K-12 Curriculum Development

There are two new resources which will assist educators in understanding National Education Standards.  If you are still considering the pros and cons of state standards versus national standards, then these resources will provide you with additional data and opinions to consider.  Both resources come from respected authors, not tabloid news or editorials in the local newspaper.

Resources on National Education Standards:

National Education Standards: Getting Beneath the Surface (Free Online)
Education Testing Service (ETS) - 2009
By Paul E. Barton

The Flat World and Education: How America's Commitment to Equity Will Determine Our Future (Book)
Teachers College Press - 2010
By Linda Darling-Hammond

http://tinyurl.com/m92vd5
The Huffington Post
June 15, 2009

Jim Rex, the South Carolina State Superintendent of Education, wrote the article above. 

He wrote, "States decide how these standards are taught in the classroom and how students are tested to measure their progress. The result is that there are 50 different sets of standards across the nation, and a student who moves from North Carolina to South Carolina may face a very different set of requirements. On top of that, America's crazy quilt of standards may not be comparable with standards in the countries we're competing against for high-quality jobs."


My Thoughts:
As states have implemented the provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act, much of the focus has been on accountability.  Students deserve to have a high quality education which prepares them for college and the workforce.  It is unethical for a student to receive a K-12 educational (public school) experience which is dramatically different because of school assignment, teacher assignment, the availability of educational resources or the state the student resides in.

http://tinyurl.com/ybqo8xe
The Houston Chronicle - By Ericka Mellon
Nov. 13, 2009

According to a report by a Texas newspaper, "Texas is in the running for hundreds of millions of federal dollars to spur school improvement, but the state's reluctance to embrace some of President Barack Obama's education reform ideas could hurt its chances."

Questions to Consider:

1.  If there is no such thing as "National Standards", should the federal
     government be able to dictate which states receive federal funding based on
     whether or not governors or state education agencies endorse the Common
     Core State Standards?

2.  Does the Constitution give the U.S. Department of Education the power to
     withhold funding from states which choose to create their own state
     standards (States Rights vs. Federal Rights)?

3.  Does the Federal government have the power to provide federal funding to
     schools and state education agencies "with strings attached"?  Will states
     such as Texas be better off than states who receive millions of dollars in
     funding, with strings attached?

4.  If common core state standards are essential for preparing U.S. students for
     competition with their American peers and with students from around the
     world, should the United States consider amending the United States
     Constitution?

Additional Resources:

Education and the Constitution

Leading Education Associations Support Common Core State Standards Initiative

A Test For Our Nation - By Linda Darling-Hammond (Nov. 21, 2009)
  
Common Core State Standards Initiative - FAQs

Invitation to Attend a National Forum on Common Core State Standards

Colleagues:

The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) would like to invite you to a National Forum on Common Core State Standards on Wednesday, December 2nd from 1:30-3:00 p.m. at 101 Constitution Avenue, NW, Suite 900, Washington, DC.

The purpose of this meeting will be to (1) provide an update on the Common Core State Standards Initiative, (2) discuss the process for developing the K-12 standards in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics, (3) outline elements of state adoption of the common standards, and (4) gather your input and feedback on initiative. Additionally, a graphic display of the standards development process is now available at: 
http://www.corestandards.org/Files/CCSSIProcess.pdf
 
We look forward to seeing you next month. Advanced RSVP is not required for this event. If you have any questions, please contact commonstandards@ccsso.org or visit www.corestandards.org.

Sincerely,
Gene Wilhoit, Executive Director, CCSSO
Dane Linn, Director, NGA Center

States Slow Standards Work Amid 'Common Core' Push
Education Week
Published online on November 6, 2009

"At least four states—Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania—have halted revision of their standards for mathematics or English/language arts, the subjects that standards writers for the national initiative are turning to first. At least three other states have throttled back similar efforts until the grade-by-grade, K-12 common standards are made final in the coming months."

" Forty-eight states—all but Alaska and Texas—have pledged to adopt the whole package of common standards, and that package will constitute no less than 85 percent of what the states ultimately have committed to adopt and implement, Mr. Montgomery said."

"It’s prudent for states to put the revision of their standards on hold, said Michael L. Kamil, an education professor at Stanford University and a member of the feedback group for the common standards in English/language arts. (States refer to “English/language arts” standards by a variety of names, including “reading” and “language arts.”)"

"For one thing, the U.S. Department of Education has announced it will provide $350 million for joint assessments that align with the common standards as part of the $4.35 billion Race to the Top Fund, a program under the federal economic-stimulus law."

