Common Core Sate Standards

The state of Texas has been in a constant struggle within itself over just how to evaluate education, and standardized testing in Texas has been a major influencer in terms of the state’s standards for over thirty years. Though these methods of testing have been utilized for decades, resentment to the tests have been continuously rising among educators, parents, and students, but not everyone agrees. Despite government officials trying to quell these protests with changes to administration, and the way the test itself is formatted and formulated, there seems to have been little to no improvement made and those opposing the tests have started calling for an end to all standardized testing. For one to truly understand this ongoing struggle, one must first look at standardized testing’s beginning, then how government today is trying to fix the broken system, and finally consider the opinions of notable figures in the testing world.

“13 Rules That Expire” by Karen S. Karp, Sarah B. Bush, and Barbara J. Dougherty, is a thought-provoking read because, for one thing, students do not actually know that these thirteen rules perish until someone notifies us. When I first read this article, it came to me as a bit of a shock. This is an article that all math teachers should read before teaching in a classroom. This article is about the rules that teachers use to teach math to younger students and how those rules will expire before they graduate from junior high school. Many teachers struggle with getting their students to understand math. Math is often one of the hardest subjects to learn. Teachers know rules that can help students, but often they forget that those rules become more nuanced than presented.

All states have a course standard to follow to set goals for teaching and learning (West, 2018). Teachers use these standards as a guide within their classroom to provide the best learning for their students. Today there is a huge debate between Common Core Standards and the Alabama College and Career Readiness Standards. These two standards are highly debated and investigated amongst teachers, government officials, and parents to understand which standards will enhance student’s academic knowledge. Some state political boards do not agree with the new adoption if the Common Core Standards. After researching both standards and gaining my own opinion, I think to adopt the new Common Core Standards is a positive thing for our school systems. Even though it has some negative like difficult transition for students, standards are vague, and unequal access to technology in the classroom and at home (Meador, 2017). Even with all the cons associated with the Common Core Standards, I think the new Common

Let me give you a little bit of background on the project, and particularly why I am here at Tri-C. I don’t know how familiar you are with some changes in developmental and first year undergraduate mathematics. It used to be that everyone took courses that were kind of on a calculus track, even though they were never going to take calculous unless that fit unto their major. So, they took classes like college algebra, finite math and trig, just because we have been teaching them for decades.

In Marcus Hung’s article “Talking Circles Promote Equitable Discourse” the author talks about how he uses “talking circle” a structured discussion format to influence equitable student participation in his math class. As a math teacher he observed that during “Stratified classroom talk” or traditional whole-class discussions the majority of students who tend to volunteer and respond most frequently were students who were mathematically confident, and they were the same few students every time. Even in the small group discussions in his classroom Hung observed that most of the discussions were still done mainly by students who were mathematically confident. According to Hung, these discussion formats did not promote the equitable participation

Both America’s political left and right vigorously tout their solution is the only one and education is a hotbed because it is an easy target. Evidence: Activists and politicos try and harness the debate from any angle that would put their point of view ahead of their rival. Common Core in the mainstream right media is portrayed as an evil creation by the left. Generally it has nothing to do with the standards themselves, but is likely to be any additional hot point that can be born under the name Common Core (Simon). Explanation: This important because the backers of CCSS believe if that the general public could understand exactly what the standards are, there might be more support for them. Only seventeen percent of Americans who supported Common Core and the remainder was either confused or thought it was an umbrella for many topics other than education (Simon) This all connects back to my argument that the debate has spun out of control fueled by both sides, with the public stuck in the middle trying to grasp some understanding of CCSS.

Nevertheless, schools are facing hard times and taking the loss right where it hurts, the pocketbook. Many states signed up for the new curriculum within only two months, which was not nearly long enough to make sure that the new learning standard was fit for them. By signing up, these states agreed to buy tests and upgrade their technology to administer the tests. All of this added up to thirty dollars per student, more than what half the states can afford. “Common Core Causes Collateral Damage” reveals, “Just last month, Maryland announced it would need $100 million to get schools up to speed to administer the tests”(McShane, 2). If schools are having to spend all their money on tests and technology, that will mean cutbacks in other places. This could affect their ability to provide for textbooks, school programs, equipment, and other objects needed for daily school life.

