Walter Russell Mead has an article which notes that Alabama has adopted new standards for its schools which validate different acceptable standards of achievement for students based on ethnicity, disability and other criteria. He quotes this passage from the WSJ:

According to this article by Jamon Smith, “Beginning this fall, Alabama public schools will be under a new state-created academic accountability system that sets different goals for students in math and reading based on their race, economic status, ability to speak English and disabilities.” Alabama’s Plan 2020 “sets a different standard for students in each of several subgroups — American Indian, Asian/Pacific islander, black, English language learners, Hispanic, multirace, poverty, special education and white.”

Actually, it is not a WSJ article rather it is a press release from the Alabama Federation of Republican Women which was made available by the WSJ. The entire press release implies that this policy is fostered by Common Core, the new national movement to standardize education. Mead’s article implies that this is related to a waiver granted to Alabama under the Common Core program.

Does anyone have any further information, links or direction they can give me on this topic. Not Common Core specifically, but this type of waiver, similar waivers for other states and the rationale behind what on its face appears to be an appalling policy.