A fool with a tool is still a fool. A fool with a powerful tool is a dangerous fool.
~Michale Fullen (a renowned international authority on school reform)~
This article is not necessarily about higher education, but it caught my eye and I wanted to share it with you because it has some issues that were brought up in class discussions.
It may not be that the Common Core is not the bad guy in itself, however, how the standards are delivered in the schools and how the assessments are utilized seem to be some of the issues that are being questioned. The author of the article, Carol Burris, mentions that she originally thought that "the Common Core would be a student-centered reform based on principles of equity". It may be a good idea to have general standards for students/teachers, however, if that results only in assessments and teaching towards those assessments, the Common Core is not contributing to the education reform in a way that would help students develop the knowledge, skills, and personal characteristics/attributes to become contributing members of society. According to Michael Fullen, a renowned international authority on school reform, "the Common Core standards will fall of their own weight because standards and assessments, rather than curriculum and instruction are driving the Common Core".
Another issue that stood out to me was that there is a huge testing company not only making tests for a state but also making test prep materials. Is education becoming all about monetary profits and politics? (If you are interested, there is an additional article that I also found interesting: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alan-singer/cuomo-common-core-and-pearson_b_1293465.html).
What do you all think about Common Core? These students will be coming into the higher education systems in the future. What do we think the Common Core will/may influence curricula in higher education?
First, nice word cloud.
ReplyDeleteSecond, I like the idea of Common Core in that everyone will come out on a level playing field because they have learned the same things, regardless of where they went to school. That means that students in a poverty stricken neighborhood should have the same education as an affluent neighborhood. However, consistent outcomes across diverse students is impossible because not everyone will learn in the same manner. Education is not a cookie cutter machine and maybe it does matter where you go to school.
Third, I do not like the idea of companies profiting off of assessments and assessment-related products (study guides, tutors, etc.). But if we were not allowed to assess, how will outcomes be measured in an unbiased fashion? And standards should never be lowered to make it appear that more people are passing.
I would like all students to enter college prepared. I would like them all to have met a base standard from which they can move forward without spending time on remedial courses (such as everyone will take Pre-Calculus or higher). I just do not know how to get them to that point.