The last installment of our @matec newsletter article ”Education Challenges in the 21st Century”, inspired by Cathleen Barton’s presentation at the HI-TEC 2009 event, focuses on the Common Core State Standard Initiative. The initiative is a significant and historic opportunities for states to collectively develop and adopt a core set of academic standards in mathematics and English language arts. The primary goal of this effort is to create shared high standards to make sure all American students are ready for college and work.

There are several negative myths that have been created regarding the Standards, and many positive facts established to clear up the confusion. Three of which are highlighted below:

Myth 1: The Standards only include skills and do not address the importance of content knowledge.
Fact 1: The Standards set a rigorous definition of college and career readiness, not by piling topic upon topic, but by demanding that students develop a depth of understanding and ability to apply mathematics to novel situations, as college students and employees regularly do.

Myth 2: The Standards do not prepare or require students to learn Algebra in the 8th grade, as many states’ current standards do.
Fact 2: The Standards do accommodate and prepare students for Algebra 1 in 8th grade, by including the prerequisites for this course in grades K-7.

Myth 3: The Standards tell teachers what to teach.
Fact 3: The best understanding of what works in the classroom comes from the teachers who are in them. That’s why these standards will establish what students need to learn, but they will not dictate how teachers should teach.

What other interesting myths or facts are you aware of regarding the Standards? What assessment measures would you suggest be initiated to gauge student performance as a result of this initiative? Full details regarding the Common Core State Standard Initiative can be found at http://www.corestandards.org.

 

Lara Smith