Common Core Confusion – ASCD Edition
MARCH 26, 2011
At the ASCD Convention this afternoon, Brenda Hales of the Utah Department of Education gave a presentation titled, “Rolling Out the Common Core Standards.” It’s a topic that I’ve been wrestling with recently, and about which I wrote a recent blog post. I’m not convinced that the common core standards are necessary, and not convinced that they will lead to good outcomes.
But then, even setting aside concerns about the necessity or effectiveness of these standards, I’m deeply, deeply skeptical that, with politicians in charge, we have much chance of avoiding the worst possible abuses of the standards. The potential for narrowed curriculum and punitive ratings and rankings is all too real, and the huge amounts of money that will flow away from classrooms and schools should concern any school stakeholder, or tax payer.
Brenda Hales said all the right things for someone in her position. The Common Core Standards isnot a national requirement. It’s not a national curriculum. It will help ensure that students in all (participating) states meet the same high standards for college and career readiness, which will… help us win the future! (No – she didn’t really say that; her exact words were “America’s future and the economy depend on it”).
From my vantage point, Hales is offering a distinction without a difference, for most of us in schools. Nearly every state has signed on to the Common Core Standards, the textbook