Summary: The South Carolina High School English Standards

Common Core State Standards define expectations for students in four strands under English Language Arts: reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language. The goal is that all students will demonstrate mastery in these areas as they become college or career ready. Further, the Common Core highlights the capacities of the literate individual. In the world of special education, too many students in high school struggle with literacy. There are Intensive Reading Clinic courses available to students with mild to moderate disabilities in Long Beach Unified School district. Of the various curriculums used in these classes, the LindaMood Bell Visualizing and Verbalizing program has gotten positive feedback from students and teachers.

Stephen Krashen is extremely qualified to write an article on education, the CCSS, and how it affects Librarians and Language Arts. “He is an expert in the field of linguistics, specializing in theories of language acquisition and development. His research has focused on non-English and bilingual language acquisition and reading and its effects on language acquisition and academic success. (http://nepc.colorado.edu/author/krashen-stephen) He has written several books on Language, you can find a list of them on his website, http://www.sdkrashen.com. Understanding the time he has spent with language and education makes Krashen a reliable source of information regarding the Language Art portions of the Common Core State Standards.

Stephen Krashen is extremely qualified to write an article on education, the CCSS, and how it affects Librarians and Language Arts. “He is an expert in the field of linguistics, specializing in theories of language acquisition and development. His research has focused on non-English and bilingual language acquisition and reading and its effects on language acquisition and academic success. (http://nepc.colorado.edu/author/krashen-stephen) He has written several books on Language, you can find a list of them on his website, http://www.sdkrashen.com. Understanding the time he has spent with language and education makes Krashen a reliable source of information regarding the Language Art portions of the Common Core State

Structuring on the best of existing state standards, the Common Core State Standards provide a clear and reliable learning goal to help prepare students for college, career, and life. The standards clearly demonstrate what students are expected to learn at each grade level, so that every parent and teacher can understand and support their learning. From Kindergarten through 8th grade, grade-by-grade standards exist in English language arts/literacy and mathematics. From 9th through 12th grade, the standards are grouped into grade sets of 9th through 10th grade standards and 11th through 12th grade standards. Moreover, the CCSS stress the importance of using primary texts in the classroom to build literacy, along with many other things. While the standards set grade-specific goals, they do not define how the standards should be taught or which materials should be used to support students. States and districts know that there will need to be a range of supports in place to guarantee that all students, including those with special needs and English language learners, can master the standards. It is up to the states to outline the full range of supports appropriate for these students.

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).

In chapter seven of Pathways to the Common Core by Lucy Calkins, Mary Ehrenworth, and Christopher Lehman (2012), the authors explain that teachers often dismiss the Common Core writing standards as unrealistically high demands for their students, but clarify that through examination of the standard in a horizontal fashion, the standards are ultimately realistic and attainable. Calkins, Ehrenworth, and Lehman encourage teachers to begin with reading the kindergarten standards (no matter which grade level you teach) and look at the trajectory through next grade levels. The chapter continues by explaining that viewing the standards in this fashion and collaborating with teachers across grade levels will not only create a more realistic view of the standard, but allow students to meet the learning objectives through smaller steps across each grade level (Calkins, Ehrenworth & Lehman, 2012).

Gaining knowledge from each grade level is important. Students obtaining all of the information and resources from their twelve year education, will prepare them for college as well as success in entry-level careers. When students are not challenged beyond their limits, then they are hindered from receiving the best education possible. The complexity of texts that students are reading today does not match with what is demanded in college. For example, many college athletes lack all of the skills and knowledge necessary to excel in academic college courses. Some public universities have athletes who could read only up to an eight-grade level. Common core standards will ensure to create uniform milestones that will enhance students with the standards of being college and career ready. Students as well as people in the career field should learn knowledge and skills that are relevant to the real

Education has been changing and developing for centuries, and with change comes differing of opinions. The Common Core standards are the most recent attempt to educate the best students in the United States. Although teachers at schools implementing Common Core are learning new methods of teaching, the standards do not dictate what approach they should take; these standards are what students should comprehend and be able to do by the end of the term or scholastic year. Provided that students are invested in their personal educations, students should be better prepared for their lives in the “real world,” what some call the portion of life following high school as a result. The Common Core standards should be the standards of education in the United States as it will improve the abilities of students more and produce conscientious citizens of the world capable of contribution.

