Educators in the Upper Cumberland region weigh pros and cons of controversial State Standards
Language arts and math teachers in Tennessee’s Upper Cumberland region continue to implement Common Core standards as legislators contemplate the program’s future in this state.
As national controversy about Common Core State Standards continues, Tennessee legislators decided by a vote of 82-11 in March to postpone the use of PARCC testing. They also denied adoption of any more standards for two years except for math and language arts standards that have been in place since 2012.
Carolyn Woodward, an English I and IV teacher at Clarkrange High School (“CHS”) in Fentress County, said, “I am deeply disappointed [in the delay]. I saw last year as a stressful year because we were supposed to be teaching [Common Core] but were responsible for results of the old EOC [End of Course] test. We talked all year about how next year would be easier because our focus would not have to be on two very different goals.”
Debbie Pritchett, who teaches math subjects from Algebra II to pre-calculus at CHS, said, “It has not been explained very well. I feel that there are great ideas in the Common Core, but it should be tweaked or more carefully planned before it is implemented.”
Pritchett also said, “I feel that there is too much focus on trying to weed out teachers than teaching children. I think the focus has shifted to trying to get rid of those deadbeat teachers and, in the process, great teachers are leaving.”
Reporter Joseph P. Williams outlined varied reasons for opposition to Common Core.
“I hear criticism on every level,” Woodward said. “Parents, community leaders, state politicians, talk show hosts, etc. Some of them (parents) just don’t understand why school can’t be like it was when they were there. They don’t like change.
“Others feel it is a plot by educational companies to make large profits. Politicians feel they have had no voice in these decisions, and that the federal government is interfering in state issues. Talk show hosts and others believe that this is the first step in schools being forced to teach the agenda of one or the other political party,” she added.
In William’s companion article on Common Core, Harvard professor Raul Reville, of the Graduate School of Education, said that this program is developed around “’the kinds of skills and knowledge necessary for young people to have in order to participate meaningfully in the 21stcentury economy’.”
Woodward said that, over the past two years of using Common Core methods, she could see improvement in the way students approach their learning and an increase in “rigor” — one of the Common Core buzzwords — in her school. She believes that disapproval of some educators and parents comes from the education department not fully explaining the program to the public and from problems that occurred during the roll out.
She said, “Asking high school students to do a 180 in expectations, I believe, is unrealistic. These new standards should have been introduced in lower elementary grades and then implemented in higher grades as these students reached those levels.”
Pritchett said that Common Core decreased the number of standards high school teachers must cover, which allows students to learn concepts more in depth rather than seeing them briefly over several years. At the same time, the program creates more levels for each required standard and eliminates some that are needed for more complex math courses, thus requiring more work for teachers.
According to Education Week, legislators in 19 states have presented bills to delay this education policy. Twenty-three elected officials submitted bills to repeal the program completely. Governors of Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Oklahoma, Maine and Mississippi have signed orders declaring their states’ right to control educational standards and rejecting federal implementation.