Attorney General Greg Abbott on June 17 issued his opinion regarding school districts using the Common Core Standards. Abbott responded that “Texas school districts are required to provide instruction in the essential knowledge and skills at appropriate grade levels, and pursuant to subsection 28.002(b-3) of the Education Code, they may not use the Common Core State Standards Initiative to comply with this requirement.”
This opinion follows a December 2013 request from Sen. Dan Patrick who asked “whether school districts using the Common Core State Standards Initiative in any way to teach state standards violate the law.”
In the 83rd Legislative Session, Patrick sponsored a bill by Rep. Dan Huberty that would prohibit national curriculum standards developed by the Common Core Standards Initiative from being adopted by the State Board of Education, school districts or charter schools; and prohibit the Texas Education Agency from adopting a standardized test based on common core standards. The bill was passed and signed into law during the 83rd session.