If Tennessee schools have in place strong academic standards that consistently increase all students' standardized test, college readiness test and classroom test scores, it doesn't matter whether those standards are Common Core, Haslam Core or Joe Sixpack Core.
And that appears to be what a legislative agreement reached Thursday says.
Current state standards include Common Core standards for English and math that have become increasingly unpopular because they're seen as a federal intrusion and because many teachers say they're unworkable. But state Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey says the agreement puts in place a review process in which the standards could remain in place but also could change "based on Tennessee values."
The agreement actually appears to cement two review processes for state education standards. One already was created by Gov. Bill Haslam, and is currently working, and the second would make final recommendations to the State Board of Education, which would adopt the standards.
The second committee reportedly will consist of four people appointed by the governor and three each by Ramsey and House Speaker Beth Harwell. It's important the panels be diverse enough to include both educators and noneducators to offer an open and frank discussion.
We hope such an agreement, should it advance and become law, also ends the talk by some politicians, pundits and other uniformed Tennesseans that thoughtful people can't oppose Common Core. Opposing Common Core standards that may not work in favor of equally tough state-created standards that do work does not make someone hopelessly backward, nor make the state a cesspool of educational backwater.
Such talk is counterproductive and only holds back the educational progress the Volunteer State actually is making.