For most parents the above picture brings about headache and leads to plenty of angst at home. I must admit it causes me great stress as well. Simple arithmetic isn't so simple any more. As I try and I stress "try" to help my children with their math homework, it turns into them teaching me. No longer is the division box enough. Now I had to deal with terms such as "array" and "area model". PTA meetings were now packed with angry parents discussing the perils of Common Core. Chants of "Curse you Common Core", echoed throughout the school hallways as both teachers and students sat in classrooms with looks of confusion and fear. Truth be told, though I am not fond of Common Core, I never took the time to really research what Common Core was really about. I was becoming one of those people who complained about something they didn't understand. If I was going to truly argue against something I needed to know what I was arguing about. What is Common Core? Who approved it? So let's you and I learn a little more about this "Common Core" and justifiably come to a conclusion about whether its Good, Bad or just down right Ugly. :)
What is Common Core? The Common Core is a set of high quality academic standards in mathematics and English Language Arts/Literacy (ELA). These learning goals outline what a student should know and be able to do at the end of each grade. These standards were created to ensure that all students graduate with skills and knowledge to succeed in college, career and life. The famous "No Child Left Behind" campaign. http://www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards/
The CCSO and NGA heads the partnership that developed the Common Core Standards.
The National Educational Association (NEA) was invited by the Partnership ofThe Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the National Governor's Association (NGA). They saw a need to create a new standard of education because the academic progress from state to state was declining against the rest of the world. They blame the decline on the uneven academic standards from state to state. They wanted to create consistent learning goals across the states. The NEA claims that members of their board as well as teachers from the American Federation of Teachers, the International Reading Association, the National Council of Teachers of English and Mathematics were actively involved and their ideas were incorporated. NEA believed that the involvement of these associations provided teachers with more manageable curriculum goals. According to the NEA many teachers support the standards with or without reservation. A poll released by the AFT revealed similar levels of enthusiasm, again indicating anxiety but AFT members strongly support Common Core. I found this alarming because all I hear are complaints from teachers about the rigorous and scripted program. http://neatoday.org/wpcontent/uploads/2013/10COMMONCORE2.png You can find out more about the NEA's involvement in the Common Core Standards by visiting their website: www.nea.org/home/46665.htm.
Common Core would shift focus from just getting the answer to solving problems and critical thinking. So far I have found out that the NEA was part of an already established partnership with the CCSSO and NGA that put together the Common Core Standards. I was also surprised to see a poll from the AFT that was so supportive of the Common Core. The news is flooded with stories of so many disgruntle teachers. http://www.aft.org/press-release/aft-poll-800-teachers-finds-strong-support-common-core-standards-and You can read more about the early stages of common core here. There is an article that includes a book written about common core. http://www.ccsso.org/News_and_Events/Current_News/Common_Core_in_the_Districts_An_Early_Look_at_Early_Implementers.html
44 States including Maryland and DC have adopted Common Core. Parents are frustrated because they haven't been given the context to even help their children. A lot of Parents feel that the math problems are just to complex for younger kids. I didn't realize that Texas, Virginia, Alaska, Nebraska and Indiana have not adopted the initiative. http://excelined.org/common-core-toolkit/old-standards-v-common-core-a-side-by-side-comparison-of-math-expectations/There are also complaints about the lack of explanations from School Districts about Common Core. Standardized Test are based on these Common Core methods and teachers are not properly prepared for it. Common Core also hinders the Special Education Educators. The one size fits all model does not fit well for Children with Special Needs.
