ACT Is Not The Way...

Because there will never be a legislative session begin without some kind of liberty emergency (apparently; see here and here), we're starting right away with a considerable threat to our state sovereignty brought about by a challenge to HB3399 - the bill to stop Common Core in Oklahoma.

The threat results from a kind of two-prong legislative approach. One comes from Senator John Ford through his bill SB707 and Senator Clark Jolley's bill SB784.

Senator Ford's bill says this (Section 2B1, page 4, lines 22-24)

The subject matter standards and corresponding student assessments for English Language Arts and Mathematics shall be solely approved and controlled by the state through the State Board of Education, and the corresponding student assessments for English Language Arts and Mathematics shall be solely approved by the state through the State Board of Education.

When reading a bill, understand that crossed-through text is being DELETED and underlined text is being ADDED. So what does this bill now do? The worst possible thing it could do - it puts into place the ability to use Common Core-aligned tests by removing the "corresponding student assessments" language present in the original bill. Now, standards do not have to CORRESPOND to the tests. We specifically asked for this language as whatever is TESTED is TAUGHT. We believed that if we tied the standards to the tests and the standards COULDN'T be Common Core, than neither could the tests. Ford's bill detaches the standards from the tests. This will allow Common Core-aligned tests back into use though the Common Core standards have been removed by law.

Senator Jolley's bill says this (Section 1B, lines 14-22)

Prior to the 2017-2018 school year, the State Board of Education shall consider and review a standards-based system of assessment that monitors progress toward college and career readiness for grades three through ten. Should the system of assessments align with eighty percent (80%) of the standards adopted pursuant to Section 11-103.6a of this title, the State Board of Education shall be authorized to use the system of assessments in lieu of the assessments otherwise required by this section. 

This is a problem for this reason: if Ford's bill passes, any Common Core-aligned test may be used by the state to test students. If it doesn't pass, Jolley's bill says that tests only have to be 80% aligned to standards.

So?

Enter the ACT. For months and months we have heard school administrators (and a few legislators) say they wanted to do away with EOI's and use the ACT. The argument has extended to the notion that we should do away with other K-12 tests and use the ACT because it is "college and career ready" and could be used to make sure students are on track to graduate as early as 3rd grade. Obviously, the high school tests could be used as an exit exam of sorts as it is taken by thousands of students prior to graduation in order to use the results on college entrance applications.

Here's the problem with ACT. It is Common Core aligned. Yes, ACT has a number of products - not just one test - but apparently, they are if not fully aligned, somewhat aligned to Common Core. I have done all kinds of internet searches on "ACT Common Core Aligned" and found numerous articles substantiating this claim.

ACT says, about its ACT Aspire product (under features),

• Alignment with Common Core State Standards and ACT College Readiness Benchmarks

Now, again, there are many other ACT products, but from researching their website and from reading articles about their new 'direction', it is clear that ACT products are either fully aligned or somewhat aligned.

ACT reviews the ACT College and Career Readiness Standards regularly as part of an ongoing validity process. That process, which includes analysis of the results of the 2012 ACT National Curriculum Survey^®, showed us there was a need to reformat our standards to reflect more of the language of the many sets of college and career readiness standards being used by states (of which the Common Core State Standards are one).

It's nearly impossible to say how much aligned ACT is with Common Core anymore, because the URL on their website that addresses Common Core (https://www.act.org/commoncore/) is not viewable. I found it inside an article, (HB5 and The Path To Common Core) while searching (as I mentioned above) and was surprised when I couldn't view it in my web browser.

Thank goodness I take LOTS of screenshots since all of these pages have been scrubbed from the ACT website:

 In addition, an article in the Daily Signal (Common Core: Homeschoolers Face New Questions on College Admissions) says,

In 2010, the ACT also released "The Alignment of Common Core and ACT's College and Career Readiness System" which offers assurance that the "ACT pledges to work with other stakeholders to develop strategies and solutions that maximize the coverage of the Common Core State Standards to meet the needs of states, districts, schools and students."

Please note, when you click on the link provided in the article, it goes to a broken link on the ACT website.

Bob Lang, the Director of the Wisconson Legislative Fiscal Bureau, in a document the subject of which was tagged, "2013 Act 20 Fiscal Estimate of Implementation or Rejection of Common Core Standards" writes,

According to ACT and the College Board, both the ACT and SAT, as well as the PSAT and Advanced Placement tests, align to a large degree with the common core.

And so it goes. ACT - just like SAT - will now test Common Core Standards. Certainly, this was one reason ROPE opposed the Common Core in the FIRST place - alignment of states to one set of standards tends to (and does) restrict heterogeneity so that everything from curricula to tests become sodden with "Common Core State Standards"-aligned material.

It seems reasonable here to assume that, as David Coleman (the author of Common Core) moved to the College Board from Student Achievement Partners (a division of Achieve) and began aligning the SAT (and AP courses) with the Common Core, ACT felt it had to "Join Or Die". It began diligently aligning the ACT to the Common Core to keep pace with its competitor. Once the roar of parental voices against Common Core became a din, ACT began re-thinking its move to alignment. Unable to completely re-write their tests again (a very expensive proposition) they simply, quietly, removed many of the red arrows pointing to the change in test structure for those looking at their product.

