So then, what is all the fuss about if the new standards are nothing more than a common blueprint to ensure that all children have been taught the same basic skills at each grade level? There are several causes behind the angst about CCSS debate. This article will look at common complaints and frustrations, and explain what is really behind them. This understanding can help you advocate for your child’s education more effectively.
Impact on School Districts
Some people worry that CCSS will have a negative impact on local school districts. They fear losing local control, federal funding, or that their district’s performance will decline.
Fear of Losing Local Oversight
The U.S. public school system originated from single room schools that were locally developed and controlled. This important root of our educational system allows each region of our large and diverse country to tailor what is taught in schools to each community’s unique needs. Some groups fear that CCSS will lead to a nationwide dictate that forces all schools across the country to teach exactly the same all the time, regardless of whether or not the local community believes children need to know this same information.
Fear of Losing Federal Funding
There has been a great deal of misinformation in the news media about federal funding to each state depending upon whether or not a state adopts CCSS as its own standards. According to the U.S. Department of Education, in 2010 only about 12% of the education budget on average was paid for by federal dollars. The rest of the funding came from individual states and local districts. Federal money simply does not make up the bulk of education funding in the United States. Each state and district can still examine its own needs and the requirements of various federal grants and funding. Not every state must adopt CCSS in order to receive funds, they must simply adopt high standards.
Fear of Being Brought Down
This fear stems from the idea that if a set of standards is implemented across the nation, that our existing top performing areas will have to lower their standards in order to align with CCSS. In reality, CCSS is a rigorous set of standards that strongly aligns with the expectations of our nation’s top performing areas. Many of the top performers already have expectations that are almost identical to CCSS. These areas are making very few changes.
Big Change Is Hard
The development and implementation of CCSS is a huge nationwide reform. That means this is a large and sweeping change that is occurring throughout all levels of our school system. Have you ever had to go through a big, system-wide change in your workplace? Do you remember the frustration and initial confusion you felt when you switched a computer operating system or had to learn how to perform a new job at work? This type of change is occurring throughout our entire school system.
For Teachers and Administrators
There are parents, administrators, teachers and more who are used to teaching to previous grade-level expectations. Curriculum guides are being rewritten to match the newly defined skillsets for each grade level. Teachers and administrators are having to familiarize themselves with the differences between the old and the new. There will be some confusion about what is expected now compared to the past. Classroom teachers are having to get familiar with the new standards and the new materials that the individual districts are adopting. Veteran teachers are having to find new ways to explain the new material that they are teaching in school. All of this change leads to frustration—it is easy to blame CCSS. It is important to look at the source of the frustration—a new textbook that is unfamiliar? Perhaps a lesson that could be improved? As parents, we need to look closely at what problems arise when new standards are being implemented in our children’s schools. Many local news writers may not be familiar enough with education to understand the difference between the new standards versus the curriculum being used to implement it. Is the problem really CCSS or is it the new textbook, material, or lesson?
For Students
Children are going through a system as it is changing. When your child returns to school in the fall and a new curriculum has been adapted to align with the new standards, your child is still coming from the old system. New materials are being created that assume that the previous year your child learned what is in CCSS for the previous grade level. The CCSS were designed to build up skills sequentially. Most likely your child’s teacher will know what your local school taught previously and will know about any gaps between the old and new skills being taught. The teacher now has to fill in these knowledge gaps, which takes extra time in an already very busy school year schedule. Another challenge is the emphasis CCSS places on critical thinking and problem-solving skills. This is a positive benefit. Today’s children will develop the ability to think through changes and have the critical thinking skills necessary for the rapidly changing technology-based society we are becoming. The shift from computation to problem-solving is most easily seen by the increase in word problems in math. The math problems that focus on real-life problem-solving strategies were often the most challenging problems that today’s parents had on their math homework when they were in school. Different strategies are needed to solve these problems. Children can no longer just learn an algorithm. Children today must understand what the numbers actually mean and how they relate. Likewise, the emphasis on critical thinking through increasingly complex texts in reading has made it obsolete for children in high grades to just answer a question by spitting back out a sentence they found in the reading. Instead, those challenging questions that ask the reader about the author’s intent and how different readings relate are now part of the homework. Again, the idea is to develop better thinkers and problem solvers. This is a challenging shift for children.
Confusing Standards
Standards tell what skills and knowledge a student should have at each grade level. The curriculum is different from standards in that curriculum may describe how teachers present the material, or what materials they use to do so. For example, in Grades 11-12 the CCSS talk about students reading a Shakespearean play and comparing it to an American play, but the standards do not say which plays must be used. The local school district or individual teacher would decide which plays to use to teach the knowledge of how a Shakespearean play compares to an American play. There is no one “Common Core method” to solving a math problem. There is no single “Common Core teaching style” that must be used as part of CCSS. New materials and teaching strategies are being developed to meet the new standards. There are numerous textbooks and materials available that align with CCSS. These materials vary in quality—just like materials that were available twenty years ago. Reality: By having standards rather than dictated curriculum, states and school districts can decide how to teach the standards. For example, many of the higher grade literacy standards have recommended texts, yet a local district that adopts CCSS can choose to use something completely different to teach the standards in CCSS It is important that parents support their schools in finding high-quality materials that work for any standards—CCSS or otherwise—that are adopted.
New Resources and Training
All of this change requires new materials, new training, and professional development for teachers and school staff. Training and materials cost money and time. This extra challenge can be especially burdensome in school districts that struggle with funding and staff resources. If teachers do not receive adequate training and support, they will have a very difficult time overcoming the challenges already mentioned. Students who are already struggling or behind will find it even harder to reach these new levels without additional support at school and at home. Teachers who work with struggling students will need additional support and new skills to support struggling students learn to think critically and problem solve.
A Word From Verywell
Parents are an important piece in the success of this latest reform. The new standards are trying to bring all of our children up to a high level of learning. Parents can help by thinking through each of these points, and address the challenges being raised by CCSS. Whether it is calming fears over a misunderstanding of CCSS in our communities or ensuring that our children get the best-trained teachers and educational support, involved school parents are the critical piece to the success of this huge educational reform.
