Next Step for Common Core Standards

Following last week's work by the Academic Standards Commission to recommend the Common Core Standards (Plus) to the State Board of Education, questions are emerging as to how board members will understand and frame the discussion.

The post-mortem on the recommended standards will continue for a few days, especially as the final math standards are made available by the Sacramento County Office of Education (see this link for the completed English Language Arts standards:

http://scoe.net/castandards/agenda/2010/20100716_final_ela_recommendations.pdf

In the end, commissioners and staff performed near miracles to achieve what they did. Timing, politics, and complexity all were conspiring against them, yet they managed to put aside many of their differences to find common ground and to develop a strong set of standards. The Sacramento County Office of Education staff and Sue Stickel deserve great credit for their work on English Language Arts, which received a 20-0 vote. Math was, of course, far more complex, leading to a 14-2 vote for adoption. Commissioners Farrand, Callahan, Evers, and Wurman were leading advocates and presenters and all should be commended for their incredible work. Many commissioners performed incredibly important behind-the-scenes roles, and some of their work must remain unacknowledged publicly. But it should be understood that there were so many critical areas in which the standards could have fallen apart--and did not.

As the conversation turns to how the State Board of Education deals with the recommended standards, I believe there are two general issues and several more discrete issues that will define the discussion before the board. First, let's deal with the general issues.

California's take on the Common Core features a number of additional standards, Common Core standards being moved (down) grades, and, in the case of 8th grade math, an explicit recommendation on an Algebra 1 course and standards for that course. Many standards and curriculum experts will spend the next two weeks reviewing the standards for their coherence and alignment. They will look at the standards to determine how they lend themselves to use in curriculum frameworks, guiding assessment development, and writing instructional materials.

The second more general comment is to try and compare the proposed standards to the current California standards for their rigor. Though the general indications from the Governor's Office is that they are pleased with the recommended standards, no doubt other commentators will weigh on on whether Califoronis is taking a step forward or back.

But this latter issue is really a false one. It objectifies standards into discrete cognitive silos, as if each one can be measured and compared against another and from that measure, rigor (or lack of) emerges.

I foresee the State Board of Education--and the general public commentary--focusing instead on the following issues:

1. Given the rather ambiguous--some would say vacant--nature of California's current conversation on college readiness, do the proposed standards move that forward? It is clear that in terms of design, structure, and purpose, the Common Core standards reflect a lot of thinking towards college readiness. I would add that the same is true for career readiness, but here in California a lot of important work is being done by the Irvine Foundation and ConnectEd--among others--to inform our understanding of career readiness and how the Common Core standards assists that understanding.

2. Do the proposed standards provide a coherent, formative strategy for students and schools? Is that strategy clearer and more understood than what is now in place? Consider the absence of such strategies at the state level--e.g. increasing college and career readiness rates; preparing kids for Algebra II; clearly articulated course, assessment, and graduation requirements--and how the Common Core may advance these issues.

3. Do the proposed standards place California in an appropriate position to anticipate emerging issues and programs in assessment, instructional materials, accountability, and professional support for teachers and administrators?

It is my sense that these issues will define much of how the State Board of Education views the opportunities and challenges associated with the Common Core standards as proposed.