Common Core and Common Sense

Perhaps the most appalling thing about the Common Core education standards is that I found myself almost agreeing with Glen Beck. The problem is not in the idea, I like the idea of a common standard so that we know that if a student transfers a credit of Geometry from Iowa to a school in Maine everyone will know what that student knows and will therefore be better able to place the student in the right classes. Brilliant and sensible. It is in the execution that the trouble comes.

A. Testing, testing, testing. Common Core still supports the dubious education machine of testers and evaluations that measure success in teaching by a standard that does not take into account the factors outside of a teacher's control sort of like evaluating your weatherman not on the accuracy of the prediction but on the desirability. We want 70% sunny days, 80% of highs in the mid 70's, now go and do it. Even if we are able to create a standard that allows for assessment of a teacher's ability to realize  X% of a students potential realized, the student still has control of a variable - they can choose to not work just as some students choose not to complete standardized  tests and proctors are not allowed to coach them to get the job done. Student potential and failure to reach it will always dog evaluations as will low potential that cannot reach the standards with anything short of a miracle.

B. Teachable moments. Teachable moments disappear with common standards and teaching to the test. We cannot stop to consider the implications of history on the developing revolutions in the Middle East.

C. Higher Thinking. High thinking is one of the new buzz words in education that all teachers should be creating in students but when we are trying to get the facts down for the test and don't have the time to assess (see for instance, B. above) critical thinking skills will not be developed, rote memory will be the norm. And with that comes

D. Boredom. "I'm bored" is already one of the most common expressions of student interest. Do we need more or less? The key to relieving the boredom is to allow for departures from the norm. Allowing teachers the flexibility to teach to need and opportunity to teach in the moment when student interest is highest.

Otherwise bring it on, It rocks!