Donna Garner recently sent me this email containing what she called English Success Standards.

“Oak, attached are the English Success Standards. This document is free for the taking, and any and all may use whatever out of this document they so choose.  There is no copyright or attribution necessary. This document is the only standards document in the entire U. S. that was written by classroom teachers for classroom teachers.  The writers of this document were all practicing classroom teachers at the time they wrote their document.”

Did you catch that? Practicing teachers wrote them, not non-practicing, non-teachers like David Coleman, architect of Common Core. They are developmentally appropriate and high level.

If you want to read an analysis on these standards, read here. Download link is below.

http://www.educationviews.org/proposed-nebraska-english-standards

A year ago, Dr. Sandra Stotsky, a long time critic of Common Core standards, released an ELA framework for use in schools, districts, and states, for free. Dr. Stotsky is well known for her participation in crafting the excellent 2001 ELA standards for Massachusetts and how those standards eventually ranked MA as one of the very best states in the country on standardized tests. She revised these standards and released them for free as well.

If you are new to this site, please make it a priority to read this post on what valid high quality alternatives we have to Common Core. This link contains both math and ELA information, but I will briefly summarize our high-quality ELA standards options below.

https://www.utahnsagainstcommoncore.com/a-common-core-replacement-plan/

Utah’s High Quality ELA Options

1. We could use the English Success Standards and modify them with the help of some Utah teachers to make them uniquely ours. (view and download here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/208363184/English-Success-Standards-K-12)
2. We could use Dr. Sandra Stotsky’s 2013 revised MA standards which are perhaps the premier standards available for use. (view and download here: http://www.uaedreform.org/wp-content/uploads/2000/01/Stotsky-Optional_ELA_standards.pdf)
3. We could take up Dr. Stotsky on her very generous offer to the Utah state legislature to come to Utah for free and work with Utah teachers to create the best standards in the nation. (https://www.utahnsagainstcommoncore.com/sandra-stotsky-offers-utah-the-best-ela-standards-in-the-nation/)

Three awesome options at the best price available. Free.

I recommend you download a copy of Dr. Stotsky’s 2013 standards for safe keeping, and then let legislators know there is a free set of standards Utah could adopt that would make us the envy of the nation in a short time.

Imagine Utah having the best standards in the nation, and teachers free from the red tape, data tracking, etc…, free to teach children and look at the needs of the individual instead of the collective. Keep that vision and get on the email list at www.AgencyBasedEducation.org. It’s a very low volume email list for an organization with a unique vision of education.