DeSantis unveils BEST program that eliminates last ‘vestiges’ of Common Core

By John Haughey

The Center Square

January 30, 2020

Last Jan. 31, newly-elected Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order to do away with all “vestiges” of Common Core standards and revise the state’s educational curriculum.

He then named former House Speaker and gubernatorial GOP primary rival Richard Corcoran, an avowed Common Core critic, as state Education Commissioner and set a one-year deadline to present state lawmakers with new education standards when they convene in 2020.

The 60-day legislative session began Jan. 14. On Friday, DeSantis delivered on his pledge, announcing the state Department of Education will unveil a revamped preK-12 curriculum and standards next week called “Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking” (BEST).

“It really goes beyond Common Core to embrace common sense,” DeSantis said during a news conference in Naples, introducing BEST’s broad outlines while referencing President Donald Trump’s campaign slogan and espousing the oratory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The governor has lobbied lawmakers to incorporate more civics into the state’s curriculum because – as study after study shows – many Americans no longer understand how their government works or what their role is as citizens in a democratic republic.

BEST will ensure Florida students “understand the principles that make America great,” DeSantis said, later citing Dr. King’s speeches as keystones in understanding American civics.

The 2010 Common Core State Standards Initiative spells out what preK-12 students nationwide should know in English and mathematics at the conclusion of each grade.

The initiative was sponsored by the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and was an attempt to establish consistent educational standards across all 50 states and territories.

The standards were developed by officials in 48 states and were adopted by 41 states and the District of Columbia.

From its beginning, Common Core has been vigorously criticized and challenged by Republican voters and elected officials – especially by Florida Republican voters and elected officials.

In Florida, former Gov. Jeb Bush pushed for adoption of Common Core standards and then-Republican Gov. Charlie Crist adopted them.

In 2014, at the direction of then-Gov. Rick Scott, the Florida Board of Education adopted the Florida Standards, which changed some components of Common Core but left “vestiges” intact.

Those “vestiges” mostly relate to Common Core’s rigorous schedule of standardized testing that have drawn widespread criticism not only from lawmakers of both parties, but by educators.

DeSantis said Common Core’s math curriculum is also going to be ditched under BEST, citing Minnesota as an example.

Minnesota adopted Common Core standards except its math criteria. That state’s students regularly produce some of the nation’s best math test scores.

Corcoran, who accompanied DeSantis, said BEST’s math standards will be better than Minnesota’s and will be a significant improvement over Common Core, which test results show have not improved student achievement.

“As a nation we have flatlined,” he said.

Rep. Dane Eagle, R-Cape Coral, the House GOP Leader who has submitted bills to do away with Common Core for six years, said the standards have been uniformly disliked since the day they were adopted.

“It says something when teachers unions and Tea Party conservatives come together and agree we have a problem – and it’s Common Core,” Eagle said.