The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) has become a household term and yet many educators do not understand what it means” (Karge & Moore, 2015, p. 1). Teaching in the United States for the last three years, under a different education system and classroom practices, I am still trying to thoroughly understand, what actually is the CCSS. Until today, teachers, parents, students and other educational entities across the Unites States (US) are still struggling to understand what really is the purpose of the CCSS, its relevance to teachers, parents, students and stakeholders and what sort of adjustments must be made in terms of training and instruction in order to achieve these standards. Further, even educators and the general public are still trying to understand how these new standards benefit both general and special education learners given the gap in their learning styles and levels. I believe, that knowledge of the CCSS and ways in which teachers are trained to implement them are crucial if our children are going to be college ready as the CCSS emphasize and …show more content…
The broad themes of the math standards require learners to be able to problem solve, reason abstractly and qualitatively, construct arguments and critique the reasons of others while, the English Language Arts (ELA) require learners to analyze (how, why), read, integrate and evaluate (literally and figuratively), question and critique. These skills require students to exercise higher order thinking through guidance instead of being told- traditional teaching methods (Conley, 2011). These standards were not mandated by the federal government but by state; as a result, a state can chose whether or not to have the standards govern their education system (Karge & Moore,
In the article, “Quarrel over Common Core: A Pennsylvania Primer” by Randy Kraft (2014), Common Core and the controversy surrounding it are discussed heavily. Kraft’s thesis is to inform the audience about Common Core and explain, impartially, the arguments for and against it. In 2010, Pennsylvania took on the Common Core Standards. These standards were put in place to ensure that students of Pennsylvania were on the same academic level by graduation, and enable them to be better equipped to compete in a global marketplace (p. 1).
One of the biggest concerning the need for an increase in rigor in instruction in American schools. She discusses that in Poland students must stay in academic classes for an extra year and teachers are paid bonuses to engage in professional development work. She also notes that in Finland they “rebooted their teacher-training colleges, forcing them to become much more selective and rigorous.” In an article written by Sarah Tantillio on Only Good Books, she recognizes the validity of these statements, but comments that in America “the Common Core States Standards, which most states have adopted, they are definitely rigorous, But how they are implemented (and assessed) from state to state and school to school is still a Very Big Question.” Further in her article she points out the large population differences between Finland, Poland, and the United States, and how this affects our education system.
Many school districts and teachers have openly stated they do not agree with the Common Core standards and wish they did not have to implement them, but to get the funding the school needs they do. With curriculum changes currently happening all around the country, wherever the reader is have heard about the upcoming changes and have formed their own opinion on it. This is the closest anyone could get to the Colorado situation without actually being there. Common Core is such a controversial topic that many people think over reaches the federal governments grasp on education (CBS, 2014, para. 22). The states hold the power of education, which is why, up until now in history, there have been no national standards.
Instead of just bombarding readers with different tools, the author highlights that standards should not and cannot be forgotten about. Teachers are professionals and public educators have a requirement to align their lessons with state standards. However, the author shows readers how standards can be accompanied by resources and primary sources that exist outside of the given text materials. This strength reminds teachers of their obligations as well as guides them on how to use it to their
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. Analysis to compare of what is driving the resistance Politics, money, power
Sawchuk discusses the massive task of getting all the public school K-12 teachers ready for the standards. Professional development and the roles of the states and school districts are reviewed. This article is clearly demonstrates the amount of work it will involve to make the Common Core Standards a reality across the United States. Wilhoit, G. (2012). Make-or-break state action.
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 Common Core State Standards (2010) for writing in fourth grade address text types and purposes, production and distribution of writing, research to build and present knowledge, and range of writing. Students are expected to write arguments, informative/explanatory texts and narratives; develop and strengthen writing using technology to produce and enhance writing; engage in reading and writing from sources; and write routinely over different time frames. In the text message and translation activity the teacher’s goal was to help students produce clear and coherent writing while including the important components of effective writing such as setting a purpose for writing, allowing choices in how and what to write, and addressing audience
Research Topic At High School One (a pseudonym) a rural 2A high school in Central Washington State, students struggle with the rigorous reading and writing skills necessitated by the Common Core State Standards. The Common Core State Standards require students to use skills and strategies that include: making assessments, comparing and contrasting the same topic in several sources, integrating quantitative or technical analysis, determining central ideas and providing accurate summaries (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010). As Washington State has adopted the rigorous standards of the Common Core and the Smarter Balanced standardized test, the traditional teaching and testing
Mrs. Kim Lallemand, a Saint Benedict alumna herself, has been teaching 8th grade math at Saint Benedict School for 18 years. In that time, she has become known for her outstanding teaching style which prepares students for the sometimes difficult transition from middle school math to high school math. “I AM VERY PLEASED TO SAY THAT MANY ALUMNI AND THEIR PARENTS REPORT THAT STUDENTS FELT PREPARED FOR HIGH SCHOOL MATH, IN BOTH BISHOP CARROLL AND THE PUBLIC SCHOOL.” In most cases during middle school, students have had the same math teacher for four years.
The California Common Core Standard I chose was Reading Standards for Foundational Skills K-5 on pages 17 and 18. I specifically chose first grade students. This grade level is appropriate for my teaching area when I begin to student teach and for the classroom I currently work in. First grade students should be able to identify the key components of a sentence (the first word, capitialization and ending punctuation) on a piece of paper. Phonological awareness is important for students to learn early on.
The world of mathematics is changing and with it comes the integration of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), the five process standards of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), and the 21st Century Learning skills that all teachers and students must now have an in-depth knowledge of. In their pathway for teachers, these three standards have woven a framework of instruction that can help instill a deep conceptual knowledge of mathematics to actively promote students to think more critically. The main focal point of the CCSS is to advocate values about learning math by contributing different standards that will focus on conceptual understanding in which students must participate. Within the CCSS mathematics framework,
I get up and go over when I hear the two adults go back and forth for the solution. I knew how solve the problem but had the same reaction the previous night when helping with homework. With the new Common Core standards, every parent or guardian is relearning mathematics whether they like it or not. Written in 2009 by Phil Daro, William McCallum, and Jason Zimba, the goal of the Common Core, as stated in Sarah Garland’s article, would, “catapult American students ahead of other developed nations, but would also help close the gaping achievement gaps between low-income students in the U.S. and their wealthier counterparts” (Garland). Common Core is a new way to analyze and solve math problems.
The article I chose to read was about the struggle with the Common Core math standards. The Common Core standards are geared more towards the “why” just as much as the “how.” The author talks about how this is a complete change in pace from what teachers grew up and learned. The new change being so different from what teachers have learned has made it very difficult for them to teach. There have been changes made within some education schools regarding this issue.
Do we really need Modules? Common core is the set of standards that the government has decided that schools in the United States should follow. Using this system, everyone across the U.S. is learning the same things within the same time period. This way a 6th grader in the middle of nowhere Colorado is learning and meeting the same criteria as a 6th grader in a prep school in California.