The Biggest Fallacy of the Common Core Standards 4

Diane Ravitch writes an article called, The Biggest Fallacy of the Common Core Standards. In this article she addresses her aversion to the new Common Core State Standards, in which 45 states have now adopted. She claims that the idea of having to adopt "college and career ready" standards is nonsense. There is no evidence that these standards will prepare students for college.  After looking at New York's results with only 31% passing, she thinks students may give up instead of try harder.

I also find this very hard to believe that these standards have been sold to our nation without any evidence.  After reading about New York's test results, it seems that revisions will need to be implemented.  However, Diane states that the problem with revisions is that no one actually knows who is in charge of making them.  As a future elementary teacher, I find these things to be a little frightening.  Not only do these standards seem    far fetched, but also some factors are still unclear.  If the majority of the students are failing these new assessments, then they are not going to feel prepared for college; and therefore, drop out rates are going to increase.  Like Diane mentioned, setting standards that are far beyond reach will most likely discourage students, rather than encourage them.

The Common Core's Fundamental Trouble, 3

Valerie Strauss writes in the Washington Post addressing the trouble with the newly implemented Common Core State Standards.  She goes on to explain how the purpose of these standards were to generate restrictions on a national curriculum.  However, she claims there is an issue when the Common Core standards have never been tested in schools before.  In addition, the Common Core tests are much harder than any previous type of assessment, which is only going to make drop out rates increase even more drastically.  The tests that have to be given are extremely expensive because of the computers and technology required to administer these tests.  Valerie also claims that they will close more public schools, due to the poor results of test scores.  She backs up her claims with the reports from students and teachers in New York schools that recently underwent Common Core testing.  Students had reported feelings of anxiety and stress leading up to the test, and felt underprepared for it.  Parents, teachers, and principals all complained about the length and difficulty of the tests.  

As one can see, the Common Core State Standards are far from perfect.  There are several aspects of these standards that need to be worked out before they can begin to see a positive change in the schools. The fact that these standards have not been tested before in a school system is scary for all states who so quickly adopted these standards.  It seems that these implications were rushed, and more testing and observation could have been done before we made this big of a change in our system.  The standards themselves contain some really good positive claims that could be beneficial.  Yet, the goal of the Common Core as "college and career ready" does not actually apply to everyone.  Not everyone is made for college and therefore these new standards and the difficulty of these tests will push more kids out of high school, rather than prepare them for college.  As a future educator, I find that these standards are not only a burden for the teachers, but more importantly ineffective for the children and students.  It will take a lot of practice and revisions for this system to become as effective as it was designed to be.  

How Teachers Are Integrating Tech Common Core 2

Fred Sitkins writes in his article that the adoption of Common Core State Standards is occurring at just the right time.  With the increase of educational technology, students are able to explore topics at a much deeper level, which correlates with the Common Core standards.  IPad’s and other tools like iBooks and iTunes U, are being used in the classroom so that students can interact with text by writing and sharing notes with teachers and classmates.  With these devices students are able to define unfamiliar words with the click of a button.  Fred Sitkins claims that the use of technology with the Common Core Standards is transforming the way students learn.  With the shift in standards, students are expected to demonstrate their learning through the use of technology and are able to share it with the global community. 

While this change in education may provide deeper learning for students, it still has its drawbacks.  As students become more and more involved with technology, they become less appreciative of human interaction and relationships.  Humans are less valued because technology has become so powerful and even controlling.  As a future educator, I find these changes will be difficult to work with.  However, these standards will help students learn to think on their own more, rather than simply remember information.  Although this may seem beneficial, the drawbacks far outweigh the positive side of these changes. 

Introduction 1

Hello, my name is Erika and I am a junior at the University of Southern Mississippi, where I am pursuing a degree in Elementary Education.  I am an active member in the Catholic Student Association at Saint Thomas Acquinas Catholic Church. I am from Slidell, La and have lived their all 20 years of my life.  I have three younger sisters: Elizabeth, Kristin, and Victoria, whom I love dearly.  Aside from school, I enjoy being outdoors.  I love to play tennis, go camping, and go kayaking.  These are just a few of the many things you will learn about me! Thanks for reading!