Common Core Standards Coming

— There’s been a level of hoopla surrounding the development and approval of common standards for students across the country. The standards, touted by President Barack Obama and the National Governors Association, were approved for Arkansas earlier this month.

But it could be two years or longer before Arkansas students see the standards incorporated in their classrooms. Local educators will be glad to see the standards but tend to agree implementing new standards may be a daunting task, especially for teachers.

“This is all new territory,unknown territory,” said Sandra Stotsky, an education reform professor at the University of Arkansas who has been critical of the new standards in national publications, most recently the New York Times.

The standards for English language arts call for “skillbased outcomes” without giving teachers guidelines for reaching the outcomes. Another concern is the standards seem to call for more informational reading from grade to grade, requiring teachers to have broader content knowledge, she said.

“How does the English teacher teach the Bill of Rights without having a strong period background?” she said.

Of the standards in general, Fayetteville Superintendent Vicki Thomas said the common standards add “more rigor to the curriculum in order for students to compete globally.”

She expects the new standards “to fit like a hand in a glove” as Fayetteville moves forward in development of its own curriculum to provide students a 21st century education.

“It will probably be two years before we can implement them and three years before the assessments are ready,” she predicted. The district plans a three-year rollout for its new curriculum. The new standards will be incorporated as the new curriculum is written, she said.

“Fayetteville will be prepared. I’m glad to see it,” Thomas said.

Another key component of the common standards calls for eighth-graders to take Algebra I.

Algebra tends to be “the gatekeeper” to more rigorous coursework in high school, Thomas said, noting more eighth-graders should take the course. “That’s significant,” she said.

Bernard Madison, a University of Arkansas professor in mathematical sciences, said Algebra I in the eighth gradeis necessary, but whether it’s taught in eighth or ninth grade, “students need to learn it well the first time and they need to learn what it’s good for.”

Madison was involved in drafting the standards as part of a large group of math educators.

“Algebra is only powerful if you know how to use it and use it correctly,” Madison said, noting the course value is in helping students solve problems. Problem solving is cited as a key component of 21st century learning.

He has been working with math teachers in Arkansas and Oklahoma this summer to help them understand the new math standards.

“For Arkansas, it’s signifi - cant. It enables us to work together with Oklahoma and Louisiana,” he said. “The uniformity and standardization will be good.”

The Arkansas State Board of Education adopted the standards last week. Some 27 states have approved the standards, according to national reports. At that time, Gayle Potter, the state department’s associate director for curriculum, assessment and research, said a 24-member committee was working on details for transitioning to the common standards in Arkansas.

Governors and state education directors in 48 states last year agreed to an initiative to establish a common set of standards, which states can adopt.

Algebra I offered in the eighth grade and teaching mathematical fractions as early as third grade are two noteworthy components of the math standards. A push for more writing, especiallypersuasive writing, is part of the English language arts standards.

“Not only are we getting new standards in the classroom, it will be a while before new assessments are developed,” said Julie Thompson, spokeswoman for the department. Additionally, the state will be writing new curriculum over the next two years as part of the implementation process.

Arkansas is part of a consortium of 26 states developing a common testing or assessment system based on the common core standards.

“This all will be benefi cial on a lot of levels, for students, for schools and the states,” Thompson said.

She expects Arkansas students to have an easier time adjusting to new assessments, which will incorporate more open-ended response questions, essay questions intended to measure higher level thinking skills. Arkansas students have been tested with essay question for years, unlike some other states, Thompson said.

“It’s all a welcome change,” Thompson said. “There will be more focus on depth, rather than breadth.”

Marsha Jones, associate superintendent of teaching and learning in Springdale School District, said the new standards will require new and more professional development programs for teachers.

Like other school off cials, Jones said the new standards will have an impact on teachers, who will need guidance on implementing new standards in their classrooms.

“I think it’s a good step forward,” Jones said. “We have high hopes.”

News, Pages 1 on 07/26/2010

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