Consequently, while ACT may not appear as aligned to Common Core as SAT, the signs, statements and indications are all there that alignment has been made. This may be the exact reason for the wording of Senator Jolley's bill - 20% alignment to Common Core may be all that's necessary to pull Common Core back into Oklahoma. After all, we've not yet created Oklahoma's standards. Having the ability to use a Common Core aligned test already in STATE LAW, could it be out of the realm of possibility that Oklahoma's new standards could fall in line?

Here's the most important part of this post (possibly!). There are OTHER testing companies out there that provide tests geared toward state specifications - as well as out-of-the-box tests - that are NOT aligned to Common Core. Two of these are the Iowa Tests and the Stanford Tests. Both of these companies should be solicited to present their products before the state board. It could only serve to educate Board members, administrators and parents as to the other possibilities in the testing world.

Superintendent Hofmeister has started off her tenure well. We certainly intend to continue supporting her and working with her to the best of our abilities, we just believe research isn't a bad thing, and providing that research in order to help inform decisions can't be a bad thing either.

MORE:
Adding a few more links with information indicating ACT is Common Core aligned.

Standardized Testing in Alabama and Nationwide Thomas Rains, Policy Director December 2013

Student's Scores Low Under New State Test

College and Career Prep To Start In The Third Grade

Current Status Of Common Core Legislation (3/7/2014)

We started the legislative session in Oklahoma with 7 bills relating to Common Core.  I documented all the bills and gave a brief synopsis prior to the legislative session, however, now here we are - not even half way through the legislative session and we're already down to ONLY three survivors:

1. HB3399 by Speaker of the House Jeff Hickman (formerly Jason Nelson)
2. HB3167 by Gus Blackwell and
3. SB1310 by Eddie Fields

• SB1310 was the only bill by Fields to pass out of the Senate Education Committee (he had two - SB1146 was a repeal bill - SB1310 is a Task Force Bill).  Unfortunately - as I told Senator Ford - we have studied Common Core in some capacity for two separate years (2011, 2013), there is absolutely no reason to 'study' it further.  This bill is alive and scheduled for a vote in the full Senate.

• HB3167 is a full repeal bill that provides six years in which districts may try any form of standards and curricula they desire.  A Fiscal Analysis has been attached to the bill that states a repeal could result in a significant loss of federal funds.

• HB3399 as currently written does a number of things:

• It prevents the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) or any state entity or agency from ceding control over standards, curricula, tests or data to an outside entity, ie; the federal government or private entity.

• It forces the state agencies and individuals that are party to federal grants, agreements or contracts having to do with public education to amend the agreements to get out of them.

• It STOPS Common Core AND Common Core testing implementation for two years.

There has been much confusion regarding these bills.  This morning I was talking to the creator of Bartians for Academic Freedom, Joy Collins.  Below, I am pasting a section from her Facebook page today because she has so aptly described the situation there is no need for me to reinvent the wheel:

HB 3167 - Removes the state mandate and leaves a choice for the schools to keep the standards in place (personally I don't see my school district removing them, how about yours? And does this end the nightmare of the ACT and the SAT?) I acknowledge it is a start, but it is not an complete answer to our prayers. There will be a lot work left to do.

My cousin, who teaches in Texas, has been dealing with C-Scope (the evil step sister of Common Core) in her classroom, and she can attest that just because the state removes the mandate, doesn't mean the standards go anywhere. Her school district holds the opinion that they have spent too much money and aren't getting rid of C-Scope in the schools.

HB 3399 - Freezes the mandate for implementation for two years, removes the Common Core testing mandate, and puts the PASS assessments back in place until 2016-2017, and prevents federal intervention in state education. If PASS is the test, then PASS will more than likely the be curriculum. It gives us the opportunity to see the lame ducks go, vote for people who reflect our ideals into office, and get rid of this horse manure once and for all. 

Some say, Governor Fallin wants to sign HB 3399 to be a hero in her campaign for reelection. I say…praise God! With more time we will continue to educate and get better legislation in place. Whoever thought this would this would be short journey clearly didn't pack enough clothes. In the meantime, as we continue to educate and demonstrate. We must also quit assuming we know what is going on with politicians behind closed doors. A little less he said/she said would go a long way. Who knows, maybe with a little authoritative prayer, Governor Mary Fallin might just come through for us. I am only a political novice who is learning by the day, but slandering any politician without clear evidence weakens our movement and cheapens our integrity.

We agree!  Is the issue STOPPING Common Core or backing a bill number?  ROPE has been lobbying, studying, writing, and speaking all over the state to anyone who would listen in order to STOP Common Core, since 2011.  We will back ANY legislation that STOPS Common Core BEFORE it is fully implemented in Oklahoma by law next year.

