When we talk about the issues raised by the Common Core Initiative
we need to distinguish between the value of the initiative and the impact of
implementation, both on the intended goal and those whom we claim it will
benefit. Some say we cannot completely
separate testing from educational program. Perhaps true. But, if we truly believe
our goal worthy, we must also look beyond the goal itself to how we get there.
And, in order to have any sustainable success, we must make every effort to
examine that trajectory with an objective eye.
Many educators, administrators, business leaders and parents
recognize both the need for and the value of higher learning standards. These
higher standards are intended to give every child the opportunity to meet the
demands of a rapidly changing, highly mobile and technical society. The goal is
both necessary and laudable. Toward this
end, classroom learning and instructional delivery are undergoing significant transformation
as we shift from a system of delivery and memorization of facts to a more
useful, creative delivery in order to apply learning in a real world sense. A dear
friend who teaches high school honors math/algebra confided that because of the
need to integrate new classroom strategies and approaches, after many years in
the classroom, she is once again excited about teaching. And she’s not the only one.
Conversely, at the same time we’ve set the standards bar higher,
we’ve also begun the process of assessing what rung, what level, we’re on to
reach it. And perhaps this is where we
should take a deep breath, recalibrate, and climb carefully. How can we determine whether change, i.e.
reform, is successful when change is still in progress? To be fair to the
integrity of the Common Core, we must be able to distinguish the need for and
value of the initiative from the rush to assess whether it is fulfilling its
intent. Would we critique an unfinished canvas? Similarly, to judge any new
approach to learning before it is carefully and confidently assimilated into classroom
curriculum and instruction undermines the excitement, the promise of its end success.
As reform evolves, marking progress is important and dynamic.
Good or bad, with the release of the recent 3-8 standardized assessment scores
we now have a baseline, the canvas. And, while accountability is crucial in any
initiative, patience and caution in holding students or educators responsible
for the outcome until they’ve developed the skills and been provided the
resources necessary to be successful, is just as crucial. Good or bad, recent test scores give us an
idea of what rung we, the education community, are on in order to attain higher
standards. Our students are not less-abled; our teachers are not less-abled.
It’s the ladder that’s different. All these scores tell us is that there’s much
to do to create solid footing for students and educators to climb it.
That said, NYS PTA has worked throughout summer as a member
of the Educational Conference Board, a statewide coalition of education leaders, to
identify what needs to be done to steady the ladder. We have not only come to
consensus on what’s good about reform, but also what we see as the stumbling
blocks to successful implementation. Constructive dialogue leads to solid
solutions -- together we found Common Ground on the Common Core, a five-point plan to both address concerns and
support successful, sustainable reform. From there, together we speak for every
child with one voice.
