K-12 Curriculum Development

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
 

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said on Face the Nation (September 6, 2009),
"We have to raise the bar for everyone. We have to have our high expectations.  We are going to make sure that every student who graduates from high school is
 both college-ready and career-ready and has a chance to fulfill their dreams."

To read the transcript of Secretary Duncan's interview on Face the Nation click on
Face the Nation.

Benchmarking for Success:
Ensuring U.S. Students Receive a World-Class Education 
(December 2008)

"The U.S. cannot afford to rest on its past accomplishments. The global
 knowledge economy is here, and if state leaders want to ensure that their
 citizens can compete in it, they must seize the initiative, looking beyond
 America’s borders and benchmarking their education systems with the best
 in the world. The state mandate to educate all students remains, but the
 world that schools are preparing students for has changed—and will
 continue to change—dramatically."

In order to understand the Common Core State Standards Initiative, educators should read Benchmarking for Success: Ensuring U.S. Students Receive a World-Class Education.  This document was co-written by the National Governors Association, the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), and Achieve, Inc.

The PowerPoint presentation below is another helpful resource.
What Is The Common Core State Standards Initiative (.ppt) 

The National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) convened a state-led process to develop common core state standards in English language arts and mathematics. Forty-eight states and three territories signed onto the Common Core State Standards Initiative.

These documents are the first official public draft of the college and career readiness standards. These standards define the knowledge and skills students should have to be ready to succeed in entry-level, credit-bearing, academic college courses and in workforce training programs. Click here to learn more about the criteria and considerations for standards development. The NGA Center and CCSSO are soliciting feedback that is supported by research and evidence. To provide feedback on the draft standards, please click here.

Feedback will be collected until October 21, 2009.

The documents have been informed by input from education and content experts and feedback from participating states. To see a list of standards work group members and expert feedback group members, click here. For commonly asked questions about the initiative, click here.

These documents represent the college and career readiness standards. The NGA Center and CCSSO will now begin the process to develop the K-12 standards that will allow students to achieve the college and career readiness standards.