Warning: polar topic ahead. Well, maybe not now that it’s been 8 years since common core has been accepted in many states across the country.
In 2010-2012, almost every curriculum question involved a person’s opinion on the common core standards. The common core standards are a list of goals for students to reach each year. Goals are broken down by year and subject, so each year’s goals equip the student to complete harder goals in subsequent years.
While the standards are divided by subject and time, they are required for all students, regardless of learning difficulties or development. Herein lies the single largest opposition to the common core standards.
First: Children are unique and are not able to all learn at the same pace.
This opposition stems from parent’s understanding that their children are all different. Because children mature, grow, and learn at different paces, requiring them to hit the same benchmarks at the same time will lead to one of two possible outcomes.
1. Inclusion : the standard becomes the lowest common denominator of students, which in turn brings all of the students’ abilities down.
2. Division : some students are unable to reach the goals each year, which essentially leaves them with no education.
Second: The Federal government is too far removed from specific local demographics to make broad claims about every student in America.
This opposition stems from the American belief that the education system is best suited to serve its students by being locally run and funded. While the federal government pays for public education, the origin of public education as a town-run service to its people is still idealized. Many Americans want their student’s education to be run by local persons and organizations so that they still have a legitimate voice in the education of their children.
Third: Colleges, including ACT and SAT test services, will cater to students’ who’ve completed common core curriculum.
This opposition stems from the American belief that discrimination should be avoided. A college entrance exam which caters to a specific curricula will naturally leave certain students at a disadvantage regardless of actual ability. Colleges may also discriminate against privately, publicly, or home educated students who have not used common core aligned curricula.
While this original concern was valid, the common core standards have actually had the opposite effect. The SAT and ACT have been changed to fit with the common core, which resulted in lower scores. As a result, many colleges have actually lowered the importance and the weight that the SAT and ACT test results have on college acceptance rates.
So, what about the common core?
Whether you love the common core or hate it, it appears to be here. More than half of the United States have accepted the common core curriculum standards. These standards help clarify a student’s focus for a specific school year.
These standards do not necessarily guarantee a great education. They also do not dictate the methods for teaching specific goals. Which leaves me with a few caveats:
1. Do not blame the standards if you don’t like the method. The standards do not include methods.
2. Understand the limitations of the standards, especially in regards to learning disabilities
3. Do not let your bias limit your ability to recognize good educational goals, regardless of where you find them.
As a parent educator, read the standards, know your children, and choose the methods that work for your family.