Gov. DeSantis Issues Order Eliminating Common Core Standards In Florida Education

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FT MYERS (CBSMiami) - Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed an executive order that cuts Common Core standards in Florida schools.

"When you complained about Common Core, I hear ya," DeSantis said a news conference in Ft. Meyers. "I told you I'd do something about it."

"Today we are doing an executive order that is going to instruct Commissioner Corcoran to get to work and come up with good standards for the State of Florida which will include eliminating Common Core and the visages of Common Core," said DeSantis.

Common Core State Standards are a result of an initiative sponsored in 2010 by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers which set uniform benchmarks for reading, writing and math.

The standards were developed by a coalition of state leaders and establish what students should know from one grade to the next. They're designed to ensure all students are college-ready by the time they graduate.

They were adopted by Florida, 44 other states and the District of Columbia.

Florida later made changes to the Common Core standards and renamed them "Florida Standards."

The executive order will require Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran to provide a roadmap for "authentic Florida based standards," DeSantis said.

In announcing the order, DeSantis said there needs to be other ways to measure success and "not just teaching to a test." He also put an emphasis on making Civics education a priority in Florida.

He is now asking the Department of Education to come up with new standards.

"Talk to teachers, talk to parents," DeSantis said. "Listen to their experiences. I had a lot of parents that were very frustrated because they didn't understand some of the math and some of these things."

Many parents and teachers did not like Common Core, complaining it lead to teachers teaching the test as opposed to a well-rounded education.

Alberto Carvalho is the superintendent of Miami-Dade Schools, the largest district in Florida.  He too believed common core lead to too much testing.

"I honestly applaud the decision to review the standards," said Carvalho. "I support that decision and in look forward to working with the governor and commissioner on that review. I'm a supporter of creating better but fewer tests to allow more teaching time rather than testing."

The head of United Teachers' of Dade is looking forward to change, but wants to make sure teachers are big part of the process.

"We applaud the governor for really trying to create changing in the education system," said Karla Hernandez-Mats, head of the UTD. "Of course we hope that these are initiative that are started and are generated by education professionals that are in the classroom, that really understand what the real world, every day challenges that we face so they are equitable policies that are being developed."

Parents in Miami-Dade like Ada Montesino and Christina Rodríguez are over the moon about the announcement.

"I read it and I was like finally!" said Montesino. "To me, the main issue is not being able to help my kids with homework."

"I'm like yaaas! It was a godsend," added Rodríguez. "At least it's some reassurance I don't have to study myself to pass Kindergarten."

WINK-Ft. Meyers contributed to this report.