Massachusetts may replace its standards with Common Core Standards

The two former education commissioners who guided Massachusetts through recent overhauls of its public schools endorsed a move yesterday to replace the state’s highly regarded academic standards with a new set of national benchmarks. Robert Antonucci and David Driscoll said the national standards “represent an advancement over our already strong Massachusetts standards.’’

“Adoption is the right thing to do,’’ Antonucci and Driscoll wrote in a joint statement, “and will help us to remain competitive with other states, and ensure that our students learn the content they need to succeed in school, college and life in the 21st Century. The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is scheduled to vote tomorrow on whether to adopt the national standards, which were recommended for approval last week by the current education commissioner, Mitchell Chester. Board members will begin their deliberations tonight (July 20) at a special meeting in Malden.

Known officially as the “Common Core Standards,’’ the guidelines specify what material should be taught at each grade level in English and math. The Obama administration is urging states to adopt the standards in an effort to overhaul the nation’s public schools. States that do can earn extra points in the administration’s Race to the Top program, which rewards states pursuing educational innovation. Massachusetts has applied for $250 million. Read more in The Boston Globe online.