What Parents Need to Know About the Common Core and How They Can Help Their Children
The
Common Core is an attempt to nationalize the curriculum creating common core
standards in grades K-12. What does this practically mean? Well,
almost all states have signed up to support this and by doing so are requiring
their curriculum to conform to these standards. In addition, they have
ensured that these standards will be measured by creating tests (albeit not
necessarily a national test) to test the acquisition of this core knowledge.
Practically speaking, this means a more rigorous skill based curriculum
in both math and English and more reading and writing in both Science and
Social Studies. Initial scores on high stakes tests in some of the best
districts in New York State indicate that our nation’s children fall well below
the standard level of acceptability on these tests. While critics argue
everything from states' rights to the creation of a test centric curriculum,
parents are caught wondering what impact this will have on their children and
their schools.
The
good news for Bergen County yeshiva parents is that your child will not be held
accountable in a high stakes testing format for at least the next few
years(this is not true for Bergen County public school parents) In fact,
yeshivas in Bergen County have not embraced tests to assess the common core
like the online exam called the “PARCC”, which is being fazed into NJ public
schools starting 2014-2015. This test will be conducted online. For any of you
who have had the distinct pleasure of taking online adaptive testing, you know
how different it is and how much of a digital curve there is in learning how to
take this kind of test. Students who are more use to taking tests online will
naturally do better than students less prepared. This learning curve will need
to be addressed. Since yeshivas are not legally bound to take the PARCC
starting in 2014, it is up to each yeshiva to decide whether or not to embrace
common core standards and how to assess student’s knowledge of them.
If NJ yeshivas decide to go test students with such a standardized
exam on these new skills, it will most probably be after they start preparing
teachers on these news standards and certainly much later than the public
schools do. They will have the benefit of observing what works and does
not for NJ districts and many other schools across the country.
As
an administrator in a New York City school that will be embracing the Common
Core and will be having high stakes testing on it (NY is fazing in this test in
a much slower and methodical way than NJ because it will be adding one subject
a time each year), I have begun to require all of my teachers submit unit plans
that show which standards they are hitting each unit. I also have
required them to go through the standards and make sure they hit all necessary
ones over the course of the year. To this effect, I will be giving them
extensive professional development training on the new standards. I am
also hoping to purchase Performance Pathways, now called Curriculum Connector,
an online software that backs up to a remote online cloud and connects teachers
with examples from teachers all across the country teaching the same subjects
and planning the same units. I highly suggest this piece of software and
believe it will simply the process for teachers of selecting which standards go
with which unit and making sure all standards are hit.
As
parents, you will see your child read more non-fiction in the English classroom
and throughout their educational experience. The focus is on having
students read more deeply and critically. Subjects will be sharing the
responsibility of promoting literacy across the curriculum. In math,
teachers will actually be covering less topics, but instead making sure
students have a deeper understanding of the material they cover and are able to
adapt their knowledge to real world applications. So practically, your
child might not get through all of fractions and then move on to division as
quickly as has been done in the past. There is an increased focus on
problem solving and word problems.There is an increased focus on vocabulary and
reading comprehension in all subjects. Third graders, for example, are required
to be able to read passages from Leo Tolstoy.
So, how can you help? While I've always been a huge advocate for reading with
your children above level grade books that they could not learn their own
nightly and discussing the book with your child, I am now suggesting
considering reading specifically non-fiction books with your kids. I would also
suggest speaking to your kids about the TV shows they watch. Having them
analyze the storyline, dissect the plot, label the characters, and pick out any
symbolic messages that are used as metaphors or tools to shadow events.
Virtually all Disney movies contain these features if you look closely enough
at them.
Also, you can easily turn dinner time "real world problem solving"
time. Come up with a problem and have your children discuss what they might do
to solve it if they were in charge. Kids of any age can be given problems that
they want to solve. For example, the other day I spoke with my daughter about
going to the park, but it had just rained. I asked her how we could still go
even though it was wet. She suggested rain boots and a towel to dry off the
swings. While many real world problems are pretty complicated, I was proud my 5
year old could think of a solution to an immediate one that was pressing to
her. At times the problems can be math related, others can be logic, some a
combination of both. Regardless, you are teaching your children strategies and
application two rather higher order thinking skills.
Make sure to to expose your children, even at a very young age, to museums,
documents, different sources of information, people of a variety of skills and
traits, and careers. Do not expect them to spend a great deal of time on any of
this in one shot, so be patient and do not expect too much too soon. Now, this
is a good thing to do regardless of whether or not your school adopts the
Common Core, but can be further enhanced if the school does. Use each
experience as a primary source with your family as the eye witness. Explain how
history is recorded and how people view the same experiences differently. Have
your children write journal entries or, if too young to write a formal journal,
draw picture books about the activities you do together complete with a
beginning, middle, and end. They can do this with a variety of iPad apps and
online tools, or old school with paper and crayons. Either work.
I would also suggest ABCmouse and getting a subscription to Dreambox for your
child in math if you long for your child to do something meaningful during
extended free time on the weekend or weeknight. Even kids as young as
kindergarten can get into a routine of bringing the learning beyond the walls
of the school building into the home. Anything that will enable your child to
learn online will provide them with a skill that is similar to the online exams
of the future. Are you not a digital native? Perhaps you are skeptical about
the use of computers in the acquisition of skill or knowledge? I hear you, but
even more so, you must try. This will enable your child to have access to this
type of learning. This will help alleviate the digital divide that will occur
when your child is eventually required to take an online standardized exam (yes
even the SAT's or other college entrance exams someday may be online). More
tips throughout the year to follow. Enjoy the first day of school!