Teachers in Support of Common Core

Thursday, April 9, 2015Printer-friendly version

As teachers have implemented the Common Core State Standards in their classrooms over the past four years, they have already seen improvement in their students’ academic achievement. Because they are working with students and the standards every day, teachers offer powerful voices of support for higher standards and high-quality, aligned assessments in all classrooms across the country.

New tests reflect higher standards, better learning

By Fred Schlessinger, The Daily Herald

March 16, 2015

“As an educator who has been involved in teaching mathematics for 22 years, I am encouraged by recent shifts in education curriculum and assessment.

“The transition to new Illinois state standards based on the Common Core and aligned assessments that rolled out in some districts beginning this month have narrowed our focus and challenged us to deliver a richer and deeper meaning of mathematics.”

And,

“The structure of the [PARCC] test aligns with the vision I've long held for what we should require of students -- to go deeper in their analysis, truly wrestle with concepts, and dissect problems.

“This will help students develop the critical thinking skills that are essential for success in the 21st Century economy. And the shift to PARCC tests and related standards has propelled change in the way teachers approach delivering curriculum.

“Because the new state standards and PARCC assessments demand more of students, our teachers have been challenged to go deeper in proving students' understanding of concepts.”

 

Teachers: Why we need Common Core

By Kristie Martorelli, JD Bowman, Nancie Lindblom, Beth Maloney, and Amanda McAdams, AZCentral

March 3, 2015

“For the past four years, teachers across Arizona have worked in classrooms to determine the best path to meet these more challenging standards and have worked alongside colleagues, parents, school boards and students to create a learning environment that allows for a more comprehensive understanding of concepts for each grade level.

“Teachers have challenged students to go from simple calculations to true problem solving, which can be applied to the real world. Teachers have supported students in creating arguments based on evidence from their readings, allowing them to think more critically about the world around them.

“We have seen tremendous growth in the way our students think of themselves and the world around them. Arizona's academic standards have challenged students to explore learning in a new way.

“The positive impact of these standards can be seen in Arizona classrooms every day.”

 

Teacher sees benefits of Common Core playing out in classroom

By Angelle Lailhengue, NOLA.com

March 4, 2015

“As a mother, there isn't a day that passes that I don't think of my son's future. When I say ‘future,’ I don't mean making sure that he can make it to the next grade. I don't want his teachers to go through a checklist and be done with teaching him once he masters the list. That isn't good enough for my son. I expect his teachers to help me prepare him for his future.

“As phase 1 of the PARCC assessment nears, my teachers are doing more and more ‘test prep.’ And I couldn't be more proud of what I see in their classrooms. Students are reading grade-level texts independently. Students are having discussions about complex texts. Students are writing about texts. ‘Test-prep,’ as we prepare to take the PARCC assessment, means deeper thinking and learning, analyzing and understanding text, problem solving and complex thinking. Teachers aren't stopping instruction to start "test prep," and students are still learning as the assessments near. The skills that students are practicing are the skills that they need to succeed after high school.”

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Common Core Resources

Achieve has developed materials to help states, districts, and others understand the organization and content of the standards and the content and evidence base used to support the standards. Visit http://www.achieve.org/achieving-common-core

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If you find a news clip supportive of the Common Core, please send it to Chad Colby at ccolby@achieve.org.   

 

Additional Resources