Greetings, common-standards addicts! I’m back on the Watch, and I have this to report: Florida adopted the common standards today. That brings to 30 the number of states that have adopted.
Note of trivia: The Sunshine State’s board of education could well win the prize for speed. Members adopted the standards in six minutes, according to a department of education spokeswoman. The unanimous vote was held via conference call.
Don’t let the trivia distract you from the real deal, though; Florida’s adoption is significant. It’s one of those states folks watch if they’re trying to take education’s temperature. And it was one of a handful of states that have been staying in close touch with one another about their plans for the common standards (include California, Massachusetts, and Minnesota in that group). Will adoptions by Florida and mega-bellwether Massachusetts tilt the landscape for California and Minnesota?