Just Stop! … Bashing the Common Core Learning Standards!
There is a sure way to sound like either a layperson (where
education policy is concerned) or a politician; get caught bashing the Common Core Learning Standards (CCLS). In other words, the only people who are consistently
complaining about the Common Core are those who are uninformed about what the
standards are and what they are NOT, or people who are trying to manipulate
public opinion.
The Common Core Learning Standards are not only GREAT for Bethlehem students, they are great for all students!
The standards are not the test!
Most New Yorkers and many political figures have suffered from an
enormous misdirection. Magicians use
this tactic purposefully to get us to watch the wrong thing while the “magic”
happens somewhere else. Many elected
officials, the media, and yes, even many educators (I’ll get to this group
momentarily) have manipulated this same misdirection tactic on New York
parents. While I have every confidence
that we parents and educators in Bethlehem see through such transparent
attempts at manipulation, the National stage is one where this is still alive
and thriving.
We might ask why various stakeholders continue to decry the
CCLS. I genuinely believe that in many
cases it’s simple ignorance. The CCLS
are dense and complex to process (for any person), but they are BETTER than
what New York had previously. They are CLEARER
for educators and they SPECIFY learning tasks and expected PROFICIENCIES better
than documents used by other states.
Equally important, the CCLS are the FIRST set of standards that create
equity for students across our country.
Why bash the standards?
- Pander to an easily swayed public: Our political reality is that we exist in an era where it is has become a political norm to chase voters’ emotional hot buttons even when they aren’t the important issues of the day. While some issues have been mainstays for decades, the CCLS have become a trend that parties and individuals use to distinguish themselves (wrongfully) from opponents. There is no better way to make constituents think that one is a ‘champion of the people’ than by drumming up some issue that isn’t really impacting, taking a firm stand that is driven by whatever the consensus is, and then self-promoting oneself as the ‘champion of the day.’ Ethical political figures distinguish themselves from their counterparts by refraining from such transparent tactics.
- To understand the Standards takes time… As mentioned the standards are a long and dense document. That does not mean they are difficult for students. It is difficult for a set of directions to be clear AND brief at the same time. This is where many sets of standards fail. In an effort to be ‘easy to read’ other standards have fallen short because they are too brief and not descriptive enough. The CCLS are certainly not brief. They elicit clearly what expectations are of students and how students can demonstrate their proficiency. Further, they suggest integration strategies into other disciplines and are progressive in nature, clearly laying out how each grade level builds upon the previous.
- People (all stakeholder groups) continue to confuse the STANDARDS and the TEST(s)… Many people are shocked when they find out the assessments used by states to test the CCLS are NOT written by the same body that wrote the standards. The amazingly talented group who wrote the CCLS have nothing to do with the assessments that are designed to measure them. Kentucky and New York thus far are the only states that aligned their ELA and Math assessments in Grades 3-8 assessments and the results in both states saw the performance of students of all abilities dip substantially. Those in support of the exams state that this is evidence that our previous standards were not as high as they should have been, while many others state that the exams are not a fair translation of the standards. Fueling this debate is the lack of evidence to prove that the exams are in fact fair.
- Note: Psychometrics is the study of how assessments should be designed and whether they are valid. It won’t come as a surprise to most that this field has made the interpretation and analysis of assessments as complex as our federal tax code, so most educators are not in a position to speak to the validity of state assessments (and wisdom would dictate that we refrain from doing so unless we understand the deep psychometric analysis that it takes to truly do so). Further complicating this domain is the outsourcing of the creation of these exams to a third party vendor and a mandate that keeps much of these exams secure from scrutiny from experts in education.
A word about educators who
attack the CCLS
They too need to stop. Unfortunately and embarrassingly these
educators claim that all testing is bad and that kids need to be kids. This sounds nice, but the reality is that
great teaching is always assessing where kids are in their growth with
concepts. The best assessments are those
that are “formative,” meaning they are embedded into instruction and great
teachers use a multitude of this type of assessment on a daily basis to assess
how they need to change instruction or if feedback needs to be given to
students so that they (students) know where they are in their progress. Any educator who claims that all assessment
is bad is a novice in their skill at best.
What many mean to state is that ‘bad tests are bad’ and this is
absolutely correct. Evidence demonstrates
that teachers who have weak assessment skills underserve their students
(Marzano is a leading researcher in this domain).
The next step for New York State is NOT to dispose of the CCLS.
It should be to evaluate our assessments to ensure that they accurately
assess the standards at the appropriate level of rigor. This will no doubt be the charge of our next
New York State Commissioner.
End of Week Notes
Thank you(s)!
- To all who participated in our first ever PTO sponsored Chicken Parm Dinner Fundraiser. We placed over 480 orders for dinner and ALL proceeds go to the Field Trip Fund for all grades. WOW!
- To all who attended and will attend our Middle School Musical... another amazing production by our students and Mr. and Mrs. Dashew!
- To all of our parent volunteers who have made events (like our 6th grade social, and our Musical) possible! Without you these events couldn't possibly be the success they are!
An Invitation to Parents to a Special Presentation for Students
On February 24th BCMS is conducting a Leadership Assembly for each of our grade levels whose theme is PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY. Parents who would like to attend will be able to sit in our balcony or in our overflow seating in the Library. As the date gets closer we will share more details.
On February 24th BCMS is conducting a Leadership Assembly for each of our grade levels whose theme is PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY. Parents who would like to attend will be able to sit in our balcony or in our overflow seating in the Library. As the date gets closer we will share more details.
As of next week I will post a form for parents to sign up to attend!
An Awesome Pay it Forward Act
For those who didn't catch the story of about a select group of students who decided to "Pay Forward" small acts of kindness that yielded a huge impact check this out:
While many parents have commended the adults in our building for our efforts in this, it really was our students who conceived of and implemented the entirety of these acts! Outstanding!
Calling All Spring Athletes!
The deadline for handing forms for Spring Sports is fast approaching and students who have not initiated this process (or their parents) can email Mrs. Watson in the Health office for more information (kwatson@bcsd.neric.org)
Thank you to all in our community for making Bethlehem an outstanding place where community can be found easily!
Have a great weekend!
Monday, Feb 2
- Faculty Meets - ice cream provided by SADD and Fran Vincent (Thank you!)
Tuesday, Feb 3
- Late Buses
- Open PTO Meeting (Financial Planning for College workshop for all interested) 7:00 PM Library Media Center (specifically for Middle School parents but all are welcome)
Wed, Feb 4
- Character Breakfast
- Late buses
- BOE meets
Thurs, Feb 5
- Late Buses
Fri, Feb 6
- Spring Sports signups and paperwork due to health office in one week (Feb 13)
- Happy Friday
