Indiana made headlines this week with their decision to withdraw from the Common Core State Standards. Maybe I’m missing something but I just don’t get it. Why do so many people have an issue with the Common Core State Standards? As I’ve scanned a variety of articles, here is what I found.
Complaint #1 - WE didn’t write them, somebody else did. The somebody else was a group of teachers and standards experts. Also involved in the development process were the International Reading Association, the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics, the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers. So maybe the teachers who were involved were different teachers than some would have chosen, but the reality is that teachers and national organizations focused on the subject areas of English language arts and mathematics were directly involved in the process.
Complaint #2 - The Feds are telling us what to do. Maybe to some extent they are but I ask the question…don’t our students deserve a common baseline of what they should know and be able to do? The “Feds” that started this initiative in the first place are the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). Aren’t our chief state school officers charged with providing leadership at the state level for public education? Also, in the end, it was up to each state to decide whether to adopt the Common Core State Standards or not.
Complaint #3 - Our state standards are already more challenging. If this is truly the case, then it should be a breeze to incorporate the Common Core State Standards. I haven’t seen anything that indicates that states or school districts have to limit themselves to the Common Core. If your students are capable of more, then do it.
Complaint #4 - The Common Core State Standards are too hard. This may be true for some states and some districts. If it is true, isn’t this an indication that we should raise the bar for our students and push them to achieve more? The intent of the standards is to provide the stepping stones to help students be college and career ready. If our current standards aren’t rigorous enough to do that, then we need to raise the bar for our students.
Complaint #5 - The Common Core is telling me how to teach. The Common Core outlines what we students should know and be able to do. It helps define what students should but leaves the teaching (the how) to the teachers.
In the end, if you look at the content of the Common Core State Standards, I really don’t see a lot to argue with. In English language arts there is a significant focus on non-fiction reading and writing. The research from the 90-90-90 schools and many other sources support a focus on non-fiction as one of the most powerful ways to improve student performance. I would also argue that 90% or more of what we do as adults in whatever job we do involves some form of non-fiction reading and/or writing. Also, remember that the Common Core doesn’t throw literature out the window, but it does provide a more balanced approach.
In the article about Indiana withdrawing from the Common Core, there was an interesting addition at the end. The original author of the legislation, state Senator Scott Schneider, pulled his name from the bill late in the process. Apparently he objected to a component that other legislators added that required the state to still meet national education standards so they wouldn’t jeopardize federal funding. So, in the end, is what Indiana ends up with going to be that much different than the Common Core?
I don’t see the Common Core as evil. It is simply a recommendation of what students should know and be able to do in each grade level in English language arts and mathematics. Frankly, it is a better starting point and guide than we have had in the past. We still need to work with it at the local level to develop an understanding of Common Core, translate it into student friendly language, and determine how we are going to help students achieve the standards. That is our job as educators.
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