From a personal perspective I understand the "goal" of Common Core. Yes I want my children to be college ready, yes I want them to be critical thinkers, but all I have seen from implementation of Common Core is stress and fear. Children having 1 to 2 hours of extra homework, teachers stressed out because they have to follow a rigorous scripted lesson plan. Common Core to me kills creativity because lesson plans are scripted and teachers have to follow them verbatim. Creativity to me is very important in a classroom. Test Scores at least in NYC(where I am from) have not gone up and a lot of parents now are using their right to Opt out of testing. A decision that parents have a legal right to do, though the Board of Education will never admit it. It's not right to have children believe that you will be retained if you do not pass this one exam. An exam that has been known to be poorly written where even the teachers can't agree on the right answer. Talk about anxiety for everyone.! My daughter who is an A student, in the 3rd and 4th grade was overwhelmed with the pressure to pass and with a high score. We were constantly sent letters explaining the grading system. The scale was from 1-4. 1 is poor , 2 is just making it, 3 good, 4 great. Several PTA meetings and parent teacher conferences discussing the importance of "making the grade" for these exams. I had to talk to her over and over that no matter what, those exams did not define her intelligence. It wasn't enough for her, the school had convince her otherwise. She managed to get 3's her 3rd grade year and scored a 4 in her ELA in the 4th grade. She was relieved and I was concerned. The pressure they put on the teachers and students was ridiculous. Then when the scores were released you had to go through criminal background checks to see your child's results. The incentive method associated with these exams damages the art of teaching and the moral of school. When I was a kid we had 2 state exams, one day for each. Now these children have 2 exams 3 days a piece. To much! Here are some groups by state who are opposed to Common Core: http://usagainstcommoncore.blogspot.com/p/states-by-group-who-oppose-common-core.html
Common Core claims they want to keep up with the rest of the world. Let's see what the rest of the world is concerned about in regards to education. I looked at the Global Partnership for Education website (GRE) is Common Core an issue? I am not surprised it isn't. Their goal is to raise funds to ensure a better quality of life and feel that a decent education is the root to end such problems. http://www.globalpartnership.org/multimedia/infographic/education-and-global-goals
I looked at the UNICEF website and they were focused on making education attainable and safe. As Americans we take for granted the quality of life we have here. Reading a little further on I read about the issues they face. In many parts of the world school is not affordable, girls are not allowed to attend, and due to natural and emergency situations schools are just not there. Something I really didn't think about. You can read further on here. http://www.unicef.org/education/bege_61625.html It makes you think, here in America the education implementors are so concerned with numbers where in many parts of the world children don't even have access to school. All they want is a decent education. What part of the world is America trying to keep up with? It seems we are already ahead. It's scary to think that in America children will be turned off by school at an early age, because it will be to complicated and overwhelming. America's children won't value education because they have been exposed to the propaganda behind it. The children across the globe will appreciate education more because they will truly see it as a way to secure a better quality of life. Ironic isn't it?
RESOURCES:
10 Things You Should Know About the Common Core - NEA Today. (2013, October 16). Retrieved September 24, 2015, from http://neatoday.org/2013/10/16/10-things-you-should-know-about-the-common-core/
AFT Poll of 800 Teachers Finds Strong Support for Common Core Standards and a Moratorium on Stakes for New Assessments Until Everything Is Aligned. (n.d.). Retrieved September 24, 2015.
About the Standards. (n.d.). Retrieved September 24, 2015, from http://www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards/
NEA's Involvement in the Common Core State Standards. (n.d.). Retrieved September 24, 2015, from http://www.nea.org/home/46665.htm
News Brief. (n.d.). Retrieved September 24, 2015, from http://www.ccsso.org/News_and_Events/Current_News/Common
Old Standards v. Common Core: A Side-by-Side Comparison of Math Expectations - Foundation for Excellence in Education. (n.d.). Retrieved September 24, 2015, from http://excelined.org/common-core-toolkit/old-standards-v-common-core-a-side-by-side-comparison-of-math-expectations/
PARENTS AND EDUCATORS AGAINST COMMON CORE STANDARDS. (n.d.). Retrieved September 24, 2015, from http://usagainstcommoncore.blogspot.com/p/states-by-group-who-oppose-common-core.html
Education and the Global Goals [INFOGRAPHIC] | Global Partnership for Education. (n.d.). Retrieved September 24, 2015, from http://www.globalpartnership.org/multimedia/infographic/education-and-global-goals
UNICEF priorities. (n.d.). Retrieved September 24, 2015, from http://www.unicef.org/education/bege_61625.html
