Education reform has been a hot topic for many years. In 1954 it was Brown vs. Board of Education and this was when separating public schools into Black and White students was declared unconstitutional. Then in 1975 there was the Individuals and Disabilities Education Act that gave all students, no matter if disabled or not, the right for equal opportunities in public schools. In 2001 there was the No Child Left Behind Act that raised the standards while assessing what students remembered from what they were being taught (Burks 253). Most recently the hot topic in education reform is the newly developed Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Similar to most new ideas brought into any established environment, these new standards are not being given a chance to prove they will help get students college or career ready. Like many new ideas, Common Core disserves a chance to prove its intent. These standards are getting bad raps from teachers because it is a new thing they are not used to using. Parents are not happy with the standards …show more content…
The National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State Schools Officers (CCSSO) spent several years developing and revising the standards before turning them over to the school systems. In November of 2007, state chiefs started discussing the development of Common Core. After 13 months, in December 2008, NGA and CCSSO released a report that advised states to “upgrade state standards by adopting a common core of internationally benchmarked standards in math and language arts for grades K-12 to ensure that students are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to be globally competitive (CCSSI).” After almost two years of feedback, editing, and revisions in June of 2010 NGA and CCSSO released the final Common Core State Standards. By December 2013, 45 states and territories had adopted the CCSS and started implementing the standards at a local
There are many problems in the American public education system today. Some of those include the quality of teachers, who have no real passion for the job, and are only allowed to remain in the position because of tenure privileges. Another issue is the state budgets that are allowed for public schools, with some states investing billions of dollars, and others prioritizing it lower on the list. In hot debate today is standardized testing, and the negative effect that it has on high school education, with the limits it places on teachers and what they have time to teach in the classrooms.
The modern day has brought upon many improved aspects, whether technological, medical, or even personal details, but also many defective facets, such as the topic of issue, Common Core Standards. The system that seems to not work in some places, but continues to stay. The Common Core Curriculum is a set of standards that a student has to be “proficient” in by the end of the school year, and the standards vary by state. It also tests students by having them do benchmarks, so they can show the teachers that they are where they need to be. Many claim that these standards will improve the education, career, and life of the students that are in the program, but is it truly the case? With three main flaws in the system, such as how cursive writing
Test scores are still dismissed, and state officials have expressed concern that the pace of improvement is not fast enough to show the benefits of the common core standards. Districts have also seen varying success in changing how teachers teach, something that was supposed to change under the new standards.
One drawback with the Common Core system, is that it doesn’t meet the needs of minority students. Minority students feel that their learning styles are not integrated in the classroom in relevance to their cultures. Minority students sometimes feel that they cannot connect certain concepts to their knowledge. CCSSI takes away the culture of minority students and replaces it with a standardized culture that appears to be the same for everyone. (Brown, 2016). Another issue deals with gaps between rich students and poor students and with black or white students (Ravitch, 2016). “The failure rates on the Common Core tests are staggeringly high for black and Hispanic children, students with disabilities and English-language learners.”
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).
Throughout the history of education, several “fads” have made their way in and out of the schools. From whole language to phonics to No Child Left Behind, educators have modified their practices to fit with new curriculum and government mandates. Many teachers describe the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) as “just another fad.” However, I believe that this is not the case.
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
The Common Core State Standards also has a focus on testing Language Arts and Mathematics, but it does try to branch out into other subjects, like Science. There is still a heavy dependence on standardized tests in this new system and it will take some time for everyone to adjust to these new standards. With the Common Core State Standards, there is also a set of guidelines for the curriculum and a focus on making sure the students have mastered the specific guidelines provided. The problem with the Common Core State Standards is there is still a heavy focus on testing for Language Arts and Mathematics while deemphasizing other subjects, even if there is a Common Core for Science or Social Studies. Teachers are forced to teach to the standards provided and might not be able to individualize their lessons to the needs of their students. This can lead to more teachers being forced to teach to the test and continue the problems that occurred with No Child Left Behind, where students were leaning how to take the tests and not learn the knowledge they need to move on to either college or a career.
Common Core is built as an infective for education to all schools, but what it is, is a policy that all students learn the same. Common Core has been adopted in forty-three states around the nation. Common Core is designed to get students ready for college and career ready from grades Kindergarten through twelfth grade. “The basic definition of what Common Core is, a set of high-quality academic standards in mathematics and English language arts/literacy.” (Board)“The college- and career-readiness standards were developed first and then incoporated into the K-12 standards in the final cersion of the Common Core we have today.” (Practices) The construction of Common Core was by seeing which state standards were already the best, using experienced teachers, leading-thinkers, content experts, and also public feedback about their child’s education. Common Core is currently being endorsed by the White House. “Common Core is currently costing the United States eighty billion dollars.” (Board) Common Core was created by state educational chiefs and governors from forty-eight states. Common Core states that it will get students ready for their futures, but has only hurt them by not truly completing the goals set. Common Core is developmentally inappropriate for students because the cost of Common Core, it is pushed by the government for competition between states, and the strong implantation of standardized testing.
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 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 creators of the Common Core State Standards wanted the system to become universal however, many educators began to criticize certain aspects of the standards, such as the overall effectiveness of the standards and types of elements that are included in the standards. Among the many school systems in the nation, debates arose around whether it would be better for them to adopt the Common Core standards or to create their own standards.
In 2009, state leaders, governors, state commissioners of education of 48 states created the National Governors Associations Center for Best Practices (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) with hopes to create a nationwide standards commonly known as Common Core Standards (CCSS). The new nationwide standards marks the largest education reform that has ever taken place in America; the NGA and CCSSO wanted to eliminate the different standards set by states and districts and create a universal standard that would benefit the students regardless where they live.
According to the Common Core State Standards Initiative, their curriculum “provide[s] clear and consistent learning goals to help prepare students for college, career and life” (“Preparing America’s Students for Success”). However, Kim Burke, who owns a tutoring company in North Carolina, states, “‘There’s not a person alive who can read Common Core from page to page and understand it’” (Bonner). The Common Core State Standards are supposed to be clear and understandable, but teachers, students and parents alike can not understand them and what they are ask of the student. Common Core was launched in 2009, in hope to create a common curriculum across the United States and to compete with other nations that have one curriculum. Since 2009, Common
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