Meg Strauss

Professor Nancy Wright

CO 301
2 November 2016

The Common Core State Standards

The Common Core State Standards consists of defined goals and standards created for K-

12 graders. Information, direct standards, and evidence on the Common Core can be found on

the Common Core State Standards national website, www.corestandards.org.

The Common Core standards were produced as a reaction to No Child Left Behind.

Creators felt that previous state standards lowered proficiency and added educational

inconsistency. Before the Common Core, states would individually produce their own standards.

The creators did not like this lack of standardization and wanted consistent goals that were

available to students regardless of geography. The ultimate goal of Common Core is to provide

schools with a set of clear expectations to ensure that all students have the skills and knowledge

necessary to succeed in college, career, and life.

Currently, there are 48 states that use the Common Core State Standards. These standards

were launched to the public in 2009. Creators of the Common Core included teachers, governors,

state commissioners, and representatives of higher education. The website stresses that the

federal government played no role in the making of the standards. States have the ability to

provide assessments they feel will best test knowledge and growth. There are currently two sets

of tests that states have created as assessments: Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for

College and Careers (PARCC) and the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (Smarter

Balanced).
 Common Core is not a curriculum and does not tell teachers what to teach. Common

Core purely is a set of goals that teachers must aim towards. However, the standards do include

various units that must be taught. For example, the English language arts standards states that

teachers much teach mythical readings, historical American documents, basic American

literature, and Shakespeare. Common Core also provides suggested readings that adhere to the

standards.

For eighth grade English classrooms, Common Core standards revolve around literature,

informational texts, writing, speaking and listening, and language. On the Common Core

website, 8th grade standards are directly listed. For example, one of the standards states that

students must be able to write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant

evidence. To appease this standard, students could write an argumentative paper based upon

class readings. An example of a literary argument could be, In the novel The Kite Runner by

Khaled Hosseini, the characters of Amir and Hassar represent the political divisions evident in

Afghanistan society. From here, students could then provide direct evidence from the novel that

supports their claim.

The Common Core website also states that 8th grade students must have the ability to

compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts and analyze how the differing structure

of each text contributes to its meaning and style. For this standard, a lesson plan could be based

around two styles of text, such as persuasive and informational essays. Students could compare

and contrast an informational essay and a persuasive essay and write a summary about the

structures and ideas evident in each text.

Discussion is also very important in an 8th grade English classroom. Common Core

incorporated a standard that states that students must engage effectively in a range of
collaborative discussions. To incorporate this standard, teachers could hold class or group

discussions based on novel topics. Each student would have to share out-loud their ideas and

opinions in regards to the discussion.

The Common Core website specifically states that, Teachers know best about what

works in the classroom. In other words, teachers create lesson plans that aim towards meeting

the Common Core standards.

As your childs teacher, I feel it is important to present my own feelings towards the

standards. The National Center for Educational Statistics states that within the United States

during the 2014-15 school year, there were 88,746 operating schools, over three million teachers,

and roughly fifty million students. Due to these large numbers, it becomes apparent why most

educational aspects causes controversy, and I completely understand why the Common Core is

no exception. Since its start in 2009, the Common Core has filled the nation with skeptics,

supporters, and misconceptions. Just like in most aspects of education, there are parts that sound

very promising, but other parts that cause concern.

For example, I feel that a promising piece of the Common Core is that promotes

educational equality. The United States Department of Education states, in regards to the

Common Core Standards, that we raise the bar so that every student in this countryregardless

of socioeconomic status, race, or geographic locationis held to high learning standards that

will ensure students have the skills to compete in today's global, knowledge-based economy. I

am a huge advocate for fairness, which is an aspect of Common Core that I greatly appreciate.

As authors William Schmidt and Nathan Burroughs state in their essay titled How the Common

Core Boosts Quality and Equality, Having a common set of standards certainly promotes
higher-quality textbooks and assessments and makes it easier for students moving between states

to fit into their new schools.

It is important for me as a teacher to know that all of my students, regardless of what

state they are from, are held to the same expectations. Before the Common Core, states would

create their own definition of the word proficiency. Some states expectations of their students

were much higher than other states expectations. I recognize that accountability is a huge aspect

in todays educational world, and I feel as though Common Core helps ensure that every student

within the nation is provided with an equal and effective education.