It was discovered that in education there were certain areas that were universal and common among learning. The two main subjects of concern were English language arts and mathematics. Common core is the new curriculum implemented now in school systems to develop learning. Common Core Standards are a clear set of shared goals and expectations for the knowledge and skills students need in English language arts and mathematics at each grade level so they can be prepared to succeed in college, career, and life. Although, Common Core seems to be here to stay this article addresses concerns in reference to content, instruction, and assessment. The questions raised were: 1). Is the content of Common Core State standards appropriate for young children?

There are many teachers that I know against Common Core State Standards. They are partially right to be against it. I align more closely with the first statement because common core standards create an opportunity for all students across the nation to have equal education. As educators, our ultimate goal is to prepare our student for post-secondary education and to make sure that they are college and career ready. In my school, State of Nevada mandates high school students to take the ACT tests as a graduation requirement. As a college counselor, I encourage our students to take the standardized test for college admission. SAT or ACT is one of the key element in the college admission process and required for most of the post-secondary institution as an admission requirement. Common Core standards provide many advantages for students to be prepared for those standardized tests. Common Core standards are designed to help students for success in college and career (CCSS Initiative, 2010, p. 1).

In 2009, governors and state commissioners alike came together to formulate the development and implementation of the Common Core State Standards. Through membership organizations such as the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) (http://www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards/frequently-asked-questions/), they were able to create a system that represented a clear-cut caliber of expectations meant for students in kindergarten to grade 12. Over the past several years, new amendments have been added to keep up with the standard that 48 states have adopted into their school systems, although the adoption of the policy was voluntary (http://www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards/frequently-asked-questions/). Despite majority of the states in the U.S. having decided on the policy already, there has been conflict amongst the parents of the children who are subject to the rigorous and exhausting amount of tests they must take to keep up with what is fixed into their school systems. The argument against test-taking is a controversy in itself as many believe

Common Core Mathematic Standards have been under evaluation because of a debate between college professors, some who feel the standards are not substantial enough to prepare students for the college degree. It is a teacher’s responsibility to prepare their students for the next level. Even many supporters believe that the Common Core State Standards have many flaws and should be evaluated. With that being stated, the board that constructed the standards made mention that the cause for these flaws is because they focused so much on the K-8 standards that they ran out of time. Because of this short time, they ended up having to rush to work sure the K-8 plus or High School Standards were completed, meaning they had less time to truly think them through. Despite all of the criticism that the Standards have taken, forty-two states and the District of Columbia have adopted them, and will be placing them in order soon.

The first standard used in this unit was K.NS.4. This standard requires the students to understand how to count different objects, regardless of the pattern and then recognize the number they said last is the number of objects. This standard also directly relates to the common core standards K.CC.B.4.A-C. During this unit, students were asked to do this during the initial baseline test and then on day 1. Students were asked to count objects in a scattered pattern and then count objects in a ten frame. At the end of day 1 students showed improvement in their test scores and showed an understanding of the Indiana standard and the common core standard.

For centuries, the first amendment has protected each citizen across the nation to be able to express themselves freely. However, there comes a time when this right is not protected and occasionally the individual can be faced with consequences. This typically occurs in a learning facility or a place of business. Outrage has ensued because some believe that these facilities are too limiting when it comes to the first amendment right; thus making a mockery of it. Nevertheless, the limits exist for a reason; they exist to limit harassment and to uphold moral conduct. For that reason, Students should be obligated to sign a pledge that prohibits offensive language, so long as the terms outline the qualifications for punishment and what the punishment

The term proficient was an ambiguous term that varied from state to state. Common Core raised the bar for all states, but it did not come without a price. Kentucky has become the model for success when it comes to Common Core. The reason for its success in the implementation of Common Core was because they were one of the first states to adopt the standards and have been one hundred percent committed to the standards. As soon as Kentucky implemented the Common Core State Standards during the 2011-2012 school year they made sure all state standardized tests immediately matched up with the standards. By linking the high-stakes mandated tests to the Common Core gave Kentucky a bed of data to study before many other states even thought about transitioning to the new

The challenge for schools across the state and nation is how to instruct students to reach the skill levels demanded in the Common Core State Standards. The Common Core is a set of high-quality academic standards in mathematics and English language arts/literacy (CCSI). The design of the standards is to emphasize the rigorous content and practices required for in-depth of knowledge, higher order thinking, and application at each grade level. Even with the existing controversy, the standards in Common Core include what students should know in English and math for success in college and career.