Dive Brief:

• Since Ohio left the PARCC testing consortium a week ago, calls for similar action in Massachusetts have grown.
• A group called End Common Core has launched a ballot initiative to put an end to the state standards and associated tests.
• Lawmakers have introduced legislation — notably not for the first time — to put a moratorium on the testing in order to suss out Massachusetts' participation.

Dive Insight:

Opposition to Common Core and PARCC in Massachusetts, one of the highest-performing states in the nation, is not new, but Ohio’s departure seems to have renewed the debate. One state lawmaker said Ohio’s departure “speaks volumes” and that Massachusetts must think more carefully before making any changes to its education system.

"We've invested hundreds of billions of dollars in education in Massachusetts," state Rep. Jim Lyons told the Sentinel and Enterprise. "We are the leaders in education in Massachusetts, and for the commonwealth — under the Patrick administration — to move away from the successful program without any input from parents, from teachers, from legislators is just simply wrong."

PARCC testing rolled out in the state this year, and Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester is a member of the PARCC governing board. The renewed acrimony over PARCC has prompted calls for his resignation.