They never really sorted out what the subject of these standards is. It’s rather remarkable.
I recently had to help show how the activities of a teacher training program I work with align to the Common Core (PDF) as well as the National Board (PDF) standards for English language arts.
While I respect the general depth-over breadth approach of the National Board standards, the Common Core standards leave me sad and alone like a jilted prom date.
Still, the task at hand was alignment and align we did.
And everything fit.
Every single activity aligned nicely with at least two Common Core standards without any embellishment. Should Congress hold hearings tomorrow requiring me to defend the connection of each learning activity to the standard of English education to which I claim it moves participants, I would sweat choosing a tie more than I would sweat making my case.
By that measure, the program looks beautiful. It looks perfect. It looks complete.
That’s the problem, isn’t it?
We know the program requires refinement. We know work is yet to be done. We know that we must hold ourselves to a higher standard if excellence is to be maintained.
It is a standard specific to our mission and vision in serving the specific population of teachers with whom we work.
As forty-three states raced to the top of something or other, they adopted the Common Core. Along the way, they told those they serve those adoptions would improve education for students in their states.
It won’t.
I rarely dole out definitives.
The standards for teaching English language arts are now and always have been helping students to read, write, speak, listen and think.
Such was the case the day before Utah’s August 8, 2010 adoption of the Common Core or North Dakota’s June 20, 2010 adopt. Such will be the case long after the next go round when they adopt standards that are more common and more core.
It will always be the people that matter. A great teacher August 7 in Utah was a great teacher August 9 in Utah. A horrible teacher was much the same.
A child who arrived at school hungry or abused June 19 in North Dakota was likely still hungry or abused June 21.
In the movement to adopt standards; in the debate (where time was allotted for one); in the funding to print, promote and publish the standards; a point was missed.
The point was people.
Tomorrow, I’ll be working toward a higher standard. No state legislated it. I adopted it.