Reflection #9: Common Core Flashpoint

Make way! Common Core State Standards are coming through! Yes, they are here to stay. Well, at least for right now. With Common Core making a stance into our nation, the change from NCLB (No Child Left Behind) to the CCSS is a shift that is not necessarily adopted by all in a loving fashion. In the article, CCSS Implementation Becomes a Flashpoint for State and Federal Action, Richard Long talks about how CCSS are viewed through the public’s eye, the educators’ eyes, and the policy-holder or political leaders’ eyes. The views are torn, and I can see why. Many people see that CCSS will help improve the education of our students, make them more successful for after high school in either college or the work force, and parents are in support of having more successful and educated students. However, I see the other perspective of this double-sided coin. As a new teacher myself, I am having a harder time finding Common Core tasks that I can implement on a regular basis (twice a week, every other day, etc.) One part of the article that I noted was that CCSS might have had some bad timing. Long states, “This all comes at a time when class sizes are expected to increase, the number of child living in poverty are rising, and there are fewer dollars for professional development, curriculum development, new materials and technology.” I could not agree with this more. We are expected to make these educational changes when our environmental conditions couldn’t be worse. Another excellent point that Long makes is about how students under the NCLB system will not be able to adjust accordingly to the challenges of CCSS. At the high school level, we see this all the time! Students who are already into their secondary education are having trouble converting to the demanding work of the CCSS, and the students are uncomfortable with this last minute transition. After reading this article and listening to both sides, I still see both sides as a high school teacher. I think Common Core is going to be highly beneficial for our students, but we should be implementing CCSS at a lower elementary level and continue with them as they go through the educational system.