Issue Position: Education

Issue Position

Rep. Van Winkle knows that parents, not bureaucrats in Washington, know the specific educational needs of their children. He is fighting hard to empower Douglas County parents with the ability to choose the most effective education for their children, regardless of what economic class they come from.

In 2015, Rep. Van Winkle co-sponsored a bill to fully repeal Common Core in Colorado. While that bill didn't pass into law, there were many successes for Douglas County parents. For example, a bill Van Winkle co-sponsored guarantees parents the right to opt students out of standardized testing and also forbids penalizing schools or teachers for low test participation.

Also in 2015, Rep. Van Winkle supported a bill (now law) that begins to move all Colorado High Schools away from the mandated PARCC tests and reduces mandated assessment in High Schools by over 40 hours. It eliminates all state-mandated tests for 10th, 11th and 12th grade students (while still allowing for the 11th grade ACT and related 10th grade practice ACT test for those who want it). A companion bill he supported reduces mandated testing in all K-12 grades.

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