While most states would not endorse a national curriculum imposed by the federal government, as is common in other countries, there has been growing sentiment for a grass-roots approach by the states. The National Governors Association recently adopted a policy that supports states joining "to develop a common core of state standards for English language arts and math that are internationally benchmarked to ensure that students can compete in the global economy."
The nonprofit group Achieve has been working to write what could become the prototype for such standards. Achieve, founded by governors and business leaders, expects to complete standards in math, science, writing and reading by fall. Maryland schools Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick said she supports the work of Achieve and believes that its standards could be a first step.
Those new standards, said Matt Gandal, executive vice president of Achieve, would address what schools should teach to get American students ready for college and careers, as well as to make them competitive internationally. If the High School Assessments that Maryland now requires all seniors to pass to graduate are viewed as the minimum, the new standards would be considered the next step for states to take to ensure that their students are prepared.
Gandal said Duncan has been talking about making sure that American students are taught material that makes them competitive around the globe. The federal stimulus money, he said, could be "a serious lever to change the way we do things in education. ... It could be a great opportunity for governors and others willing to step up and aim high."
But if Maryland were to adopt new standards, it would probably give up the Maryland School Assessments and write new tests, perhaps in collaboration with other states. Such an effort to set common standards and write common assessments would mean that what is being taught in Virginia might be much closer to what is taught in Maryland or Pennsylvania.
Grasmick said the change could be good for students, given the mobility of families in the Mid-Atlantic region.
She has had the state participate for several years in Achieve's efforts. A year ago, O'Malley brought in an expert on international testing to brief lawmakers in Annapolis.
Federal funding could also help pay for a tracking system. Grasmick said Maryland is far behind other states in having a common database that tracks both students and teachers, and she said she hopes to get such a system in place quickly.
"We are working on it in a robust way," Grasmick said. "In this regard, we are not as competitive as other states."
One part of such a system, providing an identifying number that stays with students through college, has been initiated, but the state does not track teachers in a similar manner. Although a touchy issue for unions, many states can track the success of a teacher's students, or they can see whether the students of teachers who got a particular kind of training did better on tests.