Unfortunately, Common Core is like a hydra. There are way too many heads to cut off by a simple repeal.  In addition, Governor Mary Fallin, is the head of the National Governor's Association.  She has touted these standards as an accountability measure since she came into office.  According to a conversation Joy had with the Governor last night - where a group staged a protest outside her new campaign office in Tulsa - our Governor believes her Executive Order on Common Core STOPS Common Core.  Of course it does nothing of the kind, however, we have also been told she will VETO any Common Core repeal bill - especially if there is a negative fiscal impact.

We understand from numerous sources who have been to the capitol, that Katie Altshuler (the Governor's Policy Director over education) has been speaking directly to legislators - lobbying against efforts to STOP COMMON CORE.

ROPE has ALWAYS determined to assist parents in their efforts to protect their children and retain their parental rights by STOPPING Common Core, whatever that looks like, whatever the bill number is, whomever is the author. If a bill can be cobbled together that will not only pass the Senate from the House but be SIGNED by the Governor - we're IN - but it will take a UNIFIED voice to get there.  

If you want to STOP Common Core, continue to help us with emails to Katie Altshuler's office, YOUR PERSONAL Senator and Representative and the Governor.  Sign up for our emails. We will give you ideas as to how to take action.  Thank you for ANY assistance in our battle to STOP Common Core in Oklahoma!

Oklahoma Legislative Education Leaders Take Advantage of Free Boston Trip Sponsored by Jeb Bush Foundation

The picture from the Foundation for Excellence in Education (FEE) website above missed the text below:

On October 17-18, 2013, Governor Jeb Bush and the Foundation for Excellence in Education hosted the 2013 National Summit on Education Reform in Boston, MA. As the Foundation’s flagship initiative, the National Summit on Education Reform annually convenes the best and brightest from around the world to share strategies to improve the quality of education for all children, everywhere. This one-stop shop of policies and practices offers an opportunity for lawmakers, policymakers and advocates to learn the nuts and bolts of reform.

That many Oklahoma State Department of Education employees would be attending a Jeb Bush function isn't shocking.  The OSDE has made Jeb Bush's foundation their one stop shop for nearly every education 'reform' made in Oklahoma, though, like so many other Republicans, Bush is merely pushing the Obama Administration's vision for remaking public education in America.  This section of the website devoted to last year's 'summit' lists the sponsors of this wonderful event - a veritable who's who in the world that is now education corporate cronyism at its best; PEARSON, Microsoft, Exxon-Mobile and K12 (of course), as well as State Farm and Target among others.

When we found pictures of the event posted on OSDE Board Member Amy Ford's Facebook page recently, however, we thought the public at large might be interested.

This is our state Superintendent - one of Jeb Bush's Chiefs For Change - wining and dining with the sponsor.

Here we have Senator John Ford, Chairman of the Senate Education Committee, Representative Ann Coody, Chairman of the House Education Committee, our Superintendent, OSDE General Counsel Kim Richey and OSDE Board member, Amy Ford enjoying an evening visit to Fenway Park.

In this picture Stand For Children CEO Brian Hunt and Stand staffer Martin Ramirez frame Richey and Ford.

Senator Clark Jolley, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Ford enjoy the view from Fenway's upper deck.

This is most concerning for this reason.  This trip was made possible by 'scholarships' (yes, FEE refers to them as 'scholarships') from FEE.  The THREE PRIMARY SOURCES OF BLOCKED COMMON CORE BILLS were given all expense paid trips to Boston to hear 2 days worth of information about Common Core - among other education reforms being pushed into Oklahoma from outside her borders via the benefits of big money, private foundations.  Senator Jolley was there to speak on a panel discussing the A-F grading system.

Because I think Senator Ford is a kind, decent person, I contacted him for his comments about these photos and asked him about the trip.  He told me he went on a 'scholarship' because the state did not pay for such travel expenses anymore and it was important for him to attend certain conferences.

I told him this looked as though he was accepting favors - how odd for all the primary players to be 'scholarshipped' to such a meeting.  He told me his mind was made up about Common Core after visiting with some superintendents and this trip in no way influenced his thought process on the topic.  In fact, he told me that he could go to lunch with a lobbyist one day and vote against their bill the next.

This frustrates me for two reasons:

1. ROPE has assisted in now two separate Interim Studies on Common Core, the last in October of last year.  Senator Ford never took the FREE TRIP across the rotunda from the senate to sit in on a single one of these study days - nor did Representative Coody - nor did Senator Jolley - nor did Board Member Amy Ford.  Apparently we didn't have the funds to 'scholarship' these voices FOR the people of our state across the rotunda - or maybe our opinions don't COUNT because we don't have the BUSH name on our letterhead and multimillions in backing.
2. Stand for Children has pushed Common Core into Oklahoma through bright shiny mailers, using Kentucky's cherry-picked numbers with money supplied by Bill Gates.  ROPE doesn't have the kind of money Gates and Bush has to influence votes?  Is that why our bills are getting BLOCKED in the Senate?

