CCSS And The PARCC Analysis

Common Core State Standards (CCSS) is a voluntary state led initiative that looks to establish clear expectations for learning in grades kindergarten through twelfth that are standard from state to state. The purpose of the standards is to make certain that there is uniformity in student proficiency and high school graduates have the know-how and ability needed for college and a competitive workforce in the twenty-first century. Along with forty-three other states and the District of Columbia, Mississippi adopted CCSS in 2011 in English and mathematics (Common Core State Standards Initiative, 2010).

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were developed nationally in 2009 with the intent of better preparing students for college, and their eventual careers. Faced with the option of whether to adopt or reject CCSS, the state of Arizona chose the former. The Arizona College and Career Ready Standards (AZCCRS) were officially adopted in 2010, with required implementation starting in the 2013 school year. The approved common core subjects are English and math, and place a heavy focus on the development of real world, critical thinking skills. Common Core standards were adopted by the state of Arizona because of the perceived need to enhance students’ abilities to transition from K-12 grade levels to college and the career world. The AZCCRS clearly dictate what Arizona children should know at each grade level (Expect More Arizona, 2014) Aside from updating everyday classroom standards, there has also been a push to replace the outdated Arizona’s Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS) test. While there was debate over which standardize test to administer, the state of Arizona has decided that Arizona’s Measure of Educational Readiness to Inform Teaching (AZMERIT) will be the best tool to measure the success of the new educational standards. As with most new policies, there are strong opinions about the new standards.

The six reason to reject common core state standards from k to 3rd are: one, many k to 3rd grade CCSS are not based on developmental knowledge of young children learning. The CCSS was made to develop what is required at high school to the early year, but it had led to many mismatches. The CCSS lists facts and knowledge that don’t match how young children develop, think, or learn. Another mismatch is that the CCSS requires young children to learn facts that they are not ready for. It also led teachers teach didactic instruction instead of the experiential, play-based activities, and learning young children need. The second reason

In the news lately, there has been a controversy regarding the Common Core State Standards in Louisiana. This controversy has been going on for the last several months and there have been different ideas said by different groups of people. The parties that have been involved in the controversy include parents, teachers, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, Education Superintendent John White, the Board of Education and Secondary Education (BESE), and the Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC). The controversy over Common Core has to do with the lawsuits that have been filed, certain tests that should or should not be taken, and the legality and suspension of state contracts regarding the state’s education.

If not every state actively follows Common Core, how can they be certain the lessons are being taught equally? Also, how can they monitor the grades when these are the standards that are supposed to be reached in 90% of all schools in North America? Their standards are intended to be challenging, but not all minds work in the same way. Each student learns differently and has different methods. I feel as though forcing each student to learn the same way is almost more harmful than helpful. Common Core sets a prime example of one of those ideas that seems flawless in theory, but later proves to be almost completely ineffective in

Knowing the history of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) is essential in order to define what these educational parameters represent in society today. In 2006, Arizona governor Janet Napolitano was elected to the chair of the National Governors Association. Napolitano’s work focused on

Although Ohio’s governor, Ted Strickland, signed and agreed to adopt a set of national standards in June 2009 to obtain 400 million dollars in Race To The Top (RTTT) money, he had not read or reviewed these standards as the completed CCSS were not published until July 2009. The Standards simply passed through the Ohio Congress without knowing the dangers. According to the article “Myths versus Facts” written by an anti-CCSS group called Truth in American Education, most states implemented Common Core to “ be eligible to compete [in] the federal Race to Top Funding.” At the request of Achieve Inc., the National Governor’s Association (NGA) and the Chief Counsel of State School Officers (CCSSO) wrote national standards called CCSS. David Coleman, the new president of the State College Boards, admits that he had to sell these national standards to the governors. Although Coleman does not have any background in education, he received instruction to rewrite the SAT and ACT to align these national tests to the Common Core State Standards. The question remains as to whether CCSS began as a state-led initiative or were established unconstitutionally? Did the 200 million dollars that Ohio received upon signing and the promise of an additional 200 million dollar at the full implementation of Common Core influence the

Common Core State Standards is being heard throughout the education world. Many cringe when the words are spoken and many fight to support what the words stand for. Common Core was introduced in 2009 by state leaders. Common Core State Standards were developed to prepare children for the business world or the reality after grade school. “The Common Core is a set of high-quality academic standards in mathematics and English language arts/literacy, also known as ELA” (About the Standards, n.d.). The goals for the standards outline what students should know before leaving his or her current grade level. “The standards were created to ensure that all students graduate from high school with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in college, career, and life, regardless of where they live” (About the Standards, n.d.). This is an ambitious goal, but with much support can be accomplished. According to Common Core State Standards Initiative (n.d.) The Common Core has been adopted by forty-two states already and is accompanied by District of Columbia and Department of Defense Education Activity. Common Core was developed to improve the academics in society’s schools. Academics in the past years have not been successful and the United States has fallen behind international education. “One root cause has been an uneven patchwork of academic standards that vary from state to state and do not agree on what students should know and be able to do at each

