Common Core: Keep calm and…you
get it.
By Mikki Harper
So much misinformation
regarding Common
Core is swirling around the Internet that I feel compelled to address it
with this post. I will start by stating
I support Common Core. Okay, I have probably lost close 40% of my audience at
this point! I would also like to state
that I understand the concerns around the ambiguity surrounding Common Core
Standards. Okay, there goes another 40% of my audience! Now for the 20% of you
still reading this post I will attempt to explain what Common Core is and what
it is not. I will also provide links to other posts that support and oppose
Common Core State Standards (CCSS) because I believe it is important to
understand opposing viewpoints and not dismiss them out of hand.
CCSS is/does:
1.
a set of
standards adopted by individual states designed to improve education at all
levels
2.
address U.S.
schools’ low performance in math,
writing, and reading
3.
embrace performance-based
assessment
4.
CCSS is a framework,
which helps states build curriculum that builds foundational skills early in
students’ academic careers
CCSS is not/does not:
1.
a Federal
mandate designed to destroy states’ rights regarding education
2.
Curriculum; local
school districts and boards still control this aspect of education
3.
require states
to lower their educational standards
4.
No Child Left
Behind
I hope these short lists
provide some clarity as to what CCSS is and is not. Now, the supporters of CCSS
know that it is not perfect and it will take time, patience, and dedication to
implement. It will require teachers
changing how they approach teaching and in many cases changing the resources and
methods they use to deliver course content. Why is this bad, wrong, evil (pick your
adjective)? CCSS shifts learning from a
pedagogical lecture form of teaching to a collaborative problem based learning
system that requires students to think critically instead of memorizing information
from the text in order to pass a test.
In short, CCSS supports authentic learning and assessment of students’
true abilities.
Opposition to CCSS
Opponents of CCSS site No
Child Left Behind (NCLB) and its disastrous effect on education. NCLB had the best of intentions but relied
heavily on standardized testing to determine students’ success or failure to master
concepts. Yes, many schools simply lowered
their standards or fudged test averages by excluding certain students from
testing. In some cases, teachers simply
promoted under performing students possibly out of pressure from school
administrators.
Another argument against
CCSS is that parents will not
be able to help their children with schoolwork
because they will not understand CCSS. How
many parents actually help their children with homework now? How long has it been since many parents
studied Algebra, Biology, or read War and
Peace? This is a post hoc ergo
propter hoc fallacy. CCSS has nothing to
do with parents helping their children with schoolwork. The parents’ lack of education or
understanding of subject matter attributes to this problem.
There is always fear and
opposition to any new idea but let us not throw the baby out with the bath
water. We know the U.S. education system
is broken and needs a massive overhaul, let us actually implement CCSS first,
and give it a chance to develop. Let us
also listen to the concerns of those who oppose CCSS and address their concerns
as a way to make CCSS less ambiguous.
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