Common Core standards are one of the most controversial issues that has surfaced in New York State. Students, teachers, and government officials alike are all in a heated debate over what the educational system should be like and how it can be achieved. The education system is constantly changing and in New York State especially, communities have been forced to implement the common core curriculum in their schools. But what are the true effects of this rapid transition? Is Common Core really fulfilling its purpose of preparing children for their future careers and college educations? The answer to this question depends on who you ask.
Both sides of the debate have made some pretty good points about the common core state standards and how they affect children. On one side of the argument, people believe that Common Core state standards are benefitting the education system in a few big ways. First of all, the 46 states that use common core all include the same content. Children from these states are learning the exact same things in the classroom. This provides consistency at a national level. It also means that individual states are not be responsible for creating their own curriculum guides, education standards, and assessment guidelines for instructors to follow. Without Common Core, each state had a different set of tests that they required students to take and pass. Some tests were found to be more challenging than others and failed to compare to the tests given in the other states.
Therefore, children across the country were held to drastically different expectations in regards to performance levels and content knowledge. Also, Common Core makes it easier to incorporate technology in test- taking. Young people use technology such as the internet on a daily basis and have a lot of experience with discovering new technologies. Tests can be delivered through an online tool that enables mass amounts of students to take the exam simultaneously. It also provides a more engaging way to complete assessments than a student sitting down and taking a test on paper. Students are eager to use technology in the classroom as much as possible and working with common core gives them that opportunity to do so. It is also necessary to note that technology is a very dynamic aspect of everyday life. It is constantly evolving as new programs are being created.Students have easy access to new media and are able to learn from it. In our education class, we had the chance to test out an application called Padlet. The purpose of the app is to let students post anonymous “post- it notes” on a virtual corkboard to be seen by the whole class. Padlet is a powerful tool when it comes to debating issues and provides students with an outlet for effective peer communication. I feel that the app could be a great tool for teachers to implement in their classes.Working with Common Core,
students are also able to explore topics more in depth. The curriculum focuses on reading things closer in English language arts and finding new paths to arriving at math solutions. However, there is not as much focus when it comes to the English language arts and reading curriculum.
The establishment of Common Core standards across the state of New York has also generated anger and feelings of resentment towards the new system. Common Core focuses heavily on the way that English language arts and mathematics are taught. There have been multiple claims of its inefficiency and widespread opposition to the entire foundation of
Common Core. One major issue with the Common Core state standards is that there is not much evidence in existence that really proves its effectiveness. Supporters of Common Core often claim that the standards make students more career- ready. When research was conducted, it was discovered that the most available jobs in 2020 will not even require a four- year college degree.
So in the end, there is no real proof that suggests Common Core is even close to meeting its original objective. Some states are going as far as reversing it. The governor of Wisconsin even took action and called on the Wisconsin state legislature to remove Common Core from their schools and establish their own set of standards like each state used to do. Despite the Common Core movement being the only educational reform in about forty years, it is not one for the better and there seems to be a lot of criticism towards it. I have seen students lugging around giant stacks of modules upon modules. When I asked how they liked the Common Core system, most students say that it does nothing but create stress and add unnecessary weight to their backpacks since they struggle to grasp the material. With my own experience, I have also seen teachers refuse to help a struggling student because they declare that the module does not allow them time to go back and essentially reteach a specific chapter. The needs of these students are pushed aside with the hopes that eventually they will “catch on” or “try harder to understand”.The unfortunate part is that schools do not really have any other alternatives. Ever since the launch of Common Core state standards in 2009, huge amounts of money have been allocated to funding everything that Common Core stands for. Eliminating it would mean all that money was wasted and could have been used for other educational reforms. States were relying on Common Core to work and now they are desperately searching for a better option.
Even though Common Core does unite the educational standards across a majority of the United States, it is not very efficient. The guidelines for teaching content with Common Core are so strict that teachers have a limited amount of time to introduce new topics. They rarely have time to review content with students who are falling behind. Is that really how progress is made? Common Core state standards push education to the extreme and it is not beneficial to our education system other than how it creates a universal curriculum for most states that optedin. It would be a wise decision to rethink the extent of Common Core standards and actually try to find some proof that it is working. Otherwise, there is nothing to show.
The fueled debate over Common Core is a fair one for people to be having. Parents watch as their children fail to keep up with classes, teachers do not have time to help students that need it, and communities are left wondering why Common Core is still being used if there is no data to support it. Many people who do not work in the education field even know the full concept of Common Core state standards and why their children are having to participate in it. If a child gets the necessary permission from their parent to opt out of taking Common Core tests, what are they even learning for? Education is based on assessment performance and Common
Core allows students to skip the test if they want. That throws a giant flaw into our current education system and makes Common Core standards look pointless in the end.
