Introduction Public education standards reform has been in progress for over a decade with Common Core State Standards being implemented in majority of public school systems since 2009. The big question that surrounds this reform is whether or not these government mandated policies and guidelines are fulfilling their promise in guaranteeing that “No Child is Left Behind.” Lefkowits and Miller (2006) started a “National Dialogue” in 2001that span over four years to find answers to this question. This paper will evaluate the outcomes of this dialogue concerning assessment, accountability and public participation, as well as the long-term promise of the standards movement. There will also be a discussion about long-term goals in relation to Common Core State Standards and how this affects curriculum.
Assessment, Accountability, and Public Participation
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Participants communicated that they felt it will take more than holding schools accountable for test results and rejected the “one-size-fits-all” approach (Lefkowits & Miller, 2006). In addition, there was a general sense that school communities must share responsibility and more resources must be provided for success (Lefkowits & Miller, 2006). Lefkowits and Miller (2006) say concerning assessment and accountability specifically, policy makers and the general public understand these concepts very differently. Standardized testing does not provide the full view of student achievement and does not really answer what parents want to know about student performance (Lefkowits and Miller, 2006). Funding, disciplinary issues, student-teacher ratios, and narrowing of the curriculum where also hot topics with participants, none of which are address by the current standards
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).
The current form of teacher accountability, is well known, but has little support. The system we have adapted to, judges our teachers and views them as simple minded. Tucker points out in the report, Fixing Our National Accountability Problems, that having standardized tests judging our teachers is not giving students a better education. Nocera uses Tucker’s quote: “There is no
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.
The Goals 2000: Educate America Act was a vital step to reform American education. The overall intent was to aid the nation move toward a system that was based on high standards that all students could meet —a system that will provide both equity and excellence for all of the pupils in this country. The police targeted state-grade support for reform in curriculum and assessment standards. By emphasizing standards-based reform and focused on content and performance standards, along with accountability for improvement, assessment, student performance, accountability, teacher preparation, community and parental involvement, and coordinated changes, to make a few (H. R. 10804 Goals, n.d.). The other object of this policy was to establish a
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
Our current period in education is full of great change and opportunity. Students, teachers, and principals are being challenged to think, learn, and apply in different ways. The Common Core State Standards and technology are the main reasons this time period is so important. These two things are creating, "great opportunities within themselves" (Fullan, p.12, 2014) and at the same time are very challenging because they have "unclear implications for implementation" (Fullan, p.12, 2014). Both Common Core State Standards and technology are very complex and create an exciting time in learning across the educational system however, make it challenging for educators in the U.S. to be effective and implement in a way that maximizes learning.
A principal in the Mid-West told a blogger, Diane Ravitch, that “his school piloted the Common Core assessments and the failure rate rocketed upwards, especially among the students with the highest needs. He said the exams looked like AP exams and were beyond the reach of many students.” the point of this teaching style was so that the gap in results between the children who have and don’t have good education opportunities would shrink but if this trend continues it is only a matter of time before most students fail their classes all because of the new standard that has been
After watching both videos, “The English Language Arts Standards: Key Changes and their Evidence” and “The Mathematics Standards: Key Changes and their Evidence,” I now realized where the need for the Common Core standards arise from, with the United States being behind in education ranking at 14th and our students performing at a low standard. The Common Core standards were formed to help combat this situation. Our students were entering college and the workforce under prepared. The Common Core standards were implemented with the understanding that these standards would help our students to graduate high school, college and career ready. These standards will provide a better understanding and mastering skills in language arts and mathematics.
The thesis of a definition essay is one of the most crucial components of the essay. In a Definition essay, all of the ideas, evidence, and examples must focus on the thesis of the essay (Kennedy et al 471). For instance, if a writer’s thesis of a Definition essay about today’s Common Core Standards is that it is detrimental towards the education system, then he or she would only highlight instances and ideas depicting their sentiments towards the topic. Although it is not necessary for a writer to present their main idea in a thesis statement, doing so will assist the reader in comprehending the thesis of the text (Kennedy et al. 471). For instance, if the writer of the Definition Essay on Common Core states their main idea in a thesis statement
In the state of Oklahoma all the parents, teachers and students disliked the CCSS. So in June of 2010 the battle to dismantle the common core state standards began. But a lot did protest the adoption of the new CCSS for the school year 2014-15. One of the former superintendent of public instruction of the State of Oklahoma Linda Murphy. Murphy said “Oklahoman’s need to put a stop to the Common Core State Standards before it does further damage to our children’s education.”
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 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.
States that have Common Core implemented have seen a decline in student test scores and achievement. This is shown in one of the states with the earliest implementation of Common Core, Kentucky. Kentucky has seen a decline in their student achievement since the implementation of Common Core. This shows that Common Core needs significant improvements, or needs to be removed completely. One parent stated that “Our children who were testing in the 80th or higher percentile in math last year, are now coming home with C’s, D’s, and F’s on their report cards” (Lamoreaux).
Common Core is forcing teachers to teach students Core standards, but these standards aren’t what future grades want/need. In Common Core isn’t preparing students very well for college or career, new report says, the author