What is common core?

Common core is the education system that emerged from the wreckage of the No Child Left Behind system. NCLB was passed in 2002, and was meant to be a way to fix the gaps in academic performance. It forced states to adopt certain curriculum standards and to test students annually to see the progress toward reaching them. In order to make sure that the states adopted this, they threatened to pull funding. However, NCLB was a failure in doing what it was supposed to do; it showed the gaps in education even more. “More than half the schools in the nation were on the lists of ‘failing schools’ and the rest were poised to follow” (Karp).

In comes Common Core, the supposed savior of the education system. This new program was designed as a state effort led by the National Governors Association, the Council of Chief State School Officers, and Achieve, a private consulting firm. The Gates Foundation provided more than $160 million in funding, without which Common Core would not exist.

On the official Common Core site, Common Core is defined as “a set of high-quality academic standards in mathematics and English language arts/literacy (ELA)…the standards were created to ensure that all students graduate from high school with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in college, career, and life, regardless of where they live.” 

People that are opposing Common Core argue that it makes learning generic, forcing teachers to make sure students understand each and every way to learn something, despite each child having a different approach towards learning. People also argue that it shifts learning towards testing.

Let’s talk Standardized Testing

As all American students know, ACTs and SATs are one of the most important tests you could ever take in high school. In some schools, you can’t graduate without Regents diplomas. The ACTS/ SATS can sometimes make or break the acceptance into the college that you would like to attend. But, not many agree that these exams should be what make or break acceptances. Also, some disagree with the Regents requirement.

We conducted a Google survey that was shared on Facebook asking various questions about standardized testing. These questions were presented amongst a couple of others to High School and College students:  “Did you feel the ACTs or SATs were accurate portrayals of one’s abilities as a student?” and “Do you think that it is fair for colleges to use them to determine acceptances?”

Image created by Author of this page

 

Image created by Author of this page

The answers were very close for the second question, but the majority said no.

The arguments for those who said no were all very similar and were also relevant to the first question. Someone could hire a tutor and teach them all the tricks and they could do way better then a student that actually knows their stuff. Many students are not good test takers, therefore their actual skill level can be shown as lower than what it really is. One person pointed out, that these tests are not actually testing the way we are taught to learn, but rather our use of logic.

However, what many also pointed out is that there is no way to really accurately test students’ skill levels. They can look at the GPA, but that can’t be the only thing that is weighed in regards to college acceptances.

Some colleges have even dropped the standardized test requirement, becoming “Test Optional,” because of the dispute.

 

What are Regents?

In New York State there are five Regents exams you are required to take. You must score a 65 or over to pass. The exams are English, , one mathematics exam, two social studies exams — that could be a choice of Global History/Geography and/or U.S. History and Government — and then one science exam—Earth Science or Living Environment.

The Regents exams are meant to “mark a major milestone in students’ educational lives” (Pathak). These exams consist of what you have been taught all year long. These exams follow the Common Core curriculum. These exams assess what you have learned and whether or not you can proceed to the next year of education. They are offered twice a year, so often if you fail the first exam you can spend the summer studying and retake it.

They basically all follow the same structure:

  • Multiple-choice
  • Essay
  • Open-ended, in which students calculate the answer to a question and must show both the numerical answer and the work they used to arrive at the answer
  • Constructed-response, in which students must calculate answers by constructing graphs, formulating hypotheses, evaluating experimental designs, or drawing conclusions based on given data
  • Extended constructed-response, which require students to apply knowledge and skills to real-world problems Below is an overview of the exams required for the Regents diploma. Unless otherwise stated, schools decide when their students will take each test. (Pathak)

All public schools are required to give these exams to their students, and most private schools are as well. There are really no exceptions to the rule, even children with disabilities required to take the exam, but are given accommodation (Pathak).

Now the issue with the Regents is not the exams itself. In fact, I believe these exams are actually very efficient in its testing. However, a problem with these tests lies in the way that they are graded.

Part of the exams are sent to Albany to be graded, the multiple choice, however the other written parts are graded by the teachers in the schools. Studies have found that because these regents are required for graduation, teachers are “helping to spare students from missing out on a diploma” (Disare). This is why teachers are not allowed to grade their own students exams, however this has not really changed the outcome. Teachers are still motivated to help students graduate even if they aren’t their own.

Another is within the way the questions are worded.

In order to make the exam “Common Core,” the questions became wordy and confusing. An example given by a Washington Post by Valerie Strauss was from a Algebra Common Core exam:

“Keith determines the zeros of the function f(x) to be -6 and 5. What could be Keith’s function?”

This was made “unnecessarily complicated and wordy in order to give the illusion of a ‘real world’ problem that requires deep thinking.” Instead of just putting the question on the test and asking straight forward, you have a student trying to figure out what the question is asking and then figuring out how to solve it in way more time.

 

Works Cited

Karp, Stan. “Http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/28_02/28_02_karp.shtml.” Rethinking Schools. N.p., Winter 2013/2014. Web. 24 May 2017.

Pathak, Yamini. “Everything You Need to Know about the New York State Regents Exams.” Noodle. N.p., 29 May 2015. Web. 24 May 2017.

Schneider, Anna. “Regents Exams: What You Need to Know.” InsideSchools. N.p., June 2013. Web. 24 May 2017.

Strauss, Valerie. “A Disturbing Look at Common Core Tests in New York.” The Washington Post. N.p., 27 June 2014. Web.