After months of debate over a set of new school standards, both chambers of the Michigan Legislature have approved plans to move forward with the Common Core.
The Senate passed a plan Thursday that would allow the state to continue support for local schools that have been implementing the standards for three years now.
Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville (R-Monroe) says now is not the time to reverse course on Common Core.
"School districts all around the state have implemented Common Core or have been in the implementation stages - various stages, by the way - of implementing something that was agreed to and supported by the Board of Education, I think, in 2010. So it's been around for three years," Richardville told reporters Thursday after a voice vote on the measure.
No recorded roll call vote was taken in the Senate.
The state House still needs to give final approval to the measure because the Senate made some changes to HCR 11. But State Superintendent Mike Flanagan has already told education officials to resume work on Common Core.
That's likely to irk lawmakers like Sen. Patrick Colbeck (R-Canton), who is against moving forward with the nation-wide standards. He says they threaten local control of school curriculum.
"Unfortunately, I believe that Common Core is more seen as tool for control than about true reform," Colbeck said on the Senate floor before the vote.
Supporters say the standards simply set expectations for what students should learn at every grade level. They say Common Core will help make sure Michigan students are ready for college and careers.