Common Core Standards: Challenges and Opportunities

The Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSSI) was launched to provide clear, consistent and rigorous academic standards for all students across the nation. But, in Massachusetts, already acclaimed for its high academic standards and exemplary student achievement, the question of whether or not to adopt Common Core State Standards has ignited fierce debate.

Opponents question whether adoption of the Common Core State Standards will lead to lower student achievement and criticize what they see as an emphasis on acquisition of vague skills rather than academic content. Proponents consider the Common Core State Standards equivalent to Massachusetts’ own, and see potential benefits from the shared set of learning expectations for college and workforce readiness that the new standards create.

Massachusetts has a lot at stake in whether or not to adopt the Common Core State Standards. The U.S. Department of Education’s $4 billion Race to the Top competition awards extra points to states that adopt the standards by August 2nd. With the state’s Board of Elementary and Secondary Education scheduled to vote before then, there are many questions to be addressed. Do the Common Core State Standards meet or exceed what we already have in place in Massachusetts? Is the potential $250 million Race to the Top award worth forcing this decision? What is in the best interests of students in Massachusetts?

View video from the forum co-hosted by MBAE and the Rennie Center at http://www.mbae.org/webcast