Interestingly, within the last several days, Oklahomans have found that Senator Rob Johnson attended a seminar in Las Vegas sponsored by FairVote - a group that wants to establish the National Popular Vote.  Johnson went on to sponsor the bill that was passed out of the Senate. Representative Tom Newell and Senator John Sparks both attended seminars in Miami.  The article goes on to say,

Because the trips were not funded by lobbyists or the companies that employ them, there is no requirement that the lawmakers disclose the travel and lodging, said Lee Slater, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Ethics Commission. 

As a taxpayer I am outraged.  Why does the state even have lobbying rules if lobbyists can just decide they don't want to be called lobbyists and work their money magic via PHILANTHROPY?

We can only take Senator Ford at his word, not knowing what's in his heart, however, this entire trip looks very, very bad and it feels like us plain old regular taxpaying citizens got thrown under the bus yet again.


ADDENDUM: 3/2/14
Apparently, Jeb Bush's Foundation for Excellence in Education was named  in an IRS complaint filed by a progressive organization in New Mexico in October of last year.  Though many will chafe at the complaint source, the complaint itself appears to cover exactly the issues we have addressed here and those are certainly valid - no matter your side of the isle:

The unorthodox manner of these scholarships—and the fact that they are used as a vehicle to meet with for-profit education corporations—further raises suspicions around the Foundation's failure to properly disclose payment of travel expenses in 2010 and 2011. Additionally, it is possible these unreported payments to the government officials may be deemed to provide a private inurement in violation of IRS regulations.

--------------------------
Though the State Department of Education makes SNAIL MAIL the only way possible to get in touch with State Board members, I have linked each individual to their state page in the event you would like to contact them and ask these individuals why they could attend an out of state meeting paid for in full by the organization sponsoring the meeting, but couldn't walk for free across the rotunda or down the hall to any of the Interim Studies we worked so hard to present.

A Brief Conversation With John Ford

Yesterday, I got a rather large surprise when I retrieved a call from Senator John Ford on my voice mail.  Of course I returned the call immediately.  He had been kind enough to call and ask whether or not he could pass on my cell phone number to a reporter from OETA in Tulsa, who was doing a story on Common Core.

I told him I appreciated his call, and certainly he could give out my number.  Now, mind you, we have never been able to say anything unkind about Senator Ford on a personal level.  He has never been unkind to us.  In fact, he has invited us into his office to discuss Common Core and was perfectly kind during that time (and times I've seen him outside his office - like at Sam's!).  He is not mean or ugly - or even really dismissive - he has just made it always painfully clear that he would not hear any bills relating to Common Core.

This, is OBVIOUSLY frustrating.  Truly, if Senator Ford were ugly, or obnoxious about it, one could gather that this kind of intractability was due to personal, political gain, or payback (ie; I am loyal to the governor and she'll be loyal to me if I tow the line).  Yet, Senator Ford is cordial nearly to a fault.

Of course, there was no way I was not going to pepper the Senator with questions while I had him on the phone, so - very courteously and in an almost playful tone - I got in several questions.  I am going to share those and the answers with you.

1.  How do you like your cookie bouquets Senator?

They are very nice, but I am giving them to the Pages.  (He went on to explain that they get a lot of cookies - like on Homeschool day - and he just can't eat them all.)

2.  But are you getting the message Senator?

I am hearing the message.

3.  So, are you going to hear the Common Core bills this session?  It truly stifles Representative government when the bills cannot even get a hearing.

You are welcome to come talk to me about this any time.

4.  So you'd like us to come into the office?

You are welcome in my office any time.

Now, I'm old and have 50 things going on at one time and I was in the car with two of the kids when I had this conversation, so I'm sure there was a bit more to it than this, but this was the bottom line.

Truly, if he had four heads and screamed at me (like another Senator I know), I could really feel much freer to dig into the guy, but he doesn't do that!  It's probably more frustrating because of this.  This is - by all appearance - a very nice man...WHY WON'T HE HEAR THE BILLS?  He wouldn't give an answer.  I just literally can't get my brain around this.  The Senate may not pass the bills off the floor, but WHY NOT HEAR THE BILLS?

Continue to watch for information from those in your area that are leaders on this issue.  We will not give up.  We can be as persistent as Senator Ford can be cordial!  We MUST stop Common Core in Oklahoma!  Continue the calls, do whatever it takes, but for Heaven's sake, BE KIND!

*Kudos go out to Owasso's Kristal Piccolet for the whole cookie bouquet idea!  Great thinking out of the box!  At least he's having to think about it even if he gives them away!

Oklahoma Politics and The Common Core - Part 1

As we approach this upcoming legislative season, we must have a basic understanding of the Oklahoma political waters if we are to understand the possibility of repealing Common Core.


First, let's review the political landscape:
Saturday, January 18, 2014, the Oklahoma GOP State Committee adopted a resolution against Common Core, which included a direction to Floor Leaders of both the House and Senate to schedule any Common Core bills that pass committee for legislative hearing.  Though the National Republican Committee passed a similar resolution and the Oklahoma GOP includes their disdain of the Common Core in their platform, grassroots Republicans, tired of having their protestations appear to fall on deaf ears, packed the Committee meeting until there was standing room only, simply for a chance to make their voices heard on the issue by the majority party.

