Missouri schools will not lose curricular control under the CCSS

In Missouri, schools are currently in the process of implementing the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), which are expected to be in place by the fall of 2014, according to the Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education. The Department recently announced that the transition process has received more than 400 endorsements from the likes of colleges and businesses.

However, despite all the support, there are still those who remain skeptical of the CCSS. Some of them happen to be Missouri lawmakers who believe the Standards will take away curricular control at the local level, the Nevada Daily Mail reported.

"That's just not accurate," David Stephens, superintendent of Missouri's Nevada R-5 School District, told the news source. "It's just a set of standards, and Missouri has always had a common set of standards that students must master to graduate. Each school district has always had the say in what curriculum they use to meet those standards."

From Stephens' perspective, the Standards are essential to preventing each state from educating its students differently - something that can hurt the nation.