BOISE, Idaho — Parents and educators packed the Capitol for the second day of hearings on Idaho's version of Common Core.
The House Education Committee will vote to keep, reject, or reject a portion of the academic standards.
The Legislature let administrative rules expire last session so now they have to review and reauthorize them.
We've known since Common Core was implemented in Idaho it has been contentious.
Those opposed want the standards, now called Idaho Content Standards, repealed this year.
Opponents have said since day one they feel Common Core isn't working, that the federal government is pushing their agenda onto the states, and school districts don't have local control.
Supporters say Common Core is helping students understand the why behind learning, it's helping them get ready for the real world and the workforce.
Local schools are still tasked with making their own curriculums.
Thursday's committee hearing was over math standards. On Wednesday, it was English-language arts.
And the hearings are bringing a lot of people to testify to their legislators.
Tiffany Anderson, a mother of three children, was one of dozens of people who testified in front of the House Education Committee Thursday morning.
She's opposed to all Idaho Content Standards and says they've taken the fun out of education.
Meanwhile, teachers and education organizations around the state stand behind them, saying the standards are rigorous.
“I have a lot of problems with a lot of Common Core concepts, so I hope they would repeal Common Core and get back to standards we had before,” said Anderson. “We weren't suffering before, we are suffering now. That’s the biggest change with Common Core education, suffering kids are suffering and right now. It’s like a science experiment on our kids.”
“The standards are solid in that they require students to examine the why and justify reasoning and show multiple methods to solve problems, and really provide a more holistic approach to math,” said Sonia Galaviz, fifth grade teacher at Garfield Elementary School in Boise. “I see students are more confident in solving math problems, they're able to break it apart better.”
Both the House and Senate need to agree to remove Idaho Content Standards from the books. Meaning, if one body votes to repeal, but the other doesn't, then Idaho would still have Common Core standards.
Educators worry if the Legislature gets rid of them, they won't have anything to replace them with.
The House Education Committee will take up science standards next week.
We will break this down more and have an in-depth explainer on Idaho's history with Common Core Friday on the News at Five.