You’ve probably heard how “behind” we are in our schools and how our standards are lower than other places around the world. (Well, I have quite a few opinions about whether or not that is true and why that’s the case but that’s for another blog post.) So, what happens when our standards aren’t comparable to others? Well, we adopt the Common Core. Which in theory, I think is a great idea for several reasons. First, as a teacher, it was always “fun”/interesting to get an out-of-state student and try to figure out what they had been taught and what they hadn’t been taught in my “spare time”. It’ll be nice that we’re all on the same page now. Secondly, Common Core allows for such a HUGE resource base for teachers. With all the technology-driven, blog-posting, twitter-tweeting, facebook-sharing, tpt-creating teachers out there, think of the incredible database we now all have to pull from! The awesome freebie that the fourth grade teacher in California just posted is relevant to me as a North Carolinian educator. Yes!!
I also like that the Common Core is attempting to put creativity back into the teachers’ hands. Unfortunately, our assessments/mandates haven’t lightened up any and aren’t quite allowing that just yet. But hopefully, soon it will all line up…fingers crossed I feel that the Common Core promotes actual learning; child-centered, inquiry-based learning. I feel that the Common Core does not preach algorithm, algorithm, algorithm. I feel that the Common Core actually promotes THINKING! Not simply memorization and recall but true understanding. The Common Core digs deeper into key skills/topics instead of skimming the surface of a broad range of topics. The only problem is our teachers are being held “accountable” and there’s no time in the day for inquiry-based learning/investigations. I feel that the Common Core has gotten a bad name and I think the Common Core is completely misunderstood by the majority of people.
Now, sure, I do believe there is some shadiness with Common Core, testing and who’s making the big bucks but this IS America and I really wouldn’t expect anything different. So back to public schools not performing “well enough”. So, we adopt the Common Core. We also renorm tests. That’s what we do. We’ve all seen this before. Basically, a new version of a test comes out, it gets “renormed” and the first year the scores are not so desirable. Then as the years pass and teachers teach “to the test”, the scores gradually incline. Then, a new test! Another renorm. Another round of “low” scores and then the upward climb. And the cycle continues.
That’s what happened this year too. But things got a little sticky with Read to Achieve, especially where third grade is concerned. They took the BOG (Beginning of Year) test and the scores came back. Not good. We’re talking a very small percentage showing to be proficient. Our scores from last year’s EOGs came back for 3-8. Not good either. The renorming year. We knew this would happen. However, the real kicker. Read to Achieve states that students not proficient in third grade will have to go to summer school…ahem, I mean “summer camp”. Oh my, oh my. That’s a whole lot of third graders in summer school. We’re talking upwards of 75% “not proficient”. But wait, we have good-cause exemptions and some may even pass the EOG. We won’t even go into the good cause exemptions right now but let’s just say the portfolio was not proving to help any students show proficiency either. So how in the world would the state/districts afford that many students in summer school? They can’t and they won’t. Obviously, they can’t/won’t…remember, we’re ranked 48th in teacher pay.
So, that brings me to my question, what happens when you raise the bar too high? Set the norms too high, too fast? Well, 
apparently, you add another level of proficiency. That’s right. Instead of the Level 1-4 scale, we now have Levels 1-5. The state board just passed it. Read more about it here…
Red Fern Teacher 