So what's going to happen over the next two days? My predictions and commentary follow:
English Language Arts--The Common Core Standards as supplemented by commissioners and staff at last week's meeting are ready for distribution, discussion, and action. It is likely that the commission will deliberate on these standards right off; this is to both get them out of the way and to score an early win for everyone. The important result will be to send to the State Board of Education a transformative set of standards that will likely benefit all students in California for years to come. I hope that the commission will encourage the State Board of Education to tackle English Language Development standards to supplement the Common Core.
Mathematics--Far more complicated, commissioners will try to tackle math as quickly as possible, recognizing that the discussion and action will carry over to Thursday. Based on conversations with a number of officials involved in the commission's work (and representing all perspectives), my sense of where things will go:
It is likely that the K-7 Common Core standards will be supplemented and supported after both technical and substantive discussion. There is a very strong chance that the commission will come to consensus (meaning at least 11 votes) on K-7. Watch, however, to see if Commissioners Evers and Wurman introduce proposals that would shift Common Core standards amongst grade levels. If so, that would seem to contradict the integrity of the Common Core standards necessary in both the standards and assessment arenas. I would not be surprised if a majority of commissioners attempts to summarily dismiss any such effort.
There has been a fairly recent rumble as well that issues now exist in the high school strands. While there are undoubtedly substantive issues here, it's also the case that the Common Core effort has substantively hurt itself by not introducing early on a coherent and aligned document describing the suggested high school math courses for the Common Core. What did arrive--Achieve's pathway document--was late and not able to provide much comfort.
Finally, we arrive at Grade 8. The Governor's Office continues to beat the drum on the statutory intent language that Common Core standards must be "at least as rigorous" as current California standards. At least that's the public message. Other indications are that the Governor's Office may be ready to settle for an 8th grade Algebra 1 pathway and a clear statement that students not prepared for Algebra 1 in 8th grade would be in the Common Core pre-algebra track. If this is the case, that's a fairly major step away from where the Governor and State Board were two years ago on the Algebra 1 front.
Now, on the the commentary. I believe it's possible for the commission to complete its work in math, maintain its integrity around the Common Core, and send to the State Board of Education math standards that also meet the existing policy of getting all students to Algebra 1 in 8th grade. How?
The commission should adopt an extended set of Grade 8 math standards that include a coherent Algebra 1 component that is, essentially, based on an Algebra 1 course. The commission should then make a policy recommendation (it's important that this be a policy recommendation rather than the standards; the State Board of Education has latitude on policy recommendations but must vote up or down on the standards themselves) that the State Board divide Grade 8 into two potential assessment pools.
All students would take the Common Core Grade 8 math standards (plus whatever technical or supplemental standards the commission identifies) assessment. Students wishing to learn if they are on a college readiness track could be offered an assessment that is built on the full range of Grade 8 standards that includes Algebra 1. This option has the benefit of:
1. maintaining the crucially important policy that California is working to ensure that all students have an opportunity to prepare for college and demonstrate that preparation by enrolling and succeeding in Algebra 1 in 8th grade.
2. mimicking the current Early Assessment Program in 11th grade which offers an extended set of items designed to measure college readiness.
3. ensuring that during the short tenure of the commission, the longer term policy implications of setting the standards was elevated to the State Board of Education which can take a longer-term perspective.
4. Provide state policymakers with a framework from which an evolving and flexible program of standards and assessments can meet the needs of students now and into the future. Additionally, state policymakers can establish courses for 8th graders that may range across all the standards and/or focus on Algebra 1.
That's my two cents. I'll be watching with great interest where this all goes.