GOVERNOR FALLIN

• Governor Fallin is head of the National Governor's Association (NGA).  The NGA is partnered with every other private organization funded by the Bill Gates Foundation (CCSSO, Achieve, The National Chamber of Commerce).

• Governor Fallin has her OWN initiative as the NGA Chairman - America Works: Education and Training for Tomorrow's Jobs - which resurrects the School-to-Work model of educating children for jobs.

• Though Fallin produced an Executive Order (2013-40) which addressed Common Core, the document merely served to notify Oklahomans of her resolve to continue use of the Common Core, while offering little more than platitudes to constituents concerned about protection from Federal strings and student data collection.

• According to Pat McGuigan, longtime Oklahoma journalist, Mary Fallin has a 70% approval rating.

• According to Follow The Money, Fallin raised over 4 million dollars for her campaign against Jeri Askins in 2010 and has a bit over 2 million now.  With her new powerful out of state friends (not including her top in state donors, Chesapeake and Devon), her war chest will be amazing.

• Fallin has no Democratic challenger currently, but she does have a PRIMARY Challenger in Randy Brogdon who fought her in 2010, leaving Fallin with 55% of the vote.

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE T.W. SHANNON

• T.W. Shannon has been the go-to cover boy of nearly every Oklahoma organizational magazine since his election by the House last year, lauded by FOX news and Red State as Oklahoma's "Rising Political Star".

• Landing a speaker birth at CPAC in 2013, fairly well cast in stone T.W.'s meteoric rise as a public figure.

• Though Representative Gus Blackwell had every reason to believe T.W. Shannon would allow a hearing of his early-in-session-2013 bill requesting a task force to study the costs of the Common Core after it sailed through Committee without a single 'no' vote, the bill was not allowed to move to the Floor Calendar Committee.  Later, Shannon allowed Representative Blackwell a House Interim Study that took on all aspects of the Common Core.

• Though early in his tenure Speaker Shannon appeared to ride the rapids of Common Core, he suddenly overturned his kayak and began to swim upstream, Tweeting out and Facebooking messages that pointed to 'federal intrusion' with Common Core and the idea that he was not very comfortable with the initiative after all.

• Late in the session (2013), Shannon worked with Representative Dennis Casey to add anti-Common Core language to a House bill headed for the Senate Budget Committee, over which State Senator Clark Jolley presides. Unfortunately, the actual language of this addition was never made public, and there was some confusion regarding the actual bill to which it was attached.  

SENATE PRESIDENT PRO TEMP BRIAN BINGMAN

• Senator Bingman makes his living in oil and gas.

• Senator Bingman was elected in 2006.  This means he was a senator under the leadership of a Democratic governor while part of a Republican legislative majority.  One could possibly assume a posture of loyalty to current Republican leadership

• Last year, Bingman told Pat McGuigan at Capitol Beat - when asked about the intensity of the fight in the House against the initiative, "The discussion on Common Core has been more ‘elevated’ than in the Senate.” Bingman noted that Senate Education Chairman John Ford supports the Common Core. However, he added, “There are some concerns about implementation and costs.” 

• Recently, at a Chamber of Commerce sponsored legislative breakfast (1/13/2013) Senator Bingman told the crowd that, although he was for Common Core, he didn't want the federal government intervening in the standards.

THE OKLAHOMA HOUSE

• We have worked with House members since 2010 and have some good relationships there.

• Many House members - after initially knowing little to nothing about Common Core like an overwhelming majority of legislators all over the country that passed them into law or school code - have become very well-educated on the topic over the years.

• Currently, there appears to be significant support for overturning the measure within this body.

• Representative Ann Coody is still the head of the Common Education Committee.  A bill to repeal the Common Core was filed in the House by Representative Sally Kern in 2011.  Chairman Coody refused to hear it in Common Ed.  Since it wasn't heard, Rep. Kern re-filed the bill in 2012.  AGAIN Rep. Coody refused to allow the bill a hearing, this time saying that since Senator John Ford wouldn't hear it in the Senate Education Committee, there was no reason for her to hear the bill either.

• We can only hope Coody has been enlightened by the number of phone calls this past summer/fall telling her exactly what we've told her the past 3 years.  Will she have been 'enlightened' enough to be willing to at least grant Common Core bills a hearing in her committee?

THE OKLAHOMA SENATE

• We have not worked with members of the Senate as we have with members of the House.  We know most all senators at some level, but we have really good relationships with a much smaller percentage.

• Several Senators can be key here this year.  Senator David Holt (he used to be my senator but is still Lynn's) has always been good to hear us on this issue and take time to discuss our thoughts.  He is on the Education Committee.  Senator Ron Sharp (now my Senator) is also on the Education Committee and, as a former educator, is very much against the Common Core.

• Several influential senators can also be key for proponents.  Though both are term limited, Senator Clark Jolley (head of the Senate Appropriations Committee) and Senator John Ford (head of the Senate Education Committee) are both extremely loyal to both Governor Fallin and State Superintendent Janet Barresi and have both echoed their support for the Common Core on a regular basis - no matter constituent calls to the contrary.  

