Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Core Standards



Mary Beth Zenyuk 
Common Core Standards
According to the Core Standards website, “The common core standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents should know what they need to do to help them” (Corestandards.org). These standards help teachers to ensure their students have to skills and knowledge, in English and mathematics, which they need to be successful by providing clear goals. In the long term, these standards are suppose to be relevant to the real world and are developed to help student succeed in college and in careers. The mission is to best position the students to compete successfully in the global economy.  
The common core standards initiative suggests that we need these standards to ensure that all students are prepared for a postsecondary education and workforce. This will ensure that all students receive a consistent education no matter where they are located. As stated on the core standards website, the standards do not tell teachers how to teach, but they do help guide teachers to figure out the skills and knowledge their students should have. Teachers can tailor their lessons and environments for their classrooms. It is important to remember that the standards are not the only thing that students need.
Each state has its own process for developing, adopting, and implementing the standards.  This means that what students are expected to learn may vary from state to state. The standards are a state led effort. They were developed by teachers, experts, parents, and school administrators that are members of the Counsel of Chief State School Officers and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practice (Corestandards.org). States can voluntarily adopt these standards. All states have adopted these standards except Texas, Virginia, Alaska, Minnesota, and Nebraska. Some are adopting the standards through their board of education and others are adopting it through legislatures.
The NGA Center and CCSSO will not be developing standards in other subjects and are focusing on implementing the standards in ELA and mathematics. However, other groups are working on standards in the arts, world languages, and science (CoreStandards.org). The standards define the knowledge and skills should have within their k-12 education so that they will be able to graduate high-school ready to succeed. According to core standards, the standards are aligned with college and work expectations, are clear, understandable and consistent, and include rigorous content and application of knowledge through high-order skill. They also are built upon strengths and lessons of current state standards, are informed by other top performing countries, so that all students are prepared to succeed in our global economy and society, and are evidence based.
New Jersey‘s standards include preschool teaching and learning standards as well as K-12 standard for the following, Visual and Performing Arts, comprehensive Health and Physical education, Science, Social Studies, World Languages, Technology, and 21st -Century Life and Careers. Standards for mathematics and Language Arts Literacy are parts of the Common Core Standards initiatives (state.nj.us/education/cccs/).
The impact that the Standards will have on schools and education will not be known for several years. As full implementation grows closer, there are some pros and cons to the Common Core Standards, although these differ for each individual. Some individuals consider the following to be positive assets associated with the standards, a consistent education for students with preparation for higher education and careers, standards are favorable to other countries, scores can be compared accurately, high mobility for students who move often, and increased teacher collaboration and professional development. Some cons include, difficulty to adjust, veteran teachers may not conform and retire, students must learn more at a quicker pace, no modified test for students with disabilities, increased value on test scores, and more cost for the school district to update their material (http://teaching.about.com/od/assess/f/What-Are-Some-Pros-And-Cons-Of-The-Common-Core-Standards.htm).
The Common Core Standards were developed to help students succeed in higher education and careers. The NGA Center and CCSSO focused on developing standards in English Language Arts and Mathematics. Some states have created standards for other subjects as well. The mission is to best position the students to compete successfully in the global economy.  
        
    

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