Missouri Makes a Decision about Common Core Standards

Some folks send their kids to school and trust that institution to properly preparing their children for the future. Others take a more analytical approach by educating themselves on current educational practices and policies. I’m not here to tell you which, if either, is right or wrong. Heck, I’m not even sure there is a right or wrong. Seems like what works for someone works for someone.

But I will tell you that I am the latter parent, and not just because I’m in education. I’m pretty much that kind of mom. I want to know the pros and cons of situations before I submerge my kids into them. Am I over-thinking things? Maybe. Am I wasting my time because they’ll pretty much all turn out the same anyhow? Possibly. It’s possible my stance is due to an equal measure of self-soothing (I AM a good mom) and proactive parenting.

Many go-with-the-flow parents may not be interested in the news concerning the Common Core Standards Missouri is getting ready to adopt. Me? I’ve been keeping my eye on it. Here’s a quick update.

Each state had been responsible for adopting a set of standards for students in K-12. The standards, called the Show-Me Standards in Missouri (aka benchmarks or GLEs for grade level expectations), detail what students should be accomplishing in each grade and subject. A few years back it was proposed that we adopt a set of standards as a unified nation instead of each state being responsible for its own. Many states signed up for this project, including Illinois. Missouri was one of the few states that opted out of the project.

The state board rejected national standards, curriculum and testing because they felt it would dumb down our high expectations here. In comes Chris Nicastro. Shortly after she was named Missouri's commissioner of education, the state board voted to join. Earlier this month she recommended the state board formally adopt the Common Core Standards, which are remarkably similar to the ones we already have, in August. Citing the importance of the state to follow through and formally adopt the standards as part of our overall school improvement plan, Nicastro also said the standards are “ ... intended to guarantee that all American children – in every state and every community – will finish high school with the knowledge and skills that they need to be successful in college and work.”

I’m behind the Common Core Standards for a few reasons. Unlike many ideas in education, this wasn’t a quick, thrown-together-with-an-agenda initiative. A draft of common standards, taken from the best currently being used around the country, was coordinated by the NGA Center (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices) and the CCSSO (Council of Chief State Schools Officers) and developed with input from teachers, administrators and experts. (Well, I kind of worry about the ambiguity of the word "experts," but the other two are good.) They then received feedback on the draft from many sources, including more teachers, post-secondary educators, civil rights groups, parents and advocates for students with disabilities, to name a few.

After this round of feedback, the draft was open for public comment and received almost 10,000 responses. You may recall an early blog asking for your feedback on this earlier this year. So, we’ll see. I think it will go, that we’ll adopt it and it will unify the country and focus our efforts. I like the idea of one common goal. It always seemed kind of goofy to me that each state did its own thing. Like the kids on this side of the imaginary line are so much different from the kids on the other side. Putting our heads together to educate our children is a good idea. It’s that simple.

By Sharon Linde, Education Blogger for SmartParenting