The Common Core Standards engage a standards-based education. The standards guide teachers to prepare students for what they are expected to learn to succeed in life. It is essential that teachers understand the expectations and implications of the standards, so teachers can help students achieve educational goals by designing specific educational plans that align with the core standards. Furthermore, tailoring the curriculum will help to build relevant skills students are argued to integrate in college and their future careers.

These standards were developed by educators from all educational facets to realign curriculum taught in the classroom, while keeping in mind, college and job trainer expectations. According to the writers “Forty five states voluntarily adopted these benchmarks in math, writing, and literacy.” Community and business leaders are also supporting these efforts because they recognize the significant role education plays in a strong competitiveness within the workforce. Although educators and businesses support the reform, state legislatures have failed to back improvements for various reasons which are unfounded. The writers insist that political rhetoric must not hinder students’ achievements of college

It is therefore up to the teacher to find ways of intervention to teach and cater to those students needs. because the standards do not regard the students it is setting a tone for it to be highly unlikely that teachers will seek to support these students. the implications of literacy means that the literacy requirement is once again not black and white, different students may or may not met all the standards and they will likely not reach them at the same time. thus i feel that the definition of literacy should reflect that and isn't so clearly defined or can be clearly evaluated because of this. it also means that the these students will need different ways or additional resources when learning and may have to showcase mastery in a different way. it goes to show that literacy is subjective. this definition indicated that all student need to be literate by mastering these specific things and that includes english language learners. it offers no guidance for educators of diverse learners. it's a one size fits all kind of policy that leaves these students out. are there alternative testing options?how do the standards play out in the curriculum would more clearly depict the implications. if you need to learn all these things to be successful as the next grade then most likely

In a time of educational reform, the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) was heralded as being the new path to academically successful students who would thrive in the 21st Century. The CCSS were drafted by experts and teachers in the industry with the goal of preparing students for today’s students entering the workforce, college, or training program. In addition, the CCSS focused on clear, consistent guidelines and standards that would foster critical thinking and problem solving skills for students to be successful (Common Core State Standards, n.d.). However, the CCSS have had many critics since its debut in 2010, but it has also attracted followers as well. One such proponent, Vartan Gregorian, President of Carnegie Corporation of New York hailed the CCSS as “a necessary step in the process of reform” and “create a competitive edge in the 21st century world that requires innovative educational strategies that will enable students to succeed in a global economy.” (Common Core State Standards, n.d.). As such, I do believe that the CCSS creates opportunities to encourage

The Common Core curriculum is intended to educate pupils for the increasingly demanding world that we exist in today. Common Core State Standards establish precise, uniform guidelines for what every school child should know and be able to do from kindergarten through 12th grade creating benchmarks for reading and math, replacing education goals that varied drastically from state to state. These new standards focus on preparing the critical-thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills that are essential to be successful after high school, and gives teachers a means to evaluate a student’s development throughout the academic

One of the misinterpretations of the Common Core State Standards is that it is a curriculum and that there is specific criterion in how educators should teach the standards. There is a huge difference between a “list” of things to learn and a curriculum of study. As the author suggests in the article “Rewriting the Common Core State Standards for Tomorrow’s Literacies” people need to veer away from the right or wrong of the standards and focus on what the content of the standards are outlining that educators teach. In other words, breaking down the standards to interpret and reinterpret them and putting those interpretations to work in the classroom are what need to be evaluated (Van Cleave 46). Anyone can access the Common Core State Standards

What is different about college English, and high school English so far has been that the professor does not give class time to do homework or writing. In high school, the teacher usually gave us weeks or months to do writing assignments. Teachers in high school would usually approach students, and ask them to show the progress they have done so far. Also, teachers in high school would show writing examples from previous years. Also during readings in class the teacher would read to us, and tell us to take notes and at the end, we would talk about what just happened in the reading. We would also have short quizzes on the readings after we finish the chapters.