3
Only time will tell if Common
Core State Standards work
I recently was asked to speak
to the Illinois community
college presidents regarding
the Common Core State
Standards
(CCSS).
That
invitation gave me pause to
remember my Common Core
“Aha!” moment.
It occurred this summer down at a family farm
where three college-aged boys were working. One of
the boys was asked to go get a Metric 19 wrench. He
was baffled. He had attended a
high school just a few miles from
the one the other two boys had
attended, but, unlike them, he
said he had never heard of the
metric system.
I’m not cheerleading for
Common Core, but the concept
of everyone teaching to the same
core standards certainly seems
like a logical goal for public
education. Of course, success or
failure will depend on whether
the system was crafted correctly
and implemented correctly. Only
time will tell.
In preparing to discuss the
Common Core with the college
presidents, I came across some
interesting – and schizophrenic –
results from a Gallup poll taken
in August. For example:
59 percent said they did not
think CCSS would help make
American
schools
more
competitive globally, but an
overwhelming 95 percent said
schools should teach critical thinking skills, which is
at the core of Common Core.
58 percent said increased testing either did not
help or made no difference for the performance of
local schools, but 58 percent said those same test
results should be used for teacher evaluation.
The bottom line is that 62 percent of the people
polled said they had never heard of Common Core.
That might help explain some of the myths that
persist.
For example, many people believe that Common
Core was a federal initiative when, in fact, it was a
state-led initiative and was co-authored by the
National Governor’s Association and the Council of
Chief State School Officers, which Illinois State
Superintendent Dr. Chris Koch chaired at one time.
Common Core is supported by the Obama
administration and the federal Department of
Education, but they were not directly involved in
creating the program and participation in the CCSS is
voluntary on the part of the participating 45 states,
four territories and the District of Columbia.
The notion that Common Core
will mandate curricula is a little
more complex. Control over
curricula remains at the local
level, but Common Core does
require certain critical content
for all students. For example, in
English that includes teaching
classic stories from around the
world, America’s founding
documents,
foundational
American
literature
and
Shakespeare.
Like many ideas that have
come before but failed,
Common Core’s overarching
goal of preparing students for
success in college and/or the
work force is commendable.
But it may literally take up to 13
years – the time it will take for
kindergarten children to go all
the way through school under
this program -- to determine
whether it ultimately is a
success or failure.
A few reasons I think
Common Core has the potential to accomplish some
good include providing equity for students in an
increasingly mobile society, providing apples to
apples comparisons among states and, from the
perspective of an administrator or teacher, providing
some clear goals and expectations regarding the
knowledge and skills a student should have in
English language arts and math at certain stops
along the educational path.
A look back at the past 10 statewide report cards
(Continued on page 4)
Message from the
Executive Director
Dr. Brent Clark
