One of the worst education reforms being pushed by the Obama administration is actually not Common Core, although we know the dumbed down Common Core Standards are in drastic need of improvement. The Obama/Federal education reform includes a return to the failed Outcome Based Education Model. (OBE) OBE in New Hampshire is now called Competency Based Education. (CBE) This model is part of the Obama redesign in public education as you can see on the U.S. Department of Education’s web site.
Outcome Based Education is the failed fad from the 90’s, but in an effort to fool you, education reformers changed the name to “Competency Based Education.” (CBE) If reformers call it CBE, you might not realize it’s the same OBE failed model. That’s how education reformers work. They never acknowledge their failures but instead, they repackage the failed fad with a new name. You can read about how CBE is failing schools in NH here.
That’s why they re-named Common Core, College and Career Readiness Standards. Education reformers are hoping you do not realize it’s the same dumbed down Common Core Standards with a new name.
One would think that since this reform is primarily coming from the Obama Admin. and Governor Hassan, Republicans in New Hampshire would be fighting against this. Not because this has to be a partisan battle, but because we know these reforms have failed in the past and continue the dumbing down of our public schools.
That’s why it’s disappointing to see the Republican Chair of the House Education Committee, Rep. Rick Ladd, commit to placing the Obama federal education reforms in to state statute. He has been advocating for the federal education reforms like Competency Based Ed and now seeks to place more of those reforms in state law.
Marc Tucker is one of the chief architects for the federal education reforms. He has called for the elimination of local control in our public schools but he knows we would never support a federal take over in public education. Instead he wants state legislators to put federal reforms in state statute. By getting state laws passed that mandate federal reforms, no one will notice that the state just became a puppet for the federal government.
Republicans have seen other bills come through like SB48 that was sponsored by Senator Nancy Stiles. Both Senator Stiles (R) and Representative Rick Ladd (R) have been submitting bills that put into STATE law, the Obama/Federal education reforms. This is important for Republicans to know so they can vote against the Ladd sponsored Bills.
Below is a list of current Bills going before the New Hampshire House for a vote.
It’s important that Republicans and any Democrats who’ve discovered this education reform is bad for public education, vote Inexpedient to Legislate.
Let’s get back to doing the will of the parents and local communities who send you to Concord to vote on their behalf instead of voting to erode local control in education in order to please the federal bureaucrats.
HB1604 (See copy of amendment below that facilitates Obama’s CBE/OBE language)
SPONSORS: Rep. Ladd, Graf. 4; Rep. Myler, Merr. 10; Rep. Kurk, Hills. 2; Rep. Balcom, Hills. 21; Rep. Gile, Merr. 27; Rep. Heath, Hills. 14; Rep. Shaw, Hills. 16
HB1240 (Facilitates the CBE assessments, forces compliance to the testing and fools you into thinking local schools get a choice in testing)
SPONSORS: Rep. Ladd, Graf. 4; Rep. Grenier, Sull. 7; Rep. Myler, Merr. 10; Rep. Balcom, Hills. 21; Rep. Gile, Merr. 27; Rep. Shaw, Hills. 16; Rep. Wolf, Hills. 7
HB471 (Needs to be amended so schools have a real choice in testing, this could do exactly what HB1240 does and tie schools to the CBE assessment and fool you into thinking it offers school boards real choice)
SPONSORS: Rep. Cordelli, Carr 4; Rep. Murotake, Hills 32; Rep. Harris, Rock 9; Rep. LeBrun, Hills 32; Rep. Jones, Straf 24; Rep. V. Sullivan, Hills 16; Rep. Seidel, Hills 28; Sen. Avard, Dist 12; Sen. Reagan, Dist 17
HB1239 ( “Academic standard” means what a student should know and be able to do. VI (B) This change in the language in the statute changes the term of Academic standards from knowledge to “skill” by adding: “able to do.” That is a reference to CBE. An academic standard should be what the student knows. This waters down the term Academic standard and should be struck from the language)
SPONSORS: Rep. Ladd, Graf. 4; Rep. Myler, Merr. 10; Rep. Balcom, Hills. 21; Rep. Gorman, Hills. 31; Rep. Gile, Merr. 27; Rep. Grenier, Sull. 7; Rep. Cordelli, Carr. 4
HB1604 Amendment language to facilitate Outcome Based Education in New Hampshire. WARNING!
Ann Marie Banfield currently volunteers as the Education Liaison for Cornerstone Action in New Hampshire. She has been researching education reform for over a decade and actively supports parental rights, literacy and academic excellence in k-12 schools. You can reach her at: abanfield@nhcornerstone.org
