Governor Dalrymple says it’s the right thing to do – to help make our students ready for college.
Dalrymple is talking about the adoption of “common core” standards. He told a meeting of K-12 school officials, higher education and vocational education – the education community will be able to defend them.
"There are detractors out there, mostly from the far right and the far left, who are trying to turn this into a 'bogeyman," said Dalrymple. "We all have to help communicate that this is nothing to be afraid of."
Dalrymple says rather than a Washington-imposed educational mandate, the common core standards were developed in-state.
"This is something that we think, in North Dakota, is a good thing," said Dalrymple. "We have a stake in it, and we support it."
Dalrymple says it’s all part of the effort to increase rigor in the high schools. He says North Dakota students do very well when they’re tested in fourth and eighth grades – but fall off in high school.