Yesterday, I wrote about a new “technical review process” the Feds have created to scrutinize “item design and validation” for national tests that go with new national curriculum standards. In that post, while noting that “in-depth” information on the review process was as-yet unavailable, I wrote that creation of the process “most likely” means federal reviewers will be “reviewing the specific questions that will go on the tests” [emphasis in the original]. I have since been cautioned by Ted Rebarber, CEO of Accountability Works and an expert on standards and testing, against making too firm a statement on this. While it is possible the review will consider test questions, it’s also quite possible the process will only examine the methodologies the consortia have employed to create and validate their measures.

Rebarber is no doubt correct about the potentially limited scope of the review, and right to caution against overstating what it might involve. That said, with very limited information available, it is hard to know what the review will ultimately encompass. But assume it doesn’t examine actual questions at all. Still, it will have the money-supplying federal government judging the technical merits of something that we are incessantly told only nutty people would think could become federally controlled. In other words, my main point — and root concern — remains: The technical review is yet more evidence substantiating the incredibly sane concern that “national standards” will ultimately mean “federal control.” It’s a very real possibility that, it seems, many Common Core fans just don’t want you thinking about.