If in doubt, ask Arne Duncan himself next month.

Secretarial assistant Arne Duncan

It looks similar "High Noon" again for California and the Obama administration over didactics.

Hours before a central vote in the Legislature, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has warned California not to administrate a partial practice or field test on the Common Core standards to some students in lieu of giving the existing tests on land standards to all students adjacent spring – or face consequences.

"If California moves forward with a plan that fails to appraise all its students, as required past federal constabulary," Duncan said in a statement released Monday night, "the Department volition be forced to take action, which could include withholding funds from the state."

Duncan was reacting to Associates Bill 484, pushed by Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, which calls for immediately ending most state standardized tests, including those required by the No Child Left Backside police for federal accountability: English language language and math tests for iiird through eightthursday grades and grade 11. Students in districts capable of offering the computer-based field exam for Common Core would accept either the English language arts or math test, just not both, nether the neb.

Deputy State Superintendent Deb Sigman said last week that the country has coin to pay for only one of the tests; districts could offer both, on their nickel, she said. However, districts without the technical capacity – enrolling a pocket-size proportion of students, the state predicts – would not be required to offer whatever English language or math tests, since a field exam by newspaper and pencil is not i of the options. Sigman has estimated that each field test would cost about $five.50 per student or about $18 million for the three.three million California students who'd be tested.

AB 484, sponsored past Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla, D-Concord, was negotiated with the Brown administration, legislative leaders, and Torlakson'due south staff over the last calendar month. The state Senate is expected to vote on information technology today. All bills for this session must exist passed by Fri.

Duncan announced in June that, in guild to avert burdening states with double testing, he would consider exempting schools giving the Common Core field test from besides administering their state tests. The Smarter Balanced Cess Consortium, which is developing the Mutual Core tests for California and two dozen other states, has said it needs to exam 10 percent of students in math and x pct in English in order to create a valid and reliable cess in 2015. California is a governing member of Smarter Balanced. Last week, the State Lath of Education voted unanimously to seek a field test waiver for California under the terms of AB 484.

Sigman and other state officials said final calendar week they had been discussing a waiver with federal officials, while acknowledging, pending legislation passing, information technology was premature to predict they would go it. Duncan'due south statement didn't state that a waiver for a field test-for-all was out of the question. Four other smaller states – Montana, Idaho, Connecticut and North Dakota – also take requested a waiver to requite every student the Common Cadre field examination, Massie Ritsch, the Department of Pedagogy'southward acting assistant secretarial assistant for communications and outreach, said Monday. While his argument was not explicit, Duncan appeared to object that some California students would take no examination required by federal police force, while others would have a fractional test.

"In states similar California that will exist field-testing more sophisticated and useful assessments this school year, the Section has offered flexibility to allow each student to accept their state's current assessment in English arts and math or the new field tests in those subjects. That's a thoughtful approach as states are transitioning to new standards," Duncan said. "While standards and tests may not match upward perfectly all the same, backing away entirely from accountability and transparency is not good for students, parents, schools and districts."

Duncan did non hint at how or how much California would be penalized if it suspends state tests without a federal waiver. Ritsch said the federal government may withhold money it gives the state for testing and perchance other funding.

Torlakson, however, was unfazed and indicated he had no plans to ameliorate the pecker to meet the conditions of a waiver it has not yet sought, spokesman Paul Hefner said Monday night. "California has nevertheless to receive guidance from the feds as to what would be acceptable," said Hefner. The country had no inkling Duncan's argument was coming, he said.

Torlakson defended plans to make a clean break this twelvemonth from giving country tests on onetime standards and instead to pursue "goals for 21st century learning."

"We won't achieve them by standing to await in the rear-view mirror with outdated tests, no thing how it sits with officials in Washington," he said, responding to Duncan. "We look forward to the opportunity to make our instance to the Administration when the time comes. When we practise, nosotros hope they agree that withholding badly needed funds from California's students would exist a grave and serious error."

Los Angeles Unified, Fresno Unified and other districts also had been opposed to AB 484 as written and their superintendents had been pressing Torlakson and state leaders to pay for both the English language linguistic communication arts and math field examination for every student, maxim information technology's inappropriate to brunt districts with a state responsibleness. "The smart and right thing to exercise is total admission for all kids," Los Angeles Unified Superintendent John Deasy said Monday night. If forced to pay for either function of the field examination, LAUSD volition bill the state, he said.

Bill Lucia, president and CEO of the advocacy grouping EdVoice, which has criticized the suspension of state tests under AB 484, praised Duncan's statement. "By proposing to eliminate testing and information for parents, while hiding behind an empty waiver request, California is conceding it has no substantial Mutual Core implementation plan. Instead of leadership, California is signaling it is willing to gut accountability and eliminate the power of local school districts … to gauge the progress of students and track achievement gaps."

For the past decade, California Standards Tests take been the main measure of a school's academic performance and of the achievement gap past low-income and minority students. Individual student scores have been provided to parents. Because the principal purpose of the Mutual Core field test is "to test the exam," there would be no individual scores given, Sigman told the State Board last week. And it is unclear to what extent schools would receive results also, she said.

But for districts the new, more than challenging tests would be the first indicator of how they're faring with the new standards and of students' capability to have a exam on computers. They as well would provide a dry run of the technology that schools will need in place a twelvemonth later. Deasy said the results of the field tests would be used "without stakes or consequences" for teachers and schools only would very useful data nonetheless.

Whether Duncan'south statement is the meridian of federal meddling or a valid preemptive try to avoid a conflict, it's the latest clash over differences in policy and personality. Gov. Jerry Brownish has been a caustic critic of federal testing and interventions nether No Kid Left Behind and he refused to consent to the state'due south application in the Race to the Top competition. He also declined this year to seek a state waiver from No Child Left Backside, notwithstanding its potential benefits, on the grounds that it would further entangle California in commitments involving instructor evaluations.

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