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Kansas Education Official Responds To 'Misinformation'

State Education Commissioner Diane DeBacker says she's sending a "friendly" letter to the state Republican Party this week to correct what she and other education leaders say is misinformation about Common Core standards for reading and math.

DeBacker's letter is in response to a resolution adopted by the Kansas GOP state committee last weekend, calling for the state to withdraw from Common Core.

DeBacker is sending the letter on behalf of the Department of Education, and board members, many of whom are Republicans who support Common Core standards but don't want to get involved in a political battle.

Forty five states and the District of Columbia have adopted the standards, which are designed to raise academic expectations so students better-prepared for college or the workforce.

The Republican resolution says Common Core transfers too much power to the federal government and that Kansas adopted the standards without meaningful input from the parents, teachers, and other taxpayers.

It says the standards impose burdensome new testing and a massive collection of personal student data. DeBacker says that's absolutely not the case. She says the board adopted the standards after two years of public discussion, including teacher input, and there will be no more testing or data collection than there is now.