Dive Brief:

• South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley signed a bill requiring the state to adopt new, non-Common Core standards for the 2015-16 school year.  
• This mandate makes South Carolina the second state, after Indiana, to repeal the Common Core.  However, since the new standards won't kick in for over a year, the state has technically not opted out yet.  
• To stop the possibility of the state just re-adopting large portions of the Common Core standards — which Indiana has been accused of doing — the new law says any standards created outside the state's education department must be approved by a joint resolution of the legislature. The new law also prohibits the state from using Smarter Balanced Common Core assessments.   

Dive Insight:

South Carolina's decision to give itself over a year before implementing new standards is prudent. Indiana, which dropped the Common Core in March, gave itself only six months before implementation and less than two months for the creation of its new standards. Indiana's short turnaround time made the decision feel rash and also led many critics to believe no real changes occurred.  

South Carolina is not alone in opting out, its neighbor North Carolina is also seriously considering a move in that direction.