Legally, one can argue that the state has jurisdiction, but the Department of Education has a great influence over the decision to adhere to its’ demands. Through funding, “the Department of Education has a significant amount of control over public education” (Underwood, n. d., p. 5). Aside from writing curriculum's using state and district standards, our curriculum's must now incorporate the common core standards. Our curricular, methods of teaching, and resources must be modified to address the common core standards, state standard, and district standards or one risks losing

Since 2010, there were 45 states that have adopted the same educational standards called Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The initiative is sponsored by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers and seeks to establish consistent education standards across the states. The Common Core Standards is initiative state-led effort that established a single set of clear educational standards for kindergarten through 12th grade in English and Mathematical standards. These standards help to educate all of the students equally, they help children who move from state to state, as well as they help to prepare students for college and workplace. The common core standard helps to provide a clear understanding

The outcome of this could be extremely positive and should be enforced by the federal government. However rather recently, our current President Barak Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act turning all of the decision making power on education back in to the states hands. This new law will supposedly end more than, “A decade of what critics have derided as one-size-fits-all federal policies dictating accountability and improvement for the nations 100,000 or so public schools.” (Associated Press, NBCNews) What many people believe might be good thing could possibly have a very negative outcome in the future. By examining Texas, a state that had originally rejected Common Core, we can almost exactly how this might turn out and the consequences that it might have for the rest of United States. “Texas combines a rigidly thematic and theory-based social studies structure with a politicized distortion of history”(excellencemedia) The result of such structured curriculum, avoiding clear historical explanations while offering misrepresentations throughly in this way is unwieldy troubling and dangerous.

The Common Core State Standards are a state attempt to create strong educational standards. The standard are created to ensure that students in the country are learning and grasping the information that are given in the classrooms for them to succeed academically. The Common Core plan included governors and education commissioners form forty-eight states and the District of Columbia. They wanted to make sure the standards are relevant, logical and sequential. For content all subjects must have critical-thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills. Some positive aspects of this policy is that it prepares our students for a competitive global jobs. It can provide national connections in education. Designed to shape the best standards so that all states will be taking a step ahead in education. These standards had been created after extensive research by professional educators for excellence in education. The CCS focus on what students expectations of learning, and achievements. Educators do not need to worry that the standards will make their jobs look redundant because they are in charge of creating lessons to teach their students the content and skills that the CCS demands. The teachers do not feel that the standards are one-size-fits-all. Some negative aspects of the policy are that is a program created by solely the government. The CCS is a program put together on idyllic situations in education by individuals who have subsidy and students ahead of the learning

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) was first implemented in 2010, nine years after I graduated from high school. Although I wasn’t personally affected by the new academic standards, it has a direct impact on the current and future generation of leaders, innovators, and world changers including my future children. The initial purpose of the Common Core Standards is to set high-quality learning goals designed to prepare students to be college and career ready. Given the current controversies surrounding CCSS, studies have shown that although the intent was to benefit students in the long-run it may actually be hindering their mathematical and reading skills. To further explore the arguments behind the Common Core initiative, I will

According to Manley & Hawkins (2013) the Common Core State Standards “have been created on the world stage in mind” (Pg. 20, Ch. 1); however, I must humbly disagree with this claim. Although the Common Core State Standards goals are mainly abstract and schematic in structure, they are at its foundation a “one-size-fits-all approach,” which has severely impacted those students identified as having “special needs” or those who have an Individual Education Plan (I.E.P.) – these are the students eligible under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The Common Core State Standards were implemented since 2009, and I have been a Special Education teacher since 2007 for the New York City Department of Education, and I have seen

Common Core emphasizes students gaining more knowledge so that they could do well on Common-Core aligned tests, meaning teachers are still expected to train their students to do well on standardized tests. There is no positive change, the values placed on scoring well on tests rather than improving students’ education are still the same as before Common Core was adopted. Teachers are still being forced to teach while being pressured to get their students to do well on tests. Because Common Core was adopted without much explanation to parents and students, it is only natural that its implementation is met with outrage since the advocates did not strive to inform the citizens what the CCSS were but focused on communicating with politicians (McGuinn). It is possible that people do not actually hate the CCSS but rather the standardized testing that came with