Indiana First State to Reject Common Core

Indiana is the first state to reject the federal Common Core education standards.

Republican Gov. Mike Pence said the move is a victory for state authority, and said he hopes other states will follow suit.

"I believe when we reach the end of this process there are going to be many other states around the country that will take a hard look at the way Indiana has taken a step back, designed our own standards, and done it in a way where we drew on educators, we drew on citizens, we drew on parents, and developed standards that meet the needs of our people," Pence said.

But some critics say all the state did was remove the "Common Core" label while keeping the same benchmarks.

Analyst Sandra Stotsky, a retired University of Arkansas professor, said the proposal is just too similar to Common Core. She even called the proposal a "grand deception."

"It makes a fool of the governor. The governor is being embarrassed by his own Department of Education if the final version is too close to Common Core," Stotsky said.

The state began moving away from Common Core last year, when Indiana lawmakers "paused" its implementation.