Monfredo: Charting a Course Through the Myths and Misperceptions of the Common Core
Saturday, July 12, 2014
Depending on who is doing the talking, the Common Core will make our students either (a) college and career ready or (b) will pull down the quality of education in this country. Many of the discussions are worlds apart from one another. Thus, it was wonderful to see the Research Bureau do a study on this issue.
As Timothy J. McGourthy, Executive Director of the Research Bureau, stated, “The Common Core has proven surprisingly controversial, fueled in large part by a lack of understanding. Accusations of Federal mandates, corporate involvement, educational shortcoming, excessive cost, and invasion of privacy have dogged the Common Core since its start. Our research debunks some of these myths and offers commons sense solutions for moving forward.”
One example is the controversy on Federal influence. If you’re listening to the rhetoric on this issue you may think that it’s the Federal Government that initiated the move. Not true. As stated in the report, the Common Core was crafted and disseminated by state associations and state education leaders. The Common Core State Standards were written by building on the best and highest state standards in existence in the U.S., examining the expectations of other high performing countries around the world, and carefully studying the research and literature available on what students need to know and be able to do to be successful in college and careers. No state in the country was asked to lower their expectations for their students in adopting the Common Core! The standards are evidence-based, aligned with college and work expectations, include rigorous content and skills, and are used by other top performing countries. They were developed in consultation with teachers and parents from across the country so they are also realistic and practical for the classroom.
The report by the Regional Bureau entitled “Toward a Common Understanding of the Common Core” certainly is worth reading for it analyzes the arguments raised against the Common Core and offers a FACTUAL basis for review. The report makes suggestions for improving the implementation of the revised Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks based on the Common Core and the implementation of the PARCC test (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) including the following as outlined by the report:
- Maintaining Massachusetts based standards for subjects beyond English Language Arts and Mathematics;
- Augmenting the PARCC exams to include Massachusetts- specific standards;
- Establishing a state-wide capital plan for upgrading technology and facilities to accommodate the online PARCC testing;
- Incorporating computer and typing modules into school curriculum to ensure student familiarity with the testing format;
- Reconsideration of the timeline for measuring student, teacher and school achievement based on PARCC assessments to accommodate the challenge of implementation of the new standards and systems; and
- Establishing a clear timeline for review and revision of the new standards based on Massachusetts experience.
So what are the Common Core State Standards? They are a clear set of shared goals, high quality academic benchmarks and expectations for the knowledge and skills students need in English language arts and mathematics at each grade level to ultimately be prepared to be college and career ready. Remember the standards are not curriculum, which means that the standards do not dictate daily lesson plans or the books and learning materials a district or school uses. The standards establish what students need to learn, but they do not dictate how teachers should teach. Teachers will continue to devise lesson plans and tailor instruction to the individual needs of the students in their classrooms.
This is a most important point. As affirmed in the Research Bureau’s report, “In Massachusetts, critics have suggested that the Common Core is less rigorous than the same subjects in the Mass Frameworks. A Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education study determined that the Common Core and the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks standards overlapped by approximately 90%. In addition to the DESE review, in June 2010, two panels appointed by the Massachusetts Commissioner of Education composed of Pre-K to 12 and higher education faculty provided independent assessments of the Common Core standards. These assessments examined the basis of content, rigor, clarity, vertical alignment, measurability, college and career readiness, and overall effectiveness. On the English Language Arts panel, seven of eight members concluded that the Common Core standards were better than the revised Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. The Mathematics panel concluded that both the Common Core and the revised Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks were equally valid options. Each panel suggested the incorporation of certain additional standards from the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks into any final state-specific Massachusetts Common Core – related standards.”
As acknowledged, Mr. McGourthy in the report did not shy away from the many controversial issues that have been part of the discussion on the Common Core. The Research Bureau put holes in many of these issues and then offered many common sense solutions. The 23 page “Toward a Common Understanding of the Common Core” is worth reading so for specific information on this report please go to http://www.wrrb.org.
As an educator, I do feel that Worcester is well posed for the standards, and according to administration they do not see any negative impact with the Common Core. The district is committed to high quality teaching and learning. Massachusetts adopted the Common Core Standards as a way of bringing greater focus to grade level expectations and highlighting the critical nature of literacy in every subject area. This is an important piece with the new standards… Every teacher, despite the subject, needs to support improved student literacy by supporting every student's ability to effectively communicate, read and comprehend sophisticated text, and write effectively. A most noble goal!
The School System’s educational agenda relies upon continuous improvement. The Common Core Standards, as adopted by the MA State Dept of Education, have become the new educational benchmark in every classroom. WPS is committed to implementing those standards and will be refining the curriculum in every subject. The School Committee adopted a 5-phased curriculum revision process three years ago. It is being implemented to retool the curriculum in every subject
Finally, the introduction of the Common Core Standards should not be seen as an event, but as part of the ongoing work of the district to deliver on high levels of achievement for college and career readiness for every student. Let’s support these endeavors and give it a chance to work!
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