Common Core, a taboo word for many parents and teachers. But some may disagree and say that Common Core Standards are a highly beneficial tool for our educational system. Through this essay I will discuss what I believe are some pros and cons of the Common Core Standards and why it is such a hot topic in our schools.
Pros:
One benefit to Common Core Standards are that they are universally benchmarked. Meaning standards will be the same through each state. Before Common Core each state a different set of standards and assessments, making it hard to compare results on tests throughout the country. Having the same set of standards also allows that every student gets the same education and will be at the same benchmark once graduated to the next level. This allows students to move from town to town or even state without the loss of content knowledge.
The standards increases higher expectations in the classroom, thus better preparing students for college and the work force. I believe this is one of the best qualities about the Common Core Standards. It has been said that students are coming into college and starting careers less prepared. The standards force students to have a higher level of critical thinking skills and which creates better problem solving students.
Assessments for the standards allows teachers to monitor their student 's progress throughout the year. Through theses tests teachers can find our what a student knows, where they are currently at, and how to
The Common Core State Standards are considered to be a high-quality group of academic standards. Before the standards were developed, it seemed as if the progress of the students in the United States was remaining stagnant and that America students were falling behind their international peers. The blame for this setback has fallen on the fact that standards are not consistent and from state-to-state students are required to know different things at different grade levels. As a result students are not graduating with the same set of skills (Common Core State Standards Initiative, 2014).
According to the National Education Association (2017) The common core state standards benefit all students because it provides equal access to the same curriculum as other students across the nation. The standards focus specifically on English Language Arts and Mathematics. The Common Core is designed to encompass a clear set of broad standards to prepare students for post-secondary opportunities. The standards were meant to be more challenging than current set of standards in each state and to provide clarity and consistency about what was expected of students at each grade level.
The goal of the Common Core State Standards is to prepare students for college and work expectations and help them compete and succeed in a global economy and society. Furthermore, this policy has shaped current educational thinking by providing established learning standards with rigorous content and application of higher knowledge through higher order thinking skills.
Adopted by forty-two out states in 2010, the Common Core State Standard Initiative strives to provide an educational structure which details what English language arts and mathematics should be taught from kindergarten through twelfth grade. The initiative is the federal government’s attempt to ensure all students who graduate from high school are adequately prepared to enter a two or four year college or the workforce. Despite their intentions, the Common Core has caused much controversy in the education community. The thought behind Common Core is very valid and has the potential to help students, however changes must be made to unrealistic standards and wordy statements. Common Core must first be rewritten so that the language is clear and can be easily understood by the general public. Next ask experts on childhood development and elementary school teachers to review the standards and rewrite standards they see as unneeded or irrelevant as well as unrealistic.
A political issue right now being argued over is if Common Core national education standards should be adopted by all states. The majority of Democrats support the adoption of Common Core standards while the vast majority of Republicans are against it. The Common Core State Standards states what K-12 students should know in Math and English at the end of the each grade, and to put in standardized tests. Whether or not these standards are put in place can determine if students succeed. Common Core will not allow teachers to individualize their lessons to help students learn the way they will understand best. These standards should not be adopted by all states.
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
There are many opinions to whether the Common Core should be enforced across the United States. One of the most wildly accepted views is that even though the Common Core could be a good idea, it is unnecessary, that America has done just fine without it. The Common Core is not working how it should and schools should go back to the way it was before. Many professors and researchers agree that the Common Core does not work and might even be hurting the youth of America. Parents who disagree with the Common Core have started pulling their children out of public school resulting in national education to be even less standardized, which is the opposite affect than what the Common Core was meant for. It is also not preparing students for future
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
The common core standards were made to ensure that all students were ready for college and their career at the end of high school. The organizations that wrote the common core standards were the national governors association and council of chief state school officials. The common core lets all school districts study the same thing at the same time, which enables the students that move from different sate allowing that students not to be left behind. The standards includes research, evidence based, aligned with college and work expectations, rigorous and internationally benchmarked. The standards were made so students were required knowing mostly English language arts and mathematics at the end of each grade, but the standards sets requirements for literacy in history, social studies, science and technical subjects. They thought if students needed to learn how to read, write, speak and listen they should know multiple subject to be ready for college. According to the common core standards students going to the next grade level must meet the specific grade standard.
Common core helps teachers and students follow a set of rulers to follow and learn. Also common core helps kids know how the SAT’s will be like. The state tests are hard and for the next test, it makes you want to do better on it next year because most people like challenges. Also, common core helps kids get ready for college. In school understanding common core is hard. In collage understanding the concepts will also be hard so it won’t be much of a challenge then. Common core helps kids understand the concept of what they’re learning. When
Today, 43 states have voluntarily adopted and are working to implement the standards, which are designed to ensure that students graduating from high school are prepared to take credit bearing introductory courses in two- or four-year college programs or enter the workforce.” Common Core provides a benchmark for each grade which shows teachers what areas they need to work on with their students. Common Core advocates learning and implementing concepts using real world experience rather than memorizing facts. There are separate standards for both K-12 grade and high school graduates. Another main idea of Common Core is that all state will be have the same standards, which should level the playing field by making sure that every student that graduates is on the same page regarding academics. The website also gives a concise list of the characteristics they want Common Core to achieve: “The standards
I believe that the root of the problem is trying to create an education system were all students will learn the same things, but where teachers have freedom to teach that subject in different ways. I have not done any research yet so I cannot say confidently that Common Core standards are good or bad, but I do believe that there are some holes and flaws in the idea and the structure and tight rules of Common Core are causing these issues making it the root of the
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
Common Core was created due to the higher level of learning going on internationally. The focus of these standards are for the student to apply their knowledge and prepare for future careers. One main component is critical thinking and the ability to analyze information and solve complex problems with these skills. The new rigorous standards are used across the United States(Core Standards).