While the United States strives for educational equality, some school districts simply

have more money than others. This is a part of the Common Core that causes me great concern.

Journalist Perry Chiaramonte reports, The study by Accountability Works, the Maryland-based

nonprofit education advocacy group, estimated that schools nationwide will need $6.87 billion

for technology, $5.26 billion for professional development, $2.47 billion for textbooks and $1.24

billion for assessment testing over the first seven years that Common Core is in effect. In

simpler terms, the Common Core is expensive. Many schools must update their textbooks and

technology just to assess their students. Some school districts are capable of paying the amount

of money Common Core requires, but there are many school districts that are not. For the

Common Core to ensure equal educational standards, I feel that poorer school districts need to

receive more federal funding to instill the standards within their schools so that every school

starts on the same level.

An aspect of the Common Core that I appreciate is the emphasis on higher-learning. The

Common Core website states that students will graduate secondary schools being college

ready. Lindsey Tepe states in her policy brief that Common Core provides students with the
ability to succeed in entry-level college classes without the need for developmental education,

as well as removes topics that [are] not essential for college success. As a teacher, having

college-ready goals in my classroom is very important, as I want all of my students to be

properly prepared when exiting their secondary education. It is central in my classroom that I

incorporate, as the U.S. Department of Education states, higher-order skills that students need to

think critically, solve real-world problems, and be successful in the 21st century and beyond. I

value that the Common Core provides me with advanced standards to aim towards so I am

certain each of my students are prepared for life outside of secondary education.

Some common misconceptions about the Common Core State Standards is that it is

federally-ran and that it forces teachers to teach a certain way. However, journalist Amy Golod

points out that the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act forbids the Federal

government from intervening in school curriculum development. The federal government has

no relation to the Common Core. While the Common Core does provide college-ready

expectations, I appreciate the fact that I can meet these goals using my own teaching methods

without the government planning out my curriculum.

Since the Common Core standards are relatively new, there is currently little evidence to

show the effectiveness of the CCSS. Even with the lack of evidence revolving around the

standards, Journalist Tom Loveless reported that the National Assessment of Education stated

that Common Core is taking a step in the right direction. He also wrote that, Nineteen states

[were] categorized as strong implementers of CCSS on the 2011 index, and from 2009-2011,

they outscored the four states that did not adopt CCSS. While there are certain kinks in the

system that must be worked out, I recognize that Common Core does provide equality and
proficiency for students. Ultimately, I believe that states should continue to use the standards

until there is more concrete evidence as to whether or not the CCSS is effective.
 Works Cited
Chiaramonte, Perry. High Cost of Common Core has States Rethinking the National Education
Standards. Fox News, 5 Feb. 2014, http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/02/05/number-s
tates-backing-out-common-core-testing-maryland-schools-low-on-funding.html
Golod, Amy. Common Core: Myths and Facts. U.S News, 4 Mar. 2014,
http://www.usnews.com/news/special-reports/a-guide-to-common-
core/articles/2014/03/04/common-core-myths-and-facts
Loveless, Tom. Measuring effects of Common Core. Brookings, 24 Mar. 2015,
https://www.brookings.edu/research/measuring-effects-of-the-common-core/
National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State Officers.
Common Core State Standards. 2010, http://www.corestandards.org/
Tepe, Lindsey. Common Core Goes to College: Building Better Connections between High
School and Higher Education. New American Education Policy Brief, 2014, pp. 4-25.
ERIC, http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED556337.pdf
Schmidt, William and Nathan Burroughs. How the Common Core Boosts Quality and
Equality. Educational Leadership, vol. 70, no. 3, 2012, pp. 54-58. ERIC
http://www.ascd.org.ezproxy2.library.colostate.edu:2048/publications/educational-
leadership/dec12/vol70/num04/How-the-Common-Core-Boosts-Quality-and-
Equality.aspx
United States, Department of Education. College and Career Ready Standards.
http://www.ed.gov/k-12reforms/standards
United States, Department of Education, National Center for Educational Statistics. Selected
Statistics from the Public Elementary and Secondary Educational Universe: School Year
2014-15. 2015, http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2016/2016076.pdf