The Portland School Board's top 5 concerns about the Common Core
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Portland School Board members at their meeting on Wednesday voiced strong and wide-ranging opinions on the new Common Core student achievement standards, which take effect next school year.
But nearly every one harbored some worries about the coming tests. Here are some of the biggest concerns that came up:
* PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Portland Public Schools isn’t prepared to take on the new standards.
Board member Ruth Adkins supports the Common Core, but she worries teachers haven’t been trained adequately. “Is the state providing sufficient time and resources for professional development?”
State officials said they have taken steps to help districts. The Legislature invested an additional $11 million to support implementation of Common Core this biennium.
Portland Public Schools now has a $496,000 grant to help transition to the Common Core. But Melissa Goff, the district’s executive director of teaching and learning, said the money would have been helpful four years ago when the district started implementing Common Core.
* TECHNOLOGY: Portland Public Schools doesn’t have the right technology to implement the new tests.
Board member Tom Koehler described watching kids take a test at a school where “probably a quarter” of the computers weren’t working. “It was evident to me that day that at that school, the technology was a huge roadblock,” he said.
Josh Klein, the district’s chief information officer, acknowledged Portland Public Schools, generally, is behind with its technology.
“We haven’t made significant investments,” he said. “It’s
* PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Portland Public Schools isn’t prepared to take on the new standards.
Board member Ruth Adkins supports the Common Core, but she worries teachers haven’t been trained adequately. “Is the state providing sufficient time and resources for professional development?”
State officials said they have taken steps to help districts. The Legislature invested an additional $11 million to support implementation of Common Core this biennium.
Portland Public Schools now has a $496,000 grant to help transition to the Common Core. But Melissa Goff, the district’s executive director of teaching and learning, said the money would have been helpful four years ago when the district started implementing Common Core.
Common Core
The standards, adopted by 45 states across the country, aim to emphasize critical thinking over rote memorization. Supporters say the Common Core will help standardize higher levels of learning across the country. Oregon approved the Common Core in 2010, and districts will officially use state tests aligned with the standards in the spring of 2015.
Board member Tom Koehler described watching kids take a test at a school where “probably a quarter” of the computers weren’t working. “It was evident to me that day that at that school, the technology was a huge roadblock,” he said.
Josh Klein, the district’s chief information officer, acknowledged Portland Public Schools, generally, is behind with its technology.
“We haven’t made significant investments,” he said. “It’s