To view Governor Hunt's testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Education and Labor, visit http://tiny.cc/XmZu2.

Statements Made By Governor Hunt on April 29, 2009:

"Let me be clear from the very beginning. We need a set of common state standards that are rigorous and relevant, and we must stop fooling around. Today, the variability in state standards is off the charts. There should not be 50 different versions of algebra I across the nation. It’s just not logical; students in California learn the same as students in North Carolina.

We must be vigilant in our development of common standards that are fewer, clearer, and higher. The process for getting there must be based on evidence of what’s necessary and sufficient for students to succeed in college and in work—not on including everyone’s, or every interest group’s, opinion. It should be a tight common core that teachers can teach and students can understand and master."

Additional Resources:

http://www.corestandards.org/
Common Core State Standards Initiative

http://www.pdkintl.org/newsroom/docs/LFA_CommonCorePR.pdf
Leading Education Associations Support Common Core State Standards Initiative

http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Facts_About_State/
The Facts About State Standards
U.S. Department of Education

http://www.k12.wy.us/SA/standards/CCSS_FAQ.PDF
Common Core State Standards Initiative FAQs

View this article at http://www.aft.org/topics/sbr/index.htm
Source: American Federation of Teachers

"Imagine the outrage if, say, the Pittsburgh Steelers had to move the ball the full 10 yards for a first down during the Super Bowl while the Arizona Cardinals had to go only seven. Imagine if this scenario were sanctioned by the National Football League. Such a system would be unfair and preposterous. But there is little outrage over the uneven patchwork of academic standards for students in our 50 states and the District of Columbia."

Questions for Educators:

1.  Is it ethical for ten year olds in Michigan to receive a different set of
     educational standards/goals than students in Mississippi?

2.  Should states continue to set different standards or should states adopt a set
     of Common Standards? 

3.  What role should the Federal Government play in establishing state
     standards?

4.  Should states set standards and develop state assessments which measure
     what students should know and be able to do?  Does our nation need
     students with a common skill set or students with different levels of
     understanding based on the state where they attended high school?

5.  Are standards a script to follow?  Do standards force teachers to utilize
     strategies such as curricular reductionism, teaching to the test, and the
     elimination of creative thinking and teaching for understanding?

6.  What does K-12 education look like in the absence of common standards?

7.  If our nation wants to prepare students for life and work in a global economy,
     what should students know and be able to do?

View this AP story at http://tiny.cc/xeCZI

Report: States Set Low Bar For Student Achievement
By Libby Quaid
October 30, 2009

From the article:
"States are setting the bar too low," Education Secretary Arne Duncan said. "We're lying to our children when we tell them they're proficient, but they're not achieving at a level that will prepare them for success once they graduate."

The federal government can't impose a set of standards, because education is largely up to states.

But Duncan noted he is offering millions of dollars in grants to encourage states to accept a set of standards being developed by the National Governors Association and Council of Chief State School Officers. The grants come from the federal stimulus law, which set aside $5 billion to push Obama's vision of educational reform.

The Department of Education will seek input from testing experts and members of the public as it decides what state testing will look like under common standards and how tests might best include English-language learners and students in special education. Officials will travel to Boston, Atlanta and Denver to gather advice as they design guidelines for the Obama administration's next competition for education stimulus funds, which will help pay for developing the tests.

Americans have been told that the Common Core State Standards Initiative is not an attempt to create National Standards.  However, this recent article published by Education Week (10/20/09) leads one to believe that Common Assessments are just around the corner.  It would make sense to have Common Assessments aligned with Common Core State Standards.  However, this is a story that should be followed.

What are your thoughts on the future of state standards and state assessments?  Do you feel like the federal government is overstepping its authority to dictate state standards and state assessments?  Is the government using CCSSO and the National Governors Association to create National Standards?  Are the recent changes positive or negative?  Feel free to use this forum to share your thoughts.

District Administrator (October 2009) 
By Don Parker-Burgard

If you are following the Common Core State Standards Initiative, you may enjoy reading a recent article written in District Administrator.  In Almost There? The Road to Common Standards Reaches a Milestone, Don Parker-Burgard interviews Gene Wilhoit, Executive Director of CCSSO and Dane Linn, Director of the Education Division of the National Governors Association for Best Practices.

For more information on the Common Core State Standards Initiative, visit:

Common Core State Standards Initiative - CCSSO