Marciano Urges Beverly Forum on Common Core

Marciano Urges Beverly Forum on Common Core

Rick Marciano 2014 candidate for State Representative is calling on the Beverly School Committee, all City Councilors, Mayor Mike Cahill, State Representative Jerald Parisella and State Senator Joan Lovely to convene an informational presentation on Common Core. This action is needed, he claims, “in light of a very important resolution passed the day after the election (11/5/14) by the Massachusetts Association of School Committee (MASC), resolution 7,” which reads:

“Whereas many districts have expressed immense concern relative to our state’s evaluation instruments, and
Whereas assessing student achievement is important to all school districts.
Therefore be it resolved that the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education re-examine Common Core standards and PARCC and conduct further examination of options for a state evaluation and accountability system and to substantially involve educators and school committee members in the process of choosing an assessment instrument, and to refrain from committing to any instrument before this process is complete.”

Marciano highlights that this statement by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education finally expresses real awareness of “an immense concern” which in his view justifies that “not only teachers, but parents and the citizens be invited to the informational Common Core presentation on the pros and cons of Common Core.”

When it comes to overall educational success, Massachusetts is the best in the nation using MCAS. It only makes sense that Beverly as a school district should involve all concerned in conducting further examination of options for a state evaluation and accountability system. The need for presenting the pros and the cons of Common Core and PARCC (the testing of Common Core) is “essential to this exercise. Without it, Beverly will not be present at the table.”