Thoughts on Common Core State Standards?

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jenorr

I spent the past three days in Salt Lake City thanks to The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. I have so much to think about as a result (both from the conference and from all the amazing teachers there) but first I’ve got a question.

I teach in Virginia, one of only two states (I believe) that did not adopt the Common Core State Standards. As a result, I have to admit to having paid scant attention to them. I have, however, paid more attention to the reception of the CCSS in the media and from teachers, at least those on Twitter or Facebook. I’ve seen positive and negative reactions.

So, if you’ve taught the CCSS, what do you think? And, even more importantly, why do you think that?

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Comments

3 responses to “Thoughts on Common Core State Standards?”

  1. Alex T. Valencic Avatar
    Alex T. Valencic

    I love the Common Core State Standards. They are not perfect, not by a long-shot, but I think they are a heckuva lot better than what many states did have. More importantly, I love that the wide acceptance of these standards mean that my students who move from Illinois to Connecticut will not have to play catch-up when confronting completely different learning targets.

    What I don’t love is the implementation. These standards should have been rolled out one year at a time over the course of 10 years. Start with kindergarten. Add first grade the next year. Then second grade. After ten years, students in grades K-8 will all have gone through school with them and high school teachers will be ready to start teaching these children with the necessary background knowledge. I’m not fond of the all-at-once approach. I also absolutely HATE what some states have done, especially New York. Teacher friends in New York love the standards but hate that prescriptive approach the state has taken.

    I am frustrated that so many people cannot separate the standards from the implementation and the public discourse is focusing almost entirely on the latter and ignoring the content of the former.

    Reply
  2. Julie Avatar
    Julie

    Just wondering what the name of the conference was. Thank you!

    Reply
    1. jenorr Avatar
      jenorr

      The conference was Elevating and Celebrating Effective Teachers and Teaching. Or, just called by most, ECET2.

      Reply

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