Health & Fitness
The Common (Rotten) Core
At a recent Parent Coffee to meet the new Kent Gardens Principal, we were given the opportunity to ask question following the casual presentation by Mrs. McGuigan and Mrs. McGrath. Many questions were asked and concerns expressed, with topics ranging from class size to proposed cuts to the FLES program, the possibility of student uniforms, and why FCPS still holds tightly to the uber-early Monday release…
Then, there was a question from a parent regarding Common Core, asking if teachers might be able to provide parents with a chart, showing how students are progressing according to the Common Core standards. While others looked round the room quizzically, it took every ounce of restraint in my body not to run out of the room, screaming.
A staunch New Yorker, I was forced to move out of my beloved state due to job opportunities here in the Nation’s Capital. I still hold tight ties to home, and, to the chagrin of my partner and friends, compare NoVA to New York ad nauseam. I keep tabs on the on-goings back home, and through contact with friends, keep my finger on what’s going on in the schools. In keeping up with life in New York, I’ve been thrown into the divisiveness of The Common Core. After two years of following the process, I am thrilled to pieces that our children are attending school in Virginia. You see, Virginia is one of only five states not to adopt the Common Core Standards. (Alaska, Nebraska, Texas and Minnesota complete the list of the holdouts).
Find out what's happening in McLeanwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The Common Core State Standards, was stealthily launched about five years ago. According to the website, http://www.corestandards.org/, “The Common Core State Standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them.” Essentially, they want to make US schools more challenging with high, uniform expectations, across states. At first glance, this doesn’t appear to a bad thing. Schools are challenged to teach all students skills and knowledge that will be helpful in college. Curriculum, teaching practices, student-centered reform, and equity are touted. In the first stage of the rollout, schools are tasked to develop and implement rigorous new standards in English and Math. They are to emphasize critical thinking, and reading of complex materials. The goal is to challenge students to learn core math concepts, rather than memorize facts.
Up to this point, Common Core sounds like something wonderful!
Find out what's happening in McLeanwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
And then, the other shoe drops. With a resounding THUD.
In the second stage, schools administer newly designed tests to measure if the students are learning at a higher level. Under Common Core, teachers and principals receive a numerical rating of their performance, ranging from 0 to 100. Between 20 and 40% of this number is determined by how well their students perform on the Common Core tests.
Ignoring the fact that student test score have not been found to be a strong predictor of the quality of teaching, anyone who has ever taken a standardized test can tell you that drilling and practice help to raise scores. With their livelihoods on the line, do you think a teacher’s class time would be better suited to teaching, or test prep? In one example, the Common Core states that students should have five skill areas in English Language Arts – Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening and Collaboration. The Common Core tests, however, will only measure reading and writing. How much classroom time will be spent on the three neglected topics as the teachers try to prepare students for the high-stakes tests? Other areas of education, which have proven to be important in creating well-rounded learners, such as the arts, music and civics will likely be impacted as well.
In states where Common Core has been adopted, testing and sanctions have become a reality. Principals, teachers and students are pressured about their scores.
As if that is not enough, Common Core has become a windfall of profits – for private companies. In New York, the same company that has a multi-million dollar contract to create tests for the state, also profits by producing test-prep material. Added to that, the new tests are much more expensive than those many states currently use.
Other studies are beginning to show that Common Core is actually widening the achievement gap, exactly the opposite of what it aims to do.
As a recent NoVA resident myself, I know it can be difficult, moving to a new place, especially when children (and their education) are involved. The idea of Common Core might be promising, but the reality of it is rotten. Before encouraging our teachers and administrators to waste valuable classroom and personal time implementing standards, which to date have unproven results, please understand the implications of Common Core on our children, and on their education.
