Sunday, December 8, 2019

Common Core, Common Sense

I like the Common Core Curriculum Standards. And you should too. Because they make sense. After all, how can you argue with teaching students how to:

Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.

Provide reasons that are supported by facts and details.

Distinguish among facts, reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text.

Apply properties of operations as strategies to add and subtract rational numbers.

These are all standards that students should meet, and should be able to meet given a classroom with a qualified, committed teacher and learning resources supplied by a school district. Teachers should be able to incorporate the standards into their lesson plans and evaluate the extent that students have learned them using authentic assessments.

What's the problem? According to this article, plenty. The more you delve into the details, though, the more these problems become solvable. They require change and a shift in thinking, but they are solvable.

I've been using a curriculum that relies on the Common Core Standards for about five years. It's a sensible combination of content and academic skills, and it requires that students analyze texts, account for variations in interpretation, tone, use of sources, point-of-view, and emphasis, and asks students to write cogent, articulate responses and essays in response to sophisticated prompts. That's exactly what the United States education system should want from its students.

What happened? The Common Core got caught up in the debate over local vs. federal control of education standards. The conservatives don't like the standards because they say that they trample on the right of states and local communities to set standards, since education is not a federal constitutional responsibility. The liberals didn't like it because it created standardized tests that forced school districts to cast aside instruction in all but language arts and math. Parents couldn't help their children with their homework because it relied on new strategies. Publishers and school districts didn't release new materials or train teachers in how to adapt to the new standards.

Ugly.

The good news is that the Common Core Standards are slowly making their way into the classroom, and are taking hold. Most states have renamed the standards and now have access to classroom materials that explain to students and parents how they work. The standards are also part of the Advanced Placement courses. More students are being exposed to the standards from the beginning of their education rather than having to shift to them in the middle of their schooling.

It will take time, but if states and districts continue to commit resources and energy to the standards, then we should see more improvement in student assessments in the coming years. We know we can do this because when teachers are given the right training and support, then students will achieve. Even in Mississippi.  Yes, Mississippi.

Of course, the bigger issue in education is that achievement is tied to the relative wealth of the community in which a family lives. And while Mississippi has made great strides, there is simply no reason why wealth and money should determine the quality of a child's education. This is why the Common Core is so valuable; it virtually eliminates local standards that might be less rigorous than what students need to meet in order to become educated citizens. 

The next step is to ensure that all schools across the country have the resources they need and teachers who are trained and supported, both economically and technically. 

For more, go to www.facebook.com/WhereDemocracyLives or Twitter @rigrundfest

1 comment:

  1. Welcome! Bienvenidos! Willkommen! Thank you for flying United Airlines. We appreciate your attention as we demonstrate the updated safety features of this aircraft.

    Please turn off and stow away your phones and electronics. Whenever the seatbelt light is on, be sure your seatbelt is fastened low and tight across your lap. Keep in mind, flyers — if for any reason this airliner becomes overbooked, we maintain the right to forcibly remove you with little to no explanation. Lift the buckle to release, and cooperate with us to mitigate embarrassment by all parties. In first class, the buckle works differently, but trust us — you’ll be fine. Merveilleux!
    For those of you seated in an exit row, you may find that you have an excellent vantage point to film an innocent passenger being dragged out of our aircraft by inexplicably violent and callous airport police officers. Please refrain from doing that. Also, you may be required to assist the crew in an the event of an emergency landing. If you cannot perform these functions, switch seats with somebody who appears more feeble and conflict-aversed.

    This 747 is equipped with twelve exit doors, five on each side of the main deck and one on each side of the upper deck. When opened, slide/rafts will automatically inflate and can be used as visual distractions for young children who may be afraid and confused during a flabbergasting, human-rights infringing episode involving a bloodied, screaming passenger. Erschreckend!

    During a water landing, do not use the indicated exits unless advised by a crew member. We at United are secretly hoping for a forced water landing to happen soon, so as to eclipse the historically miserable public relations nightmare we’re currently experiencing. Slide/rafts detach from the aircraft, and serve as life rafts, which carries a strong metaphorical aptness for our company.

    If necessary, an oxygen mask will drop from above your seat and replenish the breath in your lungs that was taken away after witnessing our now-famous employee negligence. You know all of the stuff about putting your mask on first before your kids, you’ve been on planes. You’ve thought about it. And your seat is a flotation device, all that. Let’s just get flying before something happens. Oh, and don’t destroy the smoke detectors in the bathroom. You don’t even want to know what we’d do to you if you did that.
    We’ll be taking off momentarily! Your tray table, carry-on items, headrest, and footrest should be stowed. Please review the safety card located near your seat. If you have any questions, please ask your crew. Choose your words carefully.

    Thank you for flying United. Gracias por volar United. Beobachte dich, du fliegst United.

    Thanks again, and enjoy your flight!

    Unless we bump you.

    ReplyDelete