Dive Brief:

• During a keynote at the Governor's Education Summit Thursday, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder advocated for the state to adopt the Common Core standards, saying the political hullabaloo surrounding the benchmarks doesn't belong in the discussion to adopt or not.  
• Last year, the state Legislature fought over the adoption of the Common Core, but ultimately failed to commit to the standards, making it one of eight states without the benchmarks in place.  
• The governor also spoke on the need to incorporate more skilled trade learning into schools.   

Dive Insight:

Despite not officially adopting the Common Core, the state — under Snyder's leadership — seems to be making decisions in its favor. On Wednesday, State Superintendent Mike Flanagan said the state's existing standardized test, the MEAP, "is not an option" for next year. Instead, the state will begin to transition to a new test based on the Common Core standards. Some schools in the state are even already taking Smarter Balanced practice tests.  

These moves set a tone and imply big changes and decisions for the state, despite the fact legislators have not agreed to adopt the Common Core.  

Adding to the state's discussion of the standards is the fact that, by waiting so long to adopt the standards, the state is able to see both the implementation and backlash in other states. This could give some perspective on whether or not the benchmarks are a worthy investment for Michigan.