Highly
recommended viewing: http://vimeo.com/51933492
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Now that I am starting a new school year - I find several districts are instituting Common Core Curriculum Standards. Many
people have heard that Common Core is coming to our national education system
but are unclear about what it means. These standards insure that all American students
will receive a known level of proficiency in the subjects they take. Instead of standards being determined state-by-state, the
CCS provide consistency, so that a child’s district will no longer determine
his or her education. Children in Florida will be learning the same concepts
and material at the same time as children in California, and changing school
systems will no longer set students back or put them ahead; they will still be
right on target. The CCS provide a framework that eliminates gaps in education
and progresses like a staircase—students keep moving up to more and more
complex texts and ideas, but in a smooth progression.
The
development of Common Core State Standards began with examination of what has
been learned from the existing standards in various states. The new standards will refine the learning
goals, and coordinate them for the entire nation to help prepare all students . The
standards clearly demonstrate what students are expected to learn at each grade
level, so that every parent and teacher can understand and support the
learning.
The
standards are based on the results of years of careful research acquired by observing
successful classroom teachers. The
emphasis is not only based on learning critical facts and skills but to also develop
higher-order thinking skills. http://teaching.uncc.edu/learning-resources/articles-books/best-practice/goals-objectives/writing-objectives
It is critical to "learn how to learn", how to "process new information" because with information expanding as rapidly as it is - we need to prepare students for life-long-learning long after they are in our classrooms. Planning of the goals also takes into account successful teaching methods found in high performing countries, so that our students will be prepared to compete in the global world.
It is critical to "learn how to learn", how to "process new information" because with information expanding as rapidly as it is - we need to prepare students for life-long-learning long after they are in our classrooms. Planning of the goals also takes into account successful teaching methods found in high performing countries, so that our students will be prepared to compete in the global world.
For
grades K-8, grade-by-grade Common Core standards exist in English language
arts/literacy and mathematics. For grades 9-12, the CCS standards are grouped
into grade bands of 9-10 grade standards and 11-12 grade standards.
While
the standards set grade-specific goals, they do not define how the standards
should be taught or which materials should be used to support students. States
and districts recognize that there will need to be a range of supports in place
to ensure that all students, including those with special needs and English
language learners, can master the standards. It is up to the states to define
the full range of supports appropriate for these students.
No
set of grade-specific standards can fully reflect the great variety of
abilities, needs, learning rates, and achievement levels of students in any
given classroom. Importantly, the standards provide clear signposts along the
way to the goal of college and career readiness for all students.
Opponents
to common core express concern that Common Core really institutes more federal control
of education – but as our population becomes ever more mobile – standards
ensure that the coursework that a student has in one school will mesh with what
is taught in another school. Decisions made by
local school boards often involve untrained people making curriculum decisions
based on incomplete information or training.
Some
of the earlier standards were “lock step” with teachers required to be in
complete uniformity. The Common Core
standards identify the learning goals but allow teachers to have more
flexibility in adapting the learning activities to the needs of the students.
Common Core brings a breath of fresh air! I urge you to learn more about it and support the standards in your local schools.
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This summary draws heavily on these source
