Standards and Assessments In the News Again

Another survey has confirmed teacher enthusiasm for the Common Core State Standards.  Yes, it is a project of Scholastic and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which the standards’ detractors characterize as the all-powerful Oz, but the data is indisputable.

In Massachusetts,

• 70% of math, English language arts, science, and/or social studies teachers in Massachusetts are enthusiastic about the implementation of the Common Core State Standards in their classroom.
• 74% of math and/or English language arts teachers in Massachusetts believe the standards will have a positive impact on students’ ability to think critically and use reasoning skills.
• 26% do not expect the Common Core to have an impact either way or are not sure
• Zero percent of respondents expect a negative impact

Nonetheless, each day also brings more examples of misinformation that just boggle the mind.

“It seems the Common Core State Standards detractors follow Lenin’s maxim that, “A lie told often enough becomes the truth.”

That’s how Craig Barrett, former CEO of Intel, started his op-ed in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.   Barrett says concerns about the math standards are without merit in explaining Why CEOs Support Common Core.   He argues that the standards are more rigorous than what was in place previously, pointing out that:

“Students who have mastered the Common Core will be ready to take higher-level math coursework in high school and college, enabling them to pursue the career of their choice, including STEM fields.

This matters because

…U.S. students rank 26th against their international counterparts on mathematics assessments. More than 30% of students enrolled in college require remedial math courses — and that costs students, parents, states and our economy in missed opportunities, hard-earned cash, state tax dollars and wasted resources.”

Critics of the Common Core State Standards may be mistaking media willingness to print their conspiracy theories with support for their efforts to derail state implementation, but it seems to us that the press is simply drawn to the controversial.  Rational commentators remain steadfast in calling for states to proceed onward.

As Barrett concludes:

“I’m encouraged at the prospect of the Common Core improving opportunities for more young people. And I continue to be puzzled as to why the detractors think the status quo is good enough. Not for my grandkids, and not for yours. Full speed ahead with implementation of the Common Core.”

In commenting on recent efforts to delay implementation of college and career ready standards in New York, the New York Times urged staying the course in its February 15th editorial (emphasis mine):

“The new Common Core learning standards, which set ambitious goals for what students should learn from one year to the next, are desperately needed in New York, where only about a third of high school students graduate with the math and English skills necessary to succeed at college.  But the standards, adopted in 2010, have had a bumpy rollout and are under siege from several constituencies.

To keep the momentum going, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the Board of Regents, which oversees education in the state, need to resist any effort to roll back the reform.  They have to continue to  address legitimate criticisms of the way the standards are being put into effect — while also countering the rants of union leaders and other critics who are deliberately misleading the public.”

It is unfortuate that this controversy is more about adult objections to the process of developing and implementing college and career ready standards than substantive debate about whether these benchmarks will serve our nation’s children best.   Perhaps it is because there was extended and detailed consideration of that issue in 2010 when 45 states and the District of Columbia adopted standards based on common core principles and aligned with college and career expectations.