Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush, who represents much of central St. Lawrence County, is co-sponsoring a bill to eliminate the “Common Core State Standards Initiative.”

The Common Core State Standards Initiative is an effort led by federal and state governments that established a single set of clear educational standards for kindergarten through 12th grade in English and mathematics.

The bill, introduced in June and referred to the Education Committee, says that “the Department (of education) shall discontinue implementation of the common core state standards developed by the common core state standards initiative. any action taken to adopt or implement the common core state standards are void.

The new standards have been opposed by unions, criticized by teachers, and tough on students. They were adopted by the majority of states, including New York as part of the federal “Race to the Top” initiative.

The standards were designed to ensure that students graduating from high school would be prepared to enter college programs or the workforce.

In a recent assessment test under the new standards the vast majority of students across failed to achieve “proficient levels.”

Blankenbush represents the 117th Assembly District, which includes the St. Lawrence County towns of DeKalb, Gouverneur, Hermon, Russell, Edwards, Fowler and Pitcairn.

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