BATON ROUGE, La. – State Superintendent John White issued a statement today concerning Judge Tim Kelley’s decision to throw out a lawsuit filed by Governor Jindal and state legislators that attempted to block the Common Core State Standards for not following the Administrative Procedures Act.

“Five years ago, after review by hundreds of educators and Louisiana organizations, our state adopted higher expectations. For five years teachers, students, and parents in Louisiana prepared to compete on a level playing field with states across America. Two weeks ago, 99 percent of Louisiana students for the first time were provided that playing field.

As we look toward the future, two visions have emerged to maintain Louisiana standards and a Louisiana test. The responsible, professional path is to review and monitor the state’s academic standards, making adjustments where appropriate. The extremist, political path is to throw away five years of hard work and make teachers do it all over again. Today’s court decision, dismissing an attempt by the Governor and legislators to force teachers back to the drawing board, is another validation that there is no academic or legal basis for the extremist path. Louisiana deserves a professional plan, not a political plan.”