ORLANDO, Fla. – All of the 99 Common Core changes have been approved by the Department of Education, despite parents voicing their concerns on Tuesday morning.
[READ: English Language Arts | Mathematics ]
The State Board of Education approved the changes after receiving an overwhelming response from the public, at workshops, on their website, via email- close to 20,000 suggestions on how to make common core better for students.
First graders will now have to know how to use a ruler, county change, know that there are four quarters in a dollar, for example.
Ninth and tenth graders will have to know when to capitalize words, and spell correctly.
Fourth graders will be required to write in legible cursive before they move on to fifth grade.
Ashley White, a parent at Carillon Elementary, supports that requirement.
"I think they're capable and able, and I think it's good they're teaching them writing skills and not just teaching them how to use the computer," she said.
The state says Common Core is designed to better prepare students for college by giving students and teachers a nationwide common set of learning standards.
However, parents marched outside the public school board headquarters with a goal of taking a break from Common Core in the classroom.
Becky Smith opposes the new requirements, and Common Core all together, saying it makes her daughter's public education "scripted."
"She doesn't have recess, centers time is limited, and everything is becoming increasingly scripted- so there's no time for her to even frolic in her own ideas and explore any questions she has," she said.
"Teachers make the decision of what goes in the classroom--not the state, not the federal government, said Joe Follick of the Department of Education.
Check back with ClickOrlando.com and watch Local 6 News for more information on this story