4 Things Parents Can Do Related to Common Core State Standards
From the desk of Alice…
Over the holidays I had several conversations with parents who had questions about the Common Core State Standards and it came up so much in casual conversations that I thought it would be worth hitting some highlights as we move into second semester.
When I heard Stephanie Harvey talk about the Common Core in the Summer of 2012, she made two large points that have stuck with me:
#1. The Common Core is not perfect, but it is much better than what we used to have across the country under No Child Left Behind (NCLB) regulations.
#2. Under NCLB regulations, each state had to create a way to test achievement in order to report it to the federal government. Once the results were in, the states received various buckets of money to respond to the needs of the learners in their states.
Several years into NCLB, the governors of each state (National Governors Association) started grumbling because the federal dollars attached to the test results were not being distributed fairly. Their reasoning was that each state taught their own thing, tested their own thing in their own way, and the dollars that came to each state based on the muddy test results weren’t exactly fair. For example, under NCLB, NC may have gotten more money than SC but the way those dollars were figured may have had to do with easier tests, different expectations, and completely different state standards. The governors felt like this was a classic case of comparing apples to oranges with funding attached to it.
In order to be more equitable with money distribution, the governors felt the states needed to teach the same things and test the same way in order to get the results in a way that truly reflected the same learning across states. That’s how the idea of “common standards” gained momentum.
Once this discussion was underway, the designers of the Common Core State Standards (including David Coleman) started with what they thought workers (in the real world) should know and be able to do in the 21st century. They went to the community colleges that were able to list skills that businesses were continually asking them to emphasize. The first standards written were the ones for graduation- 12th grade. They started there and worked backwards so the last standards written were with the primary grades.
Because of this, the elementary standards have raised the bar in ways that have people a little anxious. The good news is, the students can and will be able to achieve as long as we have teachers who teach them how to do these things.
So what is a parent to do?
o Get familiar with the CCSS. If you have concerns about how your child is doing in this era of Common Core, then the standards can help you be more specific with your questions, etc. when you talk to teachers.
o Take advantage of parent education sessions and seek information (from reputable sources) so you can build your background. For example, ERG is offering a parent Lunch & Learn related to Math this month.
o Expect some bumps. As with any major change, there is a period of adjustment that will take place for everyone. This is normal.
o Keep calm. The general idea across all grades and subjects is that we want students who can problem solve in a variety of contexts, think at a higher level so they can write as a way of communicating clearly, and construct knowledge not for the sake of knowing, but in order to apply what they have learned.
As parents, we can educate ourselves on the Common Core State Standards in order to work together with schools and teachers to support the learning of our children!