Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas last week announced that, following an Arizona State Board of Education vote of 6-2, Arizona schools are officially cutting ties with Common Core standards.

“Today’s action means that Arizona is once again in control of its standards, which is a key step as we work together to improve education in our state,” Douglas said after the Oct. 26 announcement.

“While the current standards for English language arts and mathematics will remain in place pending modification by the board, this decision gives us the flexibility to make the standards more rigorous and will give us the ability to tailor them to the unique needs of our students.”

During the Oct. 28 Fountain Hills Unified School District Governing Board meeting, Superintendent Dr. Patrick Sweeney explained that Douglas’ announcement is not as drastic as it may first appear.

“The most important thing to understand is that this was intended as a primarily symbolic vote,” Sweeney said.

“It states explicitly that standards will remain in place, so the notion that everything is now gone is not accurate.”

As for what the future of Arizona standards looks like, Sweeney said he is not expecting drastic changes.

“We still have our standards and our teachers are using those to guide their curriculum, so it’s we’re in normal business operations here,” Sweeney added.

With Common Core causing some confusion/frustration on a national level, Sweeney said that Douglas’ announcement simply states that Arizona is separating itself from the national standards that have been in a state of flux.

According to Douglas, last week’s vote may not have an immediate impact, but it will help change the future of education in Arizona.

“It is significant to me that despite our differences, we were able to come together in support of Arizona parents and students,” Douglas said.

“At the same time, Gov. Doug Ducey has stated he is open to revisiting his K-12 funding plan and the Legislature appears close to resolving the education funding lawsuit.

“I’m convinced that, while opinions on details may differ, all Republican leaders in Arizona are pulling together to move Arizona’s education system in the right direction.”