Legislative Auditor Declares Common Core Standards Drive Curriculum

BATON ROUGE – In a report issued this week by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor, the nonpartisan organization declared that Common Core Standards are driving curriculum in the classroom.

Citing challenges states and schools have had with the implementation, the Legislative Auditor states, “Implementation of the standards has been an ongoing challenge as states, districts, and individual schools have worked to develop curricula and put together textbook lists, instructional materials, lesson plans, and professional development training to help them meet the standards.”

The Legislative Auditor also states that the “hindrances” of implementation include “the lack of curricula, textbooks, instructional materials, and assessments aligned with the [Common Core] standards.”

The Legislative Auditor notes that in order to meet the Common Core Standards, “state education authorities and local districts have revamped their curricula, while teachers have rewritten their lesson plans and gathered new books and instructional materials.”

While the Legislative Auditor says “Standards are not the same thing as curricula, textbooks, lesson plans, or classroom activities and assignments,” the report clearly declares that standards drive curriculum.

Governor Jindal’s Assistant Chief of Staff and Education Policy Advisor Stafford Palmieri said, “We appreciate the Legislative Auditor’s report as it confirms what parents, educators, legislators and the Governor have been saying all along – standards drive curriculum. In black and white, the Auditor states that states, districts and educators have had to revamp curriculum, lesson plans and learning materials to align with Common Core Standards.

“It’s time for the proponents of Common Core to admit that Common Core equals curriculum. What are they hiding from? If Common Core supporters are proud of the standards, they should be proud that it drives curriculum. Instead, education bureaucrats, elitists and the intelligentsia are trying to wordsmith and dupe parents and educators. It won’t work. Parents and educators are smarter than that.”