• Senator Jolley has been heard saying that anyone opposed to Common Core is "smoking crack" and Common Core opponents believe "Obama wrote the Common Core on the grassy knoll".  

• Senator Ford has been credited with saying - even before start of the 2014 session - that he will refuse a hearing for any Common Core bills in the Education Committee.  This is nothing new.  He was extremely vocal about Kern's bill in both 2011 and 2012, saying that, even if the bill should pass a floor vote, he would NEVER hear them in his Committee.

• Dr. Everett Piper, President of Oklahoma Wesleyan University (ranked as #8 by US News and World Report for western regional colleges) has been extremely vocal about his desire to see Common Core go the way of the Dodo.  Oklahoma Wesleyan sits directly in Senator Ford's back yard. 

STATE SUPERINTENDENT JANET BARRESI

• After a first term marked by obfuscation of facts, name-calling, finger-pointing, and an administrative style to rival that of Ho Chi Minh, Dr. Barresi has frustrated, angered and disappointed administrators, teachers and parents alike.  

• Currently, Dr. Barresi has at least 2 primary challenges and 5 or so Democratic opponents.

• Many of the legislators that saw her (the first REPUBLICAN to sit in the Superintendent's seat for 20 years) as the Perseus of the education community, have been so disappointed in her 'reign' that 20 of them have thrown their support behind Republican challenger Joy Hoffmeister.

• Though frequently flaunting her position as a Chief For Change in Jeb Bush's Foundation for Educational Excellence (FEE), an investigation by the Washington Post revealed that Dr. Barresi stamped her name to numerous Oklahoma education 'reform' measures actually written within the FEE in Florida.

So, what does all this mean?  How can we make sense of all this information? I'll get down to brass tacks in Part 2! 

Mary Fallin is 100% Behind Common Core and "it is here to stay!" What Say YOU?

Julia and Lynn and I have often complained of the number of times we have sought a meeting with OUR Governor - Mary Fallin - in order to speak to her about Common Core.  In nearly four years, we've never been 'granted audience'.  We're the only non-profit, mom-centered, education watchdog in the entire state.  You'd think that would mean something, but no.  It seems as though parents who disagree with our Governor (and several other of our elected Republicans) are simply ignored - until election time - that certainly has been my personal experience with our Governor.

It appears, however, that we're not the only ones to find this out.  Following, is the re-telling of an experience one woman had with the Governor's office.  The daughter goes to my church (Fairview Baptist in Edmond - probably another reason we're not heard!) and shared this with me last Sunday:

Jenni, As I was telling you yesterday (10/27/13), my mother called Mary Fallin's office on Wednesday about Common Core & was told she would have to talk to a man named Shawn.  She left a message for him to call her back. He had not called back by Thursday afternoon, & again told them she was calling about Common Core, again the lady told her that she would have to talk to Shawn, that he was in his office & that she would put my mother through to his office, again he did not answer his phone, she left another message, appx 1 hour later he had not called back, so my mom called again, & ask the lady, I thought you said Shawn was in his office, the lady said he was, put my mother on hold, came back in a little bit and told her that Shawn would be calling her back in the next 30 min. Shawn did call back and jumped all over my mother about jumping on the lady at the front desk, when all my mother had done was (ask her if) Shawn was in his office. Then he proceeded to tell my mother that nothing had changed since her call in April, that Common Core had been voted on by the Oklahoma Legislature, that they had been putting it in for the last 2 years, & that Mary Fallin was behind it 100%, that she wanted it and it was here to stay. And that he didn't care who my mother told what Mary Fallin was all for , that it was here to stay, that that information was out there all over the network. I think that once they get Common Core fully into all the schools, next they will start coming into Homeschooler's to demand testing those students, if they don't meet the requirements then they will have to go to governments schools. They DO NOT want any children to to independent or Christian. Thank you, Sandra Vallance.

Here's another accounting from one of my great friends in the Enid area, Mark Irwin of the Sons and Daughters of Liberty:

Governor Fallin held a “meet and greet” here in Enid last Thursday(Oct 24^th) prior to a fundraiser event.  The Governor made 10-15 minutes of remarks on the successes of her administration and recruited for assistance with her re-election campaign.  This was followed by an impromptu questions and answers session.  Here are my recollections of the session:

The first question asked of the Governor was regarding Nullification Bills in the last session of the Legislature.  The questioner pointed out that significant money was raised in the Enid area in support of Nullification ,  primarily from the Governor’s donor base and the effort hit a stone wall in the Senate due to the Chairmen of several committees refusing to hear the bills.  The questioner said she was concerned about the country and felt that the States were the only hope for reigning in Washington.  The Governor replied that the State had petitioned for and received a waiver on one of the Federal grants for education as I recollect and that she was working to gain more latitude for the State to run or comply with Federal programs, but at the end of the day “Federal law is superior to State law”.

