Finally, an education reform proposal which I can support. The fact
that the Angry Old White Guys Party (sorry, the Republican Party)
opposes
them, confirms my opinion that they are a very good idea
indeed. Forty-eight of 50 states have adopted them, or are on
their way. Of course, since English and Math are the only subjects that
matter, so there is no Common Core Standard for Social Studies, and
likely won't be one for several years. As a Social Studies (history)
teacher, I resent that, but I can learn to live with it. In the
meantime, while a Social Studies standard is developed, we can live
with the thin gruel of supporting the English standards: read more
non-fiction texts and write more.
Will Common Core raise our standing on international tests. as the
governors who back the standards hope? Maybe, but I doubt it. Will CCS
improve education? Almost certainly. The goal is to get away from
multiple choice assessment and move towards essay tests for English,
and tests which actually demonstrate proficiency in math. Harder to
grade, but more meaningful tests. Another goal is to move from
standards that are drowning in specifics to skills-based standards. We
should not be encouraging our students to memorize random facts--that's
what Google and Wikipedia are for. Instead, we should be teaching them
how to find the facts they need, how to reason with them, and how to
internalize them, either verbally or in writing.
Take the California standards. The preface was great: a handful of big
themes about history students should understand. But once you get past
the opening paragraph, the standard is basically a few hundred facts
all students should know about US and World history. And that's what
the annual high-stakes STAR test is designed to check out, so that's
the standard we teach to. Since history is unimportant, it is only
tested once every three years. That's right, during the first week of
May, my 8th grade students will be tested on their ability to retain
specific facts they learned in 6th grade. The result is that we have to
rush through U.S. History to 1914 by the first week of May, and spend a
week reviewing sixth and seventh grade social studies. Those who do not
read history
are doomed to repeat it. Those who read it two years ago are doomed to
forget it.
My take on Common Core Standards is that they will be difficult, costly
and time-consuming to implement, but that if we stay the course and
don't devolve into rote testing of rote learning (which is where we are
now), we have the opportunity to educate our students in the actual
skills they will need in the 21st century, rather than those of the
19th. I am not optimistic. I am sure when California released the
"guiding principles" for its standards years ago, everyone applauded.
Alas, there is a long slippery slope between, "understanding that
geography and culture affect politics and government," and "be able to
understand John Q. Adams 1824 Fourth of July Address." Perhaps, this
time, we will not take the easy way out. Some things are difficult to
quantify; education may be one of them. Unless you think taking
multiple-choice tests is an important life skill, you must favor
change. And with the exception of the education system
itself, in 40 years as a journalist and teacher, no editor or principle
has judged me on my multiple choice test-taking abilities. I think the
same will hold true for our students.
On the other hand, multiple guess is cheap and easy. Have no doubt, the
American motto is not "E Pluribus Unum" it is "cheap and easy."