Become part of the movement for unbiased, accessible election information. Donate today.
Massachusetts Ending Common Core Education Standards Initiative (2016)
| Massachusetts Ending Common Core Education Standards Initiative | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 8, 2016 | |
| Topic Education | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type State statute | Origin Citizens |
| Not on Ballot |
|---|
 |
| This measure was not put on an election ballot |
The Ending Common Core Education Standards Initiative did not make the November 8, 2016, ballot. in Massachusetts as an initiated state statute.
The measure would have removed the statewide Common Core standards for mathematics and English language arts, reverting to the previous curriculum framework. The measure would have also created multiple committees to review each school subject and determine if curriculums measure up to the standards of "the most educationally advanced nations as determined by the Trends in Mathematics and Sciences Study."[1]
Text of the Measure
The full text of the measure read:[1]
| “ | Initiative Petition for a Law Relative to Ending Common Core Education Standards
Be it enacted by the people and their authority: SECTION 1. Notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law to the contrary, the vote taken by the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education on July 21, 2010, to adopt the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and English Language Arts is hereby rescinded. The curriculum frameworks in Mathematics and English Language Arts that were in effect prior to that date are hereby restored. SECTION 2. Section 1D of Chapter 69 is hereby amended in the second paragraph by inserting after the first sentence, the following new sentences: The process shall include committees made up exclusively of public school teachers and academics from private and public colleges and universities established and operated in Massachusetts. The commissioner shall copyright the frameworks, which shall be wholly owned by the department; permission shall be granted to copy any or all parts of these frameworks for non-commercial educational purposes. SECTION 3. Said section 1D of chapter 69 is hereby further amended in the second paragraph by inserting after the third sentence the following new sentences: There shall be three review committees, one for each discipline of math, science and technology and English. Each review committee shall have three members appointed by the governor who shall choose said members from private or public research universities established and operated in Massachusetts for each of the disciplines. For the purposes of this section, a “research university” is any university that awards doctoral degrees in the arts and sciences. Each review committee shall warrant by a two-thirds vote that the frameworks are equivalent to the standards of the most educationally advanced nations as determined by the Trends in Mathematics and Sciences Study. No framework shall be approved by the board without such a warrant. SECTION 4. Section 1I of Chapter 69 is hereby amended in the third paragraph by inserting after the second sentence, the following new sentence: In order to better inform the teachers and administrators about the diagnostic assessments, after the administration of the assessments but before the start of the new school year, the commissioner shall release all of the test items, including questions, constructed responses and essays, for each grade and every subject. SECTION 5. The several provisions of this Act are independent and severable and the invalidity, if any, of any part or feature thereof shall not affect or render the remainder of the Act invalid or inoperative. SECTION 6. This act shall take effect immediately upon becoming law.[2] |
” |
Background
Massachusetts was one of the first states to adopt Common Core. In 2010, the standards were implemented partly as a means to try to win federal funds.[3]
Opposition developed soon after the standards were adopted, claiming that Common Core had weakened strong curricula that had already existed in Massachusetts.[3]
Support
The END Common Core Massachusetts campaign led the support for the measure.
Supporters
- Common Core Forum[4]
Arguments in favor
Donna Colorio, chair of the END Common Core Massachusetts campaign and a member of the Worcester School Committee, argued:[5]
| “ | Frustrated teachers and parents all over the Commonwealth signed this petition and thanked us for working to restore education excellence back into the classroom. The mandate is obvious. Common Core is wrong for Massachusetts. The time has come to stop this educational experiment on our kids and End Common Core in Massachusetts.[2] | ” |
Bill Gillmeister, treasurer of the END Common Core Massachusetts campaign, said,[6]
| “ | We've had very positive responses from a bi-partisan group of legislators, Democrats and Republicans. I've yet to encounter any that truly believe Common Core is good for MA schools.[2] | ” |
Dave McGeney, member of the Peabody School Committee, said,[7]
| “ | The argument to stay the course on Common Core because we’ve wasted millions on it already is ridiculous. ... Using that logic, we should add two more lanes to the infamous Bridge to Nowhere in Alaska.[2] | ” |
Opposition
Opponents
- Robert Antonucci, former president of Fitchburg State University[8]
- Committee to Protect Educational Excellence in Massachusetts[8]
Arguments against
Dinh Phan, a Massachusetts resident, said,[9]
| “ | I personally don’t think that ending Common Core is the solution. [The solution to the issues with Common Core is] about greater transparency between different stakeholders in education, like having more conversations, and having school leaders be really clear about how these standards are improving student learning.[2] | ” |
Marty Walsh, mayor of Boston, said at a public hearing hosted by the Joint Committee on Education:[7]
| “ | [The measure] would disrupt district efforts to upgrade instructional programs [and require] substantial additional spending by the state and by local school districts.[2] | ” |
Robert Antonucci, former president of Fitchburg State University, said,[8]
| “ | Massachusetts sits at or near the top of virtually every ranking in student performance. You can't argue with the results we've had. ... I don't think decisions should be made at the ballot box about what is taught in school. ... That's why we have school committees, boards of education, teachers, and superintendents.[2] | ” |
