There has been much discussion regarding the Common Core Standards of late.\u00a0 Speaking factually, the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are a reality that will affect all U.S. schools.\u00a0 The conversation has become highly politicized in areas of state and local control, federal funding, and the assessment of the CCSS.\u00a0 Faith Christian School is looking to participate in a gracious, thoughtful, and rational response to this movement.<\/p>\n
There are a lot of various questions, facts, and myths being discussed by many individuals\u00a0and groups throughout our state and country.\u00a0 In theory, the CCSS is a positive step, in that it seeks a common ground for ALL students across our country in the area of assessment, standards, and goals.\u00a0 Common Core is a set of standards that outlines what students should know at a particular grade level in order to be on track to mastering skills and content to be prepared for college and beyond.\u00a0 Curriculum \u2013 the map, schedule, and method for teaching standards \u2013 will be left up to the individual school corporations and teachers to construct.<\/p>\n
The mission of the Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSSI) is to \u201cprovide a consistent,\u00a0clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what\u00a0they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real\u00a0world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and\u00a0careers. With American students fully prepared for the future, our communities will be best\u00a0positioned to compete successfully in the global economy\u201d<\/em> (Common Core State Standards\u00a0Initiative 2012b). The stated goals for the initiative in 2009 were as follows:<\/p>\n Neither Congress nor the U.S. Department of Education was involved in the development of Common Core, nor have they mandated Common Core adoption.\u00a0 Not all states have chosen to participate.\u00a0 In fact, the Common Core are nationally aligned state standards because they were developed in collaboration between state and education leaders across the country.\u00a0 Indiana initially adopted the Common Core on its own terms in August 2010. Since that time, the Indiana legislation has put a 1-year \u201cfreeze\u201d on this to conduct additional research and study. \u00a0The Common Core standards provide new standards for English Language Arts and math only, not social studies, science, and technical subjects.\u00a0 Current Indiana Academic Standards will be used for these subjects.\u00a0 Common Core standards call for 70% of all texts read in 12th<\/sup> grade to be nonfiction, which includes content area texts, such as science and history.\u00a0 This was done to support literacy instruction in other content areas and underscore the role that all teachers must play in literacy efforts.\u00a0 This will help ensure students are graduating high school adequately prepared to read rigorous college and career-level material, a majority of which are informational texts.<\/p>\n The assessments for the CCSS are being developed by Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium\u00a0and the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC). Sample\u00a0questions are available on the Web for mathematics and English language arts. The College Board\u00a0has endorsed the CCSS, and it is in the process of aligning its testing with the standards. The\u00a0standardized testing vendors are already in the process of aligning present test items with CCSS\u00a0and developing reports that indicate the level of mastery by students on the aligned items.<\/p>\n The State of Indiana has taken this year as an opportunity to continue to evaluate its adoption of the\u00a0 Common Core State Standards.\u00a0 As administrators and educators, we at Faith Christian School are faced with some important decisions to consider and evaluations to make.\u00a0 The following are several approaches and steps that we are considering as this transition to the CCSS becomes more and more likely:<\/p>\n One of the features of the CCSS is that students are supposed to do much more synthesis and discovery of knowledge.\u00a0 Discovery and synthesis provides students very valuable skill development opportunities that will set them up well for 21st<\/sup> Century Skills.\u00a0 Some believe that the increased importance of the 21st<\/sup> Century Skills is more to the heart of the changes coming out of the Common Core Standards.<\/p>\n There is a very important distinction between standards and curriculum, instruction, and resources.\u00a0 The standards provide a baseline, and everything we do \u201con top of those standards\u201d, including what our teachers bring personally to the classroom, is what makes our school different and special from other schools.\u00a0 Faith Christian School maintains complete control over the textbooks and resources that we use to insure they align with our mission.\u00a0 As a private, Christian school, we have a great degree of discretion on how the CCSS and other state standards impact our school.<\/p>\n The field of education is constantly changing, and we are trying to provide our students with the opportunity to be effective and relevant in their future plans.\u00a0 We understand that it is very easy to react to information that we receive.\u00a0 We are seeking ways to react with a balanced and well-informed approach.\u00a0 We plan to be in a good position to continue to learn more about the CCSS as well as evaluate our curriculum through a biblical grid while putting our students in a position to be successful in their future endeavors.<\/p>\n Common Core State Standards Initiative.\u00a0 2012a.\u00a0 About the standards.\u00a0 www.corestandards.org\/about-the-standards<\/a>.<\/p>\n Common Core State Standards Initiative.\u00a0 2012b.\u00a0 Mission Statement.\u00a0 www.corestandards.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n CCSS Joint Position Statement of ACSI, CSI, ORUEF\/ICAA, and NCSA \u2013 8\/1\/13.<\/p>\n Common Core Facts of Indiana Students & Families.\u00a0 Stand for Children.\u00a0 www.stand.org\/indiana\/common-core\/myths-vs-facts<\/a>.<\/p>\n McDonald, Dale.\u00a0 2011.\u00a0 Do Common Core Standards have implications for Catholic schools?\u00a0 Momentum (April\/May):\u00a0 65-66.\u00a0 www.readperiodicals.com\/201104\/2364084141.html<\/a>.<\/p>\n Prior, Karen Swallow.\u00a0 2013.\u00a0 The good news of Common Core.\u00a0 Christianity Today (June).\u00a0 www.christianitytoday.com\/ct\/2013\/june-we-only\/good-news-of-common-core.html<\/a>.<\/p>\n Reeves, Douglas B.\u00a0 2011.\u00a0 Getting ready for common standards.\u00a0 American School Board Journal (March)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\n
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