The second questioner thanked Governor Fallin for not implementing the State Health Care Exchange, pointed out that the Federal Government was out of control, broke beyond any hope of honestly meeting its obligations, militant abroad and becoming increasing tyrannical at home and that it did not have authority for most of its actions.   In regards to the Governor’s statement about Federal law being superior to State law the questioner challenged that assumption on the grounds that only those Federal laws made in “pursuance to the Constitution” were the law of the land and that we can’t  count on the Federal courts to enforce the Constitution.  He said that it was his opinion that the primary job of the Governor was to protect the Liberties of the citizens of Oklahoma and asked for her thoughts on the subject.   The Governor’s response was fairly long, but basically she said she is a supporter of States Rights and that the State was taking action against Federal overreach and referenced AG Pruitt’s work in the Federal courts.  Governor Fallin acknowledged that the Federal courts don’t always get it right, but we would have to wait and see what the Federal courts decided.

The third questioner asked about reducing State overhead and expenditures, the Governor’s commitment to not expand Medicaid,  and emphasized that the Governor was the only protection the individual citizen has between them and the Federal government.  The questioner also stated that he felt the State should be very wary of taking Federal Funds due to the regulations that always seem to come with them.  Governor Fallin outlined her administrations streamlining of its agencies, inventorying of State property and structures with the idea of selling off excess, and the conversion of State vehicles to CNG fuel as well as a reduction in the number of those vehicles.  The Governor said unequivocally that she would not expand Medicaid.

The fourth questioner asked the Governor if she thought  a State could Nullify an unconstitutional law.  She answered yes, if it was approved by the SCOTUS.  The questioner then asked where in the Constitution does it say that SCOTUS is the final authority on which laws are constitutional.  Governor Fallin replied that she didn’t have her copy of the Constitution with her.  The questioner said that was ok because nowhere in the Constitution does it grant this authority to SCOTUS.  The Governor said she wanted to make sure any actions of the State were legal and that it was her job to enforce the laws.  The questioner replied “exactly”.

At this point the Governor’s aid jumped in and said that it was time to go to their next event which was the fundraiser.  The Governor said her goodbyes, shook hands with most of those in attendance and departed.  I did not attend the fundraiser, but talked with someone that I personally know who did.  He said that a question regarding Nullification/State resistance to Federal laws was asked of the Governor during the event and she replied with words to the effect that the people asking these types of questions are on the “Libertarian faction of the party”.

So, anyone who happens to maintain a Republican voter registration, but actually wants to move the party back to the Reagan Republican years is a LIBERTARIAN?  Really, who cares whether you're a Libertarian or a registered Republican - my kids have a better grasp on the Constitution than our own governor.  I'd rather be a Libertarian than a Republican if all I have for role models are Janet Barresi and Mary Fallin.

The day that we picketed the Governor's opening day of her campaign (10/24/13) at the Oklahoma History center, I gave the blow-by-blow of having the state troopers on standby to haul us off, then, as we were ready to disperse, Mr. Goeas (a man from Maryland who comes to Oklahoma to work Fallin's campaigns for her every year apparently) came over and spoke with Tracey Montgomery, Julia and myself. He told us that he worked for a number of governors and that he understood about the Common Core as it was shaping up to be a factor in some of the races on which he was working (Scott Walker and John Kasich among them). He also told us that the Common Core would have been fine, in his opinion, if it had not been 'hijacked' by the federal government.

After some further back and forth, Mr. Goeas told us that he would set up a meeting for us with Gov. Fallin, but also made sure to tell us to be prepared, that it might not change anything!


Guess what!?!?  I know, big shocker here!  WE DIDN'T GET AN INVITATION TO COME TALK TO OUR GOVERNOR!


I have very little confidence that Common Core will NOT get the same treatment this year as last - the "good cop, bad cop" bit straight out of B police movies.  The House will pass a bill to kill the Common Core and everyone will be so excited only to find out that Clark Jolley and/or John Ford will kill it in the Senate.  I'm sure this is not shocking to you, but it should be INFURIATING!  I can even see Ford or Jolley come off their position (Yes!  I'm against Common Core - but then the other one keeps his - that way, again, good cop/bad cop - and again the elitists win and the grassroots gets the shaft) You are the hardworking people who pay their taxes and DO their fair share - only to be treated like second class citizens by those we elect once the election is over!


DO NOT allow this to happen again!  Stay vigilant - we will come up with a solution, it's just a matter of time!  We MUST get our governor on the record about Common Core as many times as we possibly can.  If she's going to be somewhere, show up and ask her questions about it - tweet to her - post on her Facebook page - whatever gets others to notice.  Fallin was asked by an AP reporter about Common Core that Thursday.  She spun her answer and didn't use the words Common Core!  The more we make her have to talk about it, the more toxic it will get for her!

The more people that learn about Common Core, the more they don't like it!  Continue to spread the word!

The Conundrum of Oklahoma Legislative Committee Chairs

Super Tuesday Quick Quiz

Oklahoma legislative committee chairs can be classified as:

a. Dictatorial Lemmings?

b. Water-carrying shills for Republican leadership?

c. Basically nice people just trying to do a job while forced into a corner by legislative rules?

d. Spineless blobs only able to function legislatively if leadership is giving them cover?

e. All of the above

As writer of the quiz, my answer is 'e'. 