Rep. Alice Peisch (D-Wellesley) said,[10]
| “ | If that ballot question were to pass, that is six years of work that will be irrelevant. ... You hear a lot of comment on these standards that, I believe, is not accurate. I think it would be a huge mistake for a ballot question to determine what our students learn.[2] | ” |
Polls
| Massachusetts Removal of Common Core | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Support | Oppose | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||||||
| UMass Amherst 2/19/2016 - 2/25/2016 | 53.0% | 22.0% | 25.0% | +/-4.1 | 891 | ||||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
Path to the ballot
Supporters had until December 2, 2015, to submit at least 64,750 valid signatures. A total of 76,016 signatures were submitted to the secretary of state's office and were certified mid-December 2015. Next, the proposal was put before the Legislature. May 3, 2016, was the deadline for the legislature to take action on the initiative.[11][12]
The legislature did not enact this initiative. To qualify it for the November 2016 election ballot, petitioners needed to collect another 10,792 signatures and submit them to local clerks by about June 22, 2016, so that the petitions could be submitted to the state by a legal deadline on July 6, 2016.[13]
Supporters submitted 30,000 signatures to local clerks on June 22, 2016, but a Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling on July 1, 2016, said that the measure dealt with more than one subject, removing it from consideration for the ballot.[14][15] The supporting group, End Common Core Massachusetts, said it was considering its options, but Donna Colorio, a volunteer with the organization, said all legal options had been “exhausted.”[16]
Lawsuit
A coalition of education and business leaders filed a lawsuit against the Massachusetts Attorney General with the Supreme Judicial Court on January 22, 2016. Plaintiffs claim the measure was formatted incorrectly and contained unrelated subjects, which violates the state constitution. Donna Colorio, a lead supporter of the initiative, called the challenge weak and said opponents are "grasping at straws."[17][18][19]
Attorney General Maura Healey defended her certification in a 45-page response. In it, she said that the formatting error did not change the core message of the petition. She said, "The attorney general’s certification of the petition should not be quashed on the basis of a tiny technical flaw in its enacting style."[20] Further, Healey said that the subjects contained in the measure fall under a single subject, "the general field of public education."[20] Her entire brief can be read here.
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled on July 1, 2016, that a section of the potential measure contained more than one distinct subject.[15]
State profile
| Demographic data for Massachusetts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 6,784,240 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 7,800 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 79.6% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 7.1% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 6% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.2% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.9% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 10.6% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 89.8% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 40.5% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $68,563 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 13.1% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Massachusetts. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
Massachusetts voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
More Massachusetts coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Massachusetts
- United States congressional delegations from Massachusetts
- Public policy in Massachusetts
- Endorsers in Massachusetts
- Massachusetts fact checks
- More...
See also
- 2016 ballot measures
- Massachusetts 2016 ballot measures
- Laws governing the initiative process in Massachusetts
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Massachusetts Secretary of State, "Initiative Petition for a Law Relative to Ending Common Core Education Standards," accessed November 11, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 New Boston Post, "Pearson exec slams opponents of Common Core as supporters head to court to prevent Mass. vote," January 28, 2016
- ↑ Gloucester Times, "Common Core supporters vow to fight ballot question," March 22, 2016
- ↑ Worcester Magazine, "Ballot initiative signatures against Common Core headed to Boston," December 2, 2015
- ↑ END Common Core Massachusetts, "End Common Core MA Ballot Question Moves Forward," December 22, 2015
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 New Boston Post, "Charter cap, Common Core weighed by lawmakers," March 7, 2016
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Sentinel & Enterprise, "Antonucci to lead push to save Common Core," March 25, 2016
- ↑ The Daily Free Press, "Ballot measures ready for action from Legislature," December 3, 2015
- ↑ Telegram, "Common Core critics push for stronger education standards," April 26, 2016
- ↑ The Millbury Sutton Chronicle, "Major signature hurdle cleared by seven ballot question campaigns," accessed December 23, 2015
- ↑ The Boston Herald, "Ballot initiative supporters face key deadline," November 29, 2015
- ↑ Sentinel & Enterprise, "New signature deadline in Mass. for ballot question backers," May 4, 2016
- ↑ MassLive.com, "Questions on marijuana, education, farm animals likely to make November ballot," June 22, 2016
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Sentinel and Enterprise, "Top court derails Common Core standards ballot question," July 1, 2016
- ↑ New Boston Post, "Future unclear for Massachusetts Common Core opponents after court ruling," July 8, 2016
- ↑ New Boston Post, "Common Core supporters sue to prevent vote," January 25, 2016
- ↑ Gloucester Times, "Common Core ballot fight heads to court," January 26, 2016
- ↑ Education Week, "Group Sues to Prevent Common Core Question on Massachusetts Ballot," January 27, 2016
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 New Boston Post, "Mass AG dishes back on Common Core supporters’ lawsuit," April 13, 2016
 |
State of Massachusetts Boston (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |
