Common Core Standards What does this mean? Website: lwvsc.org Recently League of Women Voters members have been reading and hearing a lot about something called, “Common Core Standards.” In view of the misinformation being circulated by opponents of Common Core Standards, League members should have factual information to better understand what Common Core Standards are and what they are not. First, what are they and how were they created? Common Core Standards are a set of educational standards (currently in reading/language arts and mathematics, with other core subject areas to be added in the future) that specify what skills and content students at each grade level should master. Education standards similar to these are nothing new. The standards based movement in education took off in the 1990’s across the county. South Carolina has had educational standards for all core subject areas since 1996. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 required for the first time that students demonstrate tested proficiency in reading, math, science, and social studies. As this Act was implemented, educators and governors around the county began to realize that because each state had different standards and used different assessments, any comparisons made among student performance across states was essentially meaningless. Gradually, a broad-based movement evolved to try to bring order to this jigsaw puzzle. The National Governor’s Association, a bi-partisan association of all state governors, and the Council of Chief State School Officers, the professional association for state school superintendents, worked collaboratively with highly skilled educators in mathematics and English language arts to create a common core of standards that individual states were free to adopt if they wished. Professional content area associations such as the National Association of Teachers of English and Mathematics and the International Reading Association contributed to this effort. Input and feedback from grassroots teachers, parents, and community stakeholders was extensive over the period of development. The South Carolina State Board of Education adopted Common Core Standards in 2010. They did so after extensive review by the State Department of Education involving educators and stakeholders around the state. They were also adopted by the Education Oversight Committee, the bi-partisan body created by the legislature as the research and oversight arm of state government. More than half of the school districts in South Carolina have already implemented state standards and the rest have begun the process. All of these individuals and groups saw value in adhering to a national set of rigorous standards that would prepare South Carolina students to compete nationally and globally. The standards are politically neutral. They can be read at corestandards.org. They don’t prescribe a curriculum. That is left up to states and/ or local school districts. Common Core Standards don’t tell teachers what to teach or how to teach it any more than the previously existing South Carolina State Standards did, and still do in those subject areas not covered by Common Core. So, when faced with misinformation, what can League members say? We can say: • Common Core Standards are a set of rigorous educational standards that spell out what students at each grade level should know and be able to do in reading language arts and mathematics. • Common Core Standards are designed to ensure that South Carolina students are competitive with students around the country and the world. • Common Core Standards were developed by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, with input and assistance from education professionals, ordinary teachers, parents, and other community stakeholders. Their continued evolution is also led by these two organizations. They come from the states, NOT the federal government or President Obama. • Common Core Standards adoption is optional by all states. South Carolina chose to adopt Common Core Standards in 2010 because legislators, educators, and a broad cross-section of community stakeholders saw value for South Carolina students in their rigor • Common Core Standards do NOT tell teachers what to teach or how to teach it. They are standards, NOT a curriculum. Each local school district will develop or adopt their own curricula to use in implementing the standards. SB 300 and HB 3943, currently on the calendar for the 2013 legislative session, would void the state’s adoption of Common Core Standards and ban the state Department of Education from enacting them. Legislators opposing Common Core include: Reps. Eric Bedingfield (R-Greenville), Mike Burns (R-Greenville), Bill Chumley (R-Spartanburg), William Crosby (R-Charleston), Heather Crawford (R-Horry), Craig Gagnon (R-Abbeville), Samuel Rivers (R-Berkeley), Mark Willis ( R-Greenville), and Donna Wood (R-Spartanburg) as well as Senators Lee Bright (R-Spartanburg), Kevin Bryant ( R-Anderson), And Larry Grooms R-Berkeley). The current state Superintendent of Education, Dr. Mick Zais, opposes Common Core. At a meeting held in Columbia on September 21, 2013, and sponsored by SC Parents Involved in Education, a non-profit run by Republican activist, Sherrie Few, Sen. Tim Scott and Rep. Larry Grooms were keynote speakers opposing implementation of Common Core Standards. This is a hot education topic in South Carolina right now, along with school vouchers and tuition tax credits. Expect to see these issues again when the Legislature reconvenes in January. I encourage all League members to stay informed and to contact their legislators prior to and during the session and share your position on implementation of Common Core Standards. Common Core Standards: Facts To Know and Share By Jane Pulling, EdD, LWVSC Director, Edu
Posted on: Mon, 18 Nov 2013 15:19:25 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015