Sadly, I find it hard not to be cynical about the whole legislative process anymore. After waking up to the impending doom that is our current state of unconstitutional over government three years ago, I have been an involved citizen lobbyist at the state capitol - primarily for ROPE on education issues. 

Since researching the Common Core State Standards initiative last year, ROPE has attempted to have them repealed from state law through HB1714 by Sally Kern. 

For TWO YEARS in a row, however, ROPE has been shut out of the DEMOCRATIC process by House Education Committee Chair Ann Coody. 

Last year (2011), Representative Coody said she would not hear HB1714 in her committee because Senator John Ford, Chairman of the Senate Education Committee, would refuse to hear it in his committee [should it pass the House Education Committee and the House membership and move to the Senate side, where it would be be assigned to the Senate Education Committee]. 

Though both ROPE and Representative Kern spoke to Representative Coody and asked her to reconsider her decision, she simply continued to argue that it made no difference whether she heard the bill or not - if Senator Ford wouldn't hear the bill in his committee, HB1714 was destined for holdover status yet another year*.

This year (though we found out we had already missed the deadline for bills to be heard in committee) we went to Senator Ford to ask him again to hear our bill.

We attended all 3 hours of the Senate Appropriations Committee meeting Wednesday, February 29 [to make sure SB1797 was amended to keep NAEP testing accountability - and it was], and waited to catch Senator Ford before lunch. We left the committee meeting room, but Senator Ford stayed behind for nearly 20 minutes talking to Joel Robison, Janet Barresi's Chief of Staff [who was with taxpayer paid lobbyist Jessica Russel - also of the Department of Education]. 

After he finished talking (leaving Joel, Jessica, Damon Gardenhire - also of the Dept. of Ed. - and Education Secretary Phyllis Hudecki to powow seriously in the adjacent board room), we caught the Senator and were ushered down the hall into his office. There, we were told politely, but firmly that he would NOT hear our bill. 

Of course we assailed him with all our reasons why the Common Core would be devastating for Oklahoma taxpayers and students, but for naught. It was clear the taxpayer funded OSDE lobbyist and our new education 'establishment', led by Obama-grant-seeking Dr. Barresi, were not going to allow any silly citizen lobbyist/researchers to derail the plan for Oklahoma to be eaten alive by the federal education machine.

Dejected and disgusted, we went back to the House side, where we met with Representative Gus Blackwell - ALSO running a bill attacking the Common Core, HB2624, that had ALSO been blocked from a hearing by Representative Coody. 

An ex-ProTem, Gus knows quite a lot about legislative rules. While we sat in his office, Gus pulled his bill from the House Education Committee and set about to have it signed out of committee.* Three of us (Jenni, Lynn and Julia) stayed in the lobby of the House for nearly 2 hours talking to House Education Committee members - attempting to get them to sign off on the bill and gain it the hearing it deserved in the House.

Unfortunately, we were unsuccessful. Though we had gotten verbal commitments from many that afternoon, many committee members backed away from signing in the end, refusing to "go against leadership" and risk having any future bills blocked from a hearing in Common Ed. 

For the last two legislative years, ROPE has been told by several senators that they wouldn't work with us because it had been made plain if they did, Senator Ford would refuse to hear any of their bills in his committee. Obviously, this was nothing new to us. Obviously, it was extremely disappointing and frustrating.

How does this happen? How does the voice of the people simply become INERT? How does By the People, For the People, Of the People become, By the Chairman, for the Republican Leadership, Of the Political Establishment? 

Easy really. The PEOPLE quit showing up and taking part a LONG time ago, and left alone to their own devices, their representatives became kings and queens of their own little fiefdoms supported by lobbyists - private and tax-funded alike. Now that many of us have awakened and are ready for responsive government, we have found that the Kings and Queens are not disposed to being deposed.

Are we giving up? ABSOLUTELY NOT! In fact, ROPE has a plan up its sleeve as I write. I will be posting on our ObamaEd campaign tonight!

Tomorrow we will descend upon the Capitol to finish getting signatures on a discharge petition for Charles Key's Open Government bill, HR1004, providing that every bill get a committee hearing. I don't anticipate a warm and fuzzy response from a number of legislators, but it's important to remember that we live in a country governed BY THE PEOPLE FOR THE PEOPLE OF THE PEOPLE and THE PEOPLE are the only ones who can get it back!

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* [when bills are unheard by committee chairs, or failed to be assigned to a committee by the Speaker of the House or the Senate ProTem for whatever reason (usually because they are found controversial in one way or another or the Governor or another official doesn't want them, they sit on the books without action and can be brought up again next year as a holdover]

* this is a similar maneuver to the "discharge petition". If a bill can not be heard in committee, it can be pulled from the committee and submitted to each of the members of that committee for consideration. If 2/3 of the committee (which also includes the Speaker and ProTem) agrees that the bill should be heard on the floor, the committee members in agreement sign off on the bill and it is sent to the House floor for a vote.