Educational standards set goals for
student learning within the classroom to ensure students attain the skills and
knowledge in the classroom to be successful in life and in future educational
endeavors. Educational standards indicate when students in the education system
are to learn certain subject matter. These standards do not tell teachers how
to teach but rather provide the proverbial scaffolding while the teachers
design the lesson plans that complete the scheme and delivery of the
information to the children in the class.
In the current climate, each state
individually develops its own educational standards that are to be taught to
students. This lack of uniformity across states means that, in one state,
children might learn algebra in grade 8, but in another state, children might learn
algebra in grade 7. The Common Core State Standards were developed by the
National
Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of
Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) to be implemented in the United States by
all states to ensure that student learning is guided by the same standards. According
to the NGA Center and CCSSO, the adoption of the Common Core Standards by the
states also will safeguard America’s competitive edge by students’ ability to
compete not only with their peers, but also with students from around the
world. The Common Core Standards according to the CCSSO and NGA Center are clear
and succinct, aligned with college and work expectations, pertinent in the
global economy, and evidence-based,
When developing the Common Core
Standards, the CCSSO and NGA Center consulted with parents, teachers, experts,
and administrators. In addition, three groups were set up to keep the
development process of the standards open. These groups included the standards
development work group, which was the group responsible for writing the proposed
common core standards; the feedback group, which provided research-based
information as well as expert input on draft document;, and the validation
committee, which consists of 12 governors and chiefs nominated by the states,
which will review the Common Cores Standards to be sure that they meet the
development criteria.
Currently, Common Core Standards
only exist for mathematics and English-language arts. According to the CCSSO
and NGA Center, the reason is math and English-language arts are skills that
other subjects build upon, and they are the subjects that are most repeatedly assessed
for accountability purposes. The CCSSO and NGA Center are not currently looking
to develop Common Core Standards for any other subjects and are instead focusing
on getting the standards for math and English-language arts implemented in the
states. At the present, 45 of the 50 states have formally adopted the Common
Core Standards, as have three territories: the Virgin Islands, District of
Columbia, and Northern Mariana Islands.
Those against the implementation of
the Common Core Standards see them as vague and broad. They do not like how
there will be an increased value on test scores, or that there are no
modifications for students with disabilities. They also complain about how
students will be expected to learn at a quicker rate. Supporters of the Common
Core Standards praise the consistence that they will bring to education across
the country. They also commend how the standards will allow assessments to
cover many skills and how they will be able to compare scores more accurately,
as well as to better allow schools to monitor student’s progress from year to
year. They also like how they will help prepare students for higher education
and/or careers.
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