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Rumor Mill-5369

Published April 4, 2013

The purpose of this section is to answer any questions parents, teachers or community members might have regarding the school district and to set the record straight in regards to any rumors that might be circulating.

If you have a question or have heard a rumor that you would like for us to address, simply SEND US your questions and we will respond to them in upcoming issues of IN FOCUS. Below are some of the questions we have received since our last issue.

I've heard some talk about Common Core being implemented in Williamson County. What is Common Core? From what I've been told, it sounds like an attempt by the government to bribe states with federal funds.

The Common Core State Standards Initiative is a state-led effort coordinated by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). The standards were developed in collaboration with teachers, school administrators, and experts to provide a clear and consistent framework to prepare students for college and the workforce.

The NGA Center and CCSSO received initial feedback on the draft standards from national organizations representing, but not limited to, teachers, postsecondary educators (including community colleges), subject-based professional organizations, civil rights groups, English language learners, and students with disabilities. Following the initial round of feedback, the draft standards were opened for public comment, receiving nearly 10,000 responses, and revisions were made accordingly. Tennessee adopted the Common Core State Standards in 2010.

One misconception is that the adoption of the Common Core State Standards was tied to Tennessee’s award of Race to the Top funds. The initiatives are separate and have no direct connection. Additionally, the Common Core has been described as coming from the federal government, but the Common Core State Standards are a state initiative, not a federal one.

Academic standards and the high stakes assessments connected to them are determined by the state. Local school districts do not have discretion whether or not to use them. Parents and community members can learn more about the Common Core State Standards at www.tncore.org or www.corestandards.org.

I’ve heard the Honors program will be discontinued at Independence High School (and possibly other schools) sometime in the near future. Can you elaborate on this?

The Honors program will not be eliminated from any Williamson County high school, but we are reevaluating honors courses for rigor and will be consolidating/eliminating courses that do not meet honors criteria (national standards). This review will not start until next school year but should be in place for the 2014-15 school year.

What is the current birthday date rule for registration into kindergarten in WCS for 2013? Is there any plans to change it from Sep 30 to July or August? Did the bill that proposed a change pass?

The Tennessee Legislature did pass a bill that changed the admission age for kindergarten students into public schools. As it now stands, any child residing within the state, who is five years of age on or before August 31 of the 2013-2014 school year and five years of age on or before August 15 every year thereafter, and whose parent or guardian makes application for admission shall be enrolled in the school designated by the Board.

We will be new residents in Williamson Co. in May 2013, in the Winterset Woods subdivision, zoned for Sunset Elementary and Sunset Middle. We are excited about the new high school, to open in 2014 (or thereabouts). A current resident said that there will also be another elementary and middle school built near the new high school, to open around 2016, and that we would be zoned for all three new schools. I cannot find information about it. We specifically like Winterset Woods because it is within walking distance of the Sunset Elem. and Middle schools, so we thought it would be highly unlikely to be rezoned. Do you have a source of reliable information?

The district's Five Year Capital Outlay Plan only calls for two schools to be built in the northeastern part of Williamson County; a high school and a K-8 school. At this time, it is too early to discuss the effect these schools would have on future rezoning. While the district has purchased the land, the County Commission has not funded construction of the buildings at this time.

The district will establish zone lines no less than a year before the school opens. The northeast high school projected opening remains on the School Board's Five Year Capital Outlay Plan as the fall of 2015. Construction of a high school takes about 1.5 to 2 years, so actual construction would need to begin about January of 2014 if the school is to open in the fall of 2015. The K-8 school is currently projected to open in 2016.