Ed Trust-West criticizes state for snail’s pace on common core
By Tom Chorneau
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
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| Thought Tank |
The state’s much-delayed implementation of common core curriculum standards puts thousands of minority and English learner students at risk of falling further behind, a new report released Monday concludes.
The analysis, developed by researchers from Education Trust-West – a nonprofit think tank based in Oakland – criticizes state officials for failing to provide school districts the broad-based professional development, instructional materials and school technology infrastructure needed to integrate the standards into the classroom.
Arun Ramanathan, executive director of Education Trust-West, noted that students face new assessments based on the common core in two years – and there remains a lot of work to be done getting the system ready.
“Common core implementation is certainly going to be a major lift for districts, but at this point there is no room for excuses,” he said in an interview. “The stakes are way too high. What we need is leadership from the state and the critical supports for districts to ensure that they successfully make the transition to the common core.”
Paul Hefner, spokesman for state schools chief Tom Torlakson, noted that some districts have made significant progress despite the enormous budget challenges.
“It’s hardly a surprise that it is a challenge to implement the common core standards in the mist of the deepest fiscal
