The Importance Of Common Core State Standards

What are the Common Core State Standards, and why do they matter? To answer the previous question, the Common Core State Standards are a set of academic standards created by academic researchers and issued by the United States government, intended to make US schools more competitive internationally, and prepare students for college and careers. The standards are encouraged, but not mandated by the federal government. However, despite the good motive behind the standards, Common Core is shrouded in controversy. Supporters say that the standards will bring the nation as a whole back to prominence in the global academic world. Detractors say that the transition will cripple a generation of students, and that the standards are several grade levels

The tests involved are intended to replace the tests that states already have, rather than adding to them, making teachers jobs easier, as they then only have to ensure students preparation for the Common Core tests, rather than those and the state tests. According to these teachers, committing to the Common Core State Standards will stop the necessitating of trying to catch students back up to standards if they lived in states with lower standards. Businesses believe that the Common Core State Standards will help students learn more practical skills, such as critical thinking and problem solving, rather than simple fact absorption, as that has no practical use later in life. They also believe that the standards will promote more effective communication from students, a skill that should translate well to the workplace (Albuquerque Public Schools,

English standards are made to incorporate more complex works, and ones with more originality, such as Abraham Lincoln’s “The Gettysburg Address” or Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” rather than simple textbook passages. They also expect students to read some similar materials at a younger age than previously expected, and with a higher level of comprehension also. The math standards, too, expect more complex thinking than many of the previous standards did. Where old standards required knowledge of simple arithmetic or algebra, new standards require the ability to use complex equations to solve similar problems (Foundation for Excellence in Education,