What does it mean to be an education person? This is a question philosophers, teachers, and parents have been pondering since the beginning of mankind. The idea behind the Common Core State Standards is that there is common core set of knowledge that all students in the U. S .should master at each grade level. They're designed to help children to think, explore, experiment and analyze - not just memorize - and build on knowledge from year to year. The theory behind the standards is that if you live in one state and move to another state you get the same skills/knowledge. In the past standards have been developed at the state level.
I first read the read the Common Core State Standards in the mid-nineties and they have been refined over that period. My first objection was, who standards are these? Does it take away local control, and what are the implications for democracy? Having a voice, having the debate, and having the opportunity to develop the standards was important to me. But after reading the standards I soon discovered the content was nothing I could object to and there is opportunity for academic freedom. That means that teachers can develop units that incorporate the standards. An example of this is a unit I developed, On Your Own, a financial boot camp that helps teenagers learn the ABC's of financial responsibility. Students do not receive financial know how classes in public education before graduation. I saw a need and taught this unit teaching math concepts and improving English language arts skills.
The Common Core State Standards were developed by a bipartisan group of governors, school chiefs, and teachers who believed their own standards were too low, leaving students unprepared and businesses without qualified workers. They are far more rigorous than the vast majority of what they replace. The bipartisan group also relied on the guidelines and standards from many prominent and respected educators and organizations including the National Teacher's of Mathematics.
Some people object to the standards because they are determined by politicians, but this has always been the case. Local school boards are elected officials and policies have always dictated what a teacher can do in her/his classroom. That is one of the reasons I have always encouraged teachers to be involved in politics. And that parents engage on all levels, from volunteering in classrooms, PTA, and electing those who hold the same values. Many of those whom oppose the Common Core Standards have been misinformed and are using them promote the dismantling of pubic education, although they are not forthcoming about their agenda it is focused on privatizing the school system and promoting the tea party's ideology. They also have little or nothing to say about the content of the standards. The National Federation of Teachers is calling for a moratorium on the Common Core Standards not because they object to the content but because teachers need time to learn the Standards and how to implement them. TNTF do have a valid concern about the nation's reliance on high - stakes standardized tests, and that teacher's evaluations will be based upon their students test scores is a recipe for disaster.
The thing to remember is that these are only standards. Each state must develop curricula to teach to the standards and to ensure that students are learning the material. Districts and schools are doing some of this work, with lots of pubic discussion. Some states have already begun testing; California is scheduled to start in 2014-2015. Concerns about curriculum and testing are worth public discussion. This is an opportunity to to be part of the discussion and help determine what it means to be an educated person. That is why states like California have a transparent process with public participation (go to cde.ca.gov/cc/to find out more).
Everything goes in cycles in education and many long - term educators (myself included) adopted the standards twenty years ago. Do you remember collaborative learning, thematic teaching, hands-on projects, portfolios, teachers creating or using "replacement units" instead of textbooks? That the role of your teacher was to facilitate learning, so the students were responsible for their own learning?
To back track a little, The No Child Left Behind Act was implemented and many teachers succumbed to pressure and abandon best teaching practices, and new teachers were not trained to teach using such methods as collaborative learning. But the exciting news is that the standards of teaching are changing again. Common Core Standards are being adopted by most school districts in the nation. Instead of trying to teach everything, teachers are being asked to focus on the fundamentals. Teachers always complained that the curriculum was a mile wide and an inch deep. Now, they can go in depth on concepts and ensure their students fully understand the material.
It's about time! Twenty years ago, politicians decided that we were losing the education race. They demanded that more skills be taught earlier. Educators spoke loud and clear that many of the requirements were developmentally inappropriate, unfortunately they weren't listened to and a whole group of students have suffered the negative consequences.Teachers who taught middle school math were expected to focus on algebra instead of pre-algebra.
This meant that all eight-grade students, regardless of their ability were required to take algebra, which was normally taught in high school. Not surprisingly, many students failed. And, of course, those students assumed they were awful at math.
The real tragedy: Years, and years of students who sold themselves short because bureaucrats made poor decisions. Students who, with the right teachers and classes could have been scientists and engineers, have opted for less challenging careers.
But there is hope on the horizon. Social scientist are studying the relationship between knowledge of math fundamentals and success in algebra .I wrote an in-depth essay about this topic - number sense last week. Two groups of students were compared: Those who did well on math fundamental test and those who did well on algebra readiness test. Surprising, the students who excelled in math fundamentals did better in algebra.
For decades, teachers have been reinforcing the math fundamentals in middle school and introducing algebra in high school. And that wasn't done arbitrarily; it was done after years of experience of teaching mathematics. Algebra is abstract and is difficult to learn it you don't have a solid grasp of the fundamentals of math, that is number sense. Doing anything well requires practice and competency requires apply math skills to other academic disciplines and "real-life" situations/problems.
Today, we have more options for good teaching: excellent tutorials on the Internet and computer-guided individual pacing of lessons. Teachers have more tool in their toolbox. However children's brains still learn the same way: with patience and practice.
If there are any any lessons to be learned from the "No Child Left Behind Act", it is we left a lot children behind by trying to teach too much, and focusing on high stakes tests. We need to focus on the basic skills that are developmentally age-appropriate and let children be successful. The Common Core Standards seem sensible and are a great step toward that success.
Post Script:
"House Republicans voted Friday to dismantle the troubled No Child Left Behind law..."
The day after I wrote this essay there was an article (AP) in my local newspaper about the House voting to replace the "No Child" law. This is an summary of that article and my analysis.
The House voted to dismantle the "No Child" law for evaluating students and schools, saying states and local school districts rather than Washington should be setting the rules for ensuring that children are getting a good education,
The legislation would eliminate federally required testing of students, which has been controversial from the start. The measure passed with no Democratic support and drew a veto threat from the Obama administration, which said it would be a "step backward" in efforts to better prepare children for colleges and careers as well as bringing improvements to low - performing schools.
Democrats in the Senate are working on their own bill. It would also give states greater flexibility is designing school improvement standards. But it would maintain the authority of the federal education secretary to approve those plans. A Senate vote on the legislation is expected in the fall.
The House bill, which Republicans named the Student Success Act, passed 221-207, with every Democrat and 12 Republicans voting against it. The partisanship comes against a background in which nearly everyone agrees that No Child Left Behind, while achieving some successes in improving achievement levels, is too inflexible and needs a major overhaul. The law created a lot of problems in schools, including teachers "teaching to the test" and standardized tests given too much weight in measuring student performance.
The specifics of the new law were not in the newspaper article and I am doing research to find out the content of the legislation. However, I suspect that the bill is a method to undermine the Common Core State Standards, not because it's a bad system, but because President Obama backs it.
Tea party worries are primarily the result of opposition to Obama and irrational fears of festering tyranny. State, school officials, educators, parents, and concerned citizens need to get beyond them and focus the hard work of raising educational achievement for children.
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