North Carolina is aiming to eliminate Common Core testing in the state, which would make it the third state to opt out of the controversial new testing standards.

On Wednesday, the North Carolina House and Senate voted on separate bills to repeal Common Core before the beginning of the 2014-2015 school year, according to The Washington Post. The bills would require an Academic Standards Review Commission to develop new academic standards and propose the procedures to the state's Board of Education.

The state legislature will work on reaching a compromise between the two bills and creating one unified bill to send to the governor. Both bills passed in each chamber, as Republicans, who are mostly opposed to Common Core, control both legislative branches in the state.

Republican Gov. Pat McCrory said Thursday that he approves of high educational standards, but is concerned about the implementation of Common Core testing. McCrory's top education adviser, Eric Guckian, said he is working on resolving the implementation of the testing procedures. It is not clear whether McCrory will sign the bill into law, as he previously vetoed legislation that was passed by the legislature, although both 2013 vetoes were overridden.

Common Core standards were adopted by the North Carolina Board of Education in 2010 and have been in effect in the state's public schools for the past two years. The state earned a $400 million federal grant through the Race to the Top federal program for changes made under Common Core. The state's Common Core standards were developed by the National Governors Association, which was headed by the governors of Delaware and Georgia.

Common Core standards, which apply to children in kindergarten through 12th grade, were developed to be rigorous and enhance critical thinking skills. The standards were adopted by 45 states and the District of Columbia.

Conservative lawmakers and activists have decried Common Core standards as federal encroachment into state education and argue that educational standards should be decided by each state individually. Most business leaders support Common Core, but conservative lawmakers are mostly unified in their opposition to the standards.

"We sold our kids' education. We sold their futures for $400 million under a previous administration. Now what's the price we pay for selling our souls?" asked state Rep. Michael Speciale (R), a Common Core opponent, according to the Raleigh News & Observer.

Kim Fink, the Common Core Committee Chairman for the Coastal Carolina Taxpayers Association, is fighting Common Core out of a strong belief against what she calls "nationalized education" and the "indoctrination" of students.

Fink told the Latin Post that although there are positive aspects to Common Core, she strongly believes businesses and the federal government should stay out of state education.

"I think of it [Common Core] as a $400 million bribe to cede control of education to the federal government," she said.

"Never in history has the business community been involved in school standards," she continued. "It's about power, control and money, and very little about the kids."

While she primarily cited the organization's opposition to government overreach and a commitment to state sovereignty, she also argued that some of the Common Core material is telling children what to think and argues it fails to teach conservative "Christian values."

"They think it's critical thinking, but I think it's indoctrination," she said. "I want to impress North Carolina values on North Carolina people."

Additionally, she said the curriculum is "inappropriate" for younger children, claiming some of the material is too difficult for younger students to comprehend.

While conservatives actively oppose Common Core, the Common Core Standards Initiative contends that there is a focus on both content and skills, and that they do not tell teachers how to teach. While the skills are considered to be evidence of overreach by conservatives, they were drafted with input from regular teachers and experts.

If the repeal bill is passed, North Carolina will follow Indiana, which was the first state to repeal the standards when Republican Gov. Mike Pence signed a bill dropping Common Core in March.

Gov. Mary Fallin of Oklahoma -- ironically the head of the National Governors Association that composed Common Core -- also signed a bill this Thursday repealing Common Core in the state. While the decision to repeal Common Core English and Math standards drew criticism from businesses and educators, many opponents applauded her decision.

"It has become very apparent to me that the word Common Core has become a word that is tainted, that is divisive, that has caused widespread concern throughout our state," Fallin said in an afternoon news conference, according to The Oklahoman.

The standards were developed and launched in the state in 2009.

"President Obama and Washington bureaucrats have usurped Common Core in an attempt to influence state education standards," Fallin said.

The federal government provides incentives for states that use the standards, which Fallin shrugged off as an attempt for the federal government to control local education.

On the other hand, Robert Sommers, secretary of education and workforce development, said Oklahoma does not receive federal money for their Common Core standards, and it will not lose federal money by repealing the standards. Yet, he said the state could lose flexibility in how it spends federal appropriations.

The governor said the new standards will be created by educators, and the Oklahoma legislature will have a final say about the new standards before they are implemented.

Still, many educators are not happy that they will have to revert back to the Oklahoma Priority Academic Students Skills standards that were used in the state from 2003 to 2010.

"This decision will throw many schools into chaos as they prepare for a new academic year," Shawn Hime, executive director of the Oklahoma State School Boards Association, told The Oklahoman. "It also represents a significant waste of the time and resources schools have spent on the transition over the last four years. This decision is not good for Oklahoma's schools, and it's not good for Oklahoma's kids."

Democratic Rep. Marcus Brandon, who supports Common Core, told The News Observer that he does not think it's a good idea to repeal the educational standards when teachers are already under a great deal of pressure.

"I'm very, very nervous about how we're going to be able to deal with this," said Rep. Marcus Brandon. "We're going to get rid of a policy, and we don't have another policy."

Less federal input in the Oklahoma school system could lead to the state being forced to comply with the No Child Left Behind Act that was signed into law by former President George W. Bush. The state was waived from complying with NCLB due to adopting Common Core but could now face the removal of the waiver if the state's standards are not considered rigorous enough.

Without the waiver, school closures and mass firings could take place, and $27.2 million in federal funds that are earmarked to help disadvantaged students could be used for other educational services.

Overall, 100 bills have been introduced in states across the country to repeal Common Core, with most awaiting gubernatorial approval.

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