Submitted by Jon Sills, Superintendent, Bedford Public Schools
Bedford Public School students, like most students across the country, are presently learning content and skills that are largely defined by the Common Core standards. During the next few weeks and again in the late spring, students in grades 3 through 8 will have that learning assessed through the new PARCC assessments, which are likely soon to replace the MCAS tests. Given the complexity of the issues involved and the controversy over the Common Core that is consuming other parts of the county, I hope that this column will help to illuminate these important developments.
The Common Core
The Common Core standards, which have variously been adopted by over 40 states, grew out of a governors’ led initiative to raise standards across the country. Contrary to some claims, it is not a federal program, although it is supported by President Obama. States voluntarily adopt the standards that were created by a combined task force of governors, business leaders and educators to ensure the improved preparation of all high school graduates to successfully enter college or the workforce. In Massachusetts, which is renowned for having the highest state standards in the nation, the Common Core was initially adopted in 2010 and then supplemented over the next two years by the selection and retention of key existing Massachusetts Framework standards in ELA (English Language Arts) and Math.
The Common Core Standards differ from most previous state standards in two key ways: they focus on intellectual skill development rather than discrete content and they push certain content into earlier grades than has been traditional. The impetus for these changes stems in large measure from American students’ relatively poor test score showing in international comparisons, particularly in math and science, and from the corporate world’s concern that American students are ill-prepared for a rapidly changing world economy. Thus the promotion of 21st century learning objectives (critical thinking, collaboration, communication and creativity) has coincided with the promulgation of the Common Core.
It is important to note, however, that many educators have been advocating the primacy of critical thinking since long before entering the 21st century, and have done so out of a commitment to public schooling’s civic responsibility rather than to its economic purposes. This stems from the belief that a healthy democracy depends upon a citizenry that is not only well-informed, but is also able to distinguish truth from fiction, root causes from apparent causes, and ad hominem arguments from issue-based ones. As well, it is predicated upon the conviction that a healthy democracy is enriched by original and divergent thinking, and that schools play a vital role in developing future citizens’ capacity for creative and complex thinking.
Improved Standards for Higher Order Thinking
Whether driven by economic imperatives or civic mindedness, the Common Core reflects policy makers’ and educators’ growing commitment to curricula that emphasize intellectual skill development over simple information absorption. So, for example, the ELA standards focus on the ability to read and derive meaning from complex literary and informational texts and to identify, assemble and organize textual evidence to support analysis, research and persuasive argument. The Bedford Public Schools welcomes this development, which aligns with our own educational philosophy and with the work that our high school and middle schools teachers have been doing for many years now to develop students’ higher order thinking. It coincides as well with the efforts of the past several years to fully integrate this approach into our elementary schools’ curricula.
While there are not content-specific standards for History and Science, the Common Core reading and writing standards are integrated into the History and Science frameworks, since the development and application of close reading and persuasive writing skills are relevant to non-ELA content. So, for example, the grades 9 and 10 social studies standards include the following:
Teachers have long been cognizant of the fact that even strong high school students often find complex texts challenging. When reading a history text, for example, many students simply perceive a linear accounting of facts and fail to grasp the central concepts or the main ideas. The Common Core’s emphasis on developing students’ comprehension of non-fiction literature is therefore a welcome development. While some critics have voiced the concern that the study of fiction is being edged out by non-fiction, this has not been our experience. At the elementary schools we are working hard to integrate our English Language Arts/reading comprehension skills development work into our social studies and science content curricula. In this way, students are learning social studies and science content while simultaneously developing their abilities to derive meaning from non-fiction texts. At the same time, throughout our district an emphasis on close reading of fictional texts continues to be central to our English Language Arts program. It is important to note that the work of developing these skills is not abstracted from content, and in fact, Bedford educators believe that these skills are best developed in a content-rich context. At the same time, and this is supported by contemporary research in brain functioning, the most effective means for learning and retaining content is for students to think about or apply it. To view the Bedford Public School K-8 ELA and Math and K-5 Social Studies and Science Learning Expectations, which incorporate but are not limited to the Common Core standards, please go to: https://www.bedford.k12.ma.us/component/content/article/121-news-district/1158-learning-expectations-k-8.html
Earlier Learning of Particular Material
The second major component of the Common Core standards involves the placement of certain learning expectations into grades that were previously considered too difficult for those particular grades. We believe that the jury is still out regarding the developmental appropriateness of certain content. So, for example, where acquiring Level C reading skills used to be a first grade expectation, it is now an end of kindergarten expectation. In math, Kindergarteners are now expected to count to 100 by the end of the year instead of to 30.
A few other examples include:
- having second graders add four two-digit numbers (Presently, second graders are solidifying their ability to add two two-digit numbers.);
- comparing numbers using the <, >, and = signs in second grade (We believe students are able to understand the concepts of greater than, less than and equal to, but are too young to manage the symbols.);
- having to learn both standard and metric measurement systems in elementary school (We believe that we should consolidate understanding of standard measurements in elementary and then add metric measurements in middle school.);
- and, dividing with decimals in the divisor in fifth grade (a skill formerly taught in sixth grade).
While we are confident that the primary focus of the Common Core Standards, i.e., the prioritization of higher order thinking and problem-solving skills for all students, is highly appropriate, we are less confident about the curricular sequencing that has moved certain content and subject-specific skills into earlier grades. Time will tell. In the meantime we are certainly optimistic that the Common Core, as one important component of Bedford’s commitment to intellectual development, will deepen and enrich the learning process for our students. This, in no small measure, is true because the development of these intellectual skills requires students to be more actively engaged in their learning than they would be if mainly required to be passive receivers of information.
(Next: Higher Order Thinking and Minds-On Learning)
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