will be implemented in K-12 classrooms in the 2017-18 school year, and was a collaborative effort between the state's Department of Education and the State Board of Education. The two departments will work on training teachers and ensuring that textbooks and other learning materials are at par with the revised standards.

State Board of Education Chairman Fielding Roston said the new academic standards are broad. Tennessee's new state test called TNReady, however, still complys with Common Core standards, the news outlet noted.

Board Executive Director Sara Heyburn said Tennessee's new standards have a different format, and will now have a special focus on grades and subjects. You can peruse through the state's upcoming education standards here.

Tennessee's education budget was recently increased to $261 million, thanks to a proposal from Haslam. The money will benefit English language learners, technology, teacher salaries, and the state's funding formula, which has been in unrest for more than 20 years.

Michigan Ditches Common Core

Aside from Tennessee, Indiana, Oklahoma, and South Carolina, Michigan are also gearing up to remove Common Core from its education departments. Michigan Senator Patrick Colbeck argued that the standard didn't deliver on its promise to boost students' academic performance and success, MLive reported.

The Michigan Coalition for High Student Standards, along with the Michigan Department of Education, both opposed Colbeck's move. They argued that ditching Common Core will undo all the efforts the educators have already put in for its implementation. Michigan's Common Core started in 2010, while a standardized test called M-STEP based on it was implemented in 2014.

Changes in Teacher Licensing Rules

Tennessee's State Board of Education recently agreed to proposed rules that changes how teachers' licenses are "suspended, revoked or denied," The Tennessean reported. The changes occurred after it was discovered that the state's punishment for teachers' background issues are disorganized, which they said is due to ambiguous "board policy and state laws."

Board general counsel Elizabeth Taylor said they aim to clarify the punishments educators will have to deal with if they perform acts that violate the state's code of ethics for teachers.