Facts About Common Core State Standards

By Georgia State Rep. Brooks Coleman, (Dist. 97)

Editor's note: Mr. Coleman, who chairs the House Education Committee, responds to a recent opinion piece on the Common Core State Standards recently adopted by the state of Georgia.

I want to ensure that you have the facts you need on the important education issues facing our state. Dialogue about the Common Core State Standards has been increasing, and I want to make certain that you have accurate information regarding the Common Core State Standards and Georgia's adoption of them.

Common Core Georgia Performance Standards

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Setting rigorous academic standards, measuring student progress against those standards, and holding students and educators accountable for meeting them are essential components of increasing student achievement and improving college and career readiness.   In spring 2009, governors and state commissioners of education from across the country committed to joining a state-led process to develop a common core of state standards in English language arts and mathematics for grades K-12.

This commitment became the Common Core State Standards, a state-led effort that established a single set of clear educational standards for kindergarten through 12th grade in English language arts and mathematics that states could voluntarily adopt. The standards are designed to ensure that students graduating from high school are prepared to enter credit bearing entry courses in two or four year college programs or enter the workforce. The standards are clear and concise to ensure that parents, teachers, and students have a clear understanding of the expectations in English language arts and mathematics in school. 

From where did Common Core State Standards come?

The Common Core State Standards Initiative was led by our nation's governors, and co-chaired by former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue.  The development of a set of common academic standards sprung from the work of the National Governors Association’s International Standards Benchmarking Initiative, which looked at what would be needed to ensure that our students are internationally competitive.  At the conclusion of that work, there was a consensus among the governors that what we really needed to develop was a set of internationally benchmarked standards that would hopefully be adopted by the states. 

How were the Common Core State Standards developed?

After the conclusion of the International Standards Benchmarking Initiative, the members of the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) came together to develop a set of shared standards.  When the expert development groups that the CCSSO and NGA pulled together began writing the standards in mathematics and English language arts, they built off of the work of states that had already developed rigorous college- and career-ready standards. Georgia was one of these select states, and when reading the CCSS, one can see elements of the previous Georgia standards throughout.  

In Georgia, the Common Core Georgia Performance Standards were posted for public comment in March and April of 2010.  The Georgia State Board of Education adopted the standards for kindergarten through high school in English/Language Arts and Mathematics on July 8, 2010.  Today, 44 other states, the District of Columbia, and 2 territories, along with the Department of Defense Education Activity, have recognized the power of these state-developed standards and have also adopted them.

Do the Common Core State Standards require schools, school systems and/or the state to collect and share personal student data with the federal government?

No.  There is no data collection requirement of states adopting the Common Core State Standards. Standards define expectations for what students should know and be able to do by the end of each grade. Implementing the standards does not require data collection. Georgia does have a Longitudinal Data System, but this was in development long before the Common Core State Standards existed, but no student level data is shared with federal government or any other outside entities. Georgia also does not collect any Biometric or psychometric data as has been claimed. 

What is included in the Common Core Georgia Performance Standards?

The Common Core Georgia Performance Standards in English/Language Arts and Mathematics may be viewed in their entirety here: https://www.georgiastandards.org/Common-Core/Pages/CCGPS-Large-Print-by-Grade-Level-K-12.aspx.  Examples of the Common Core Georgia Performance Standards include: Third-graders learn how to multiply large numbers. They also learn the function of adverbs, a subject previously taught in fourth and fifth grades.  Fourth-graders tackle adding and subtracting fractions, which was not taught until fifth grade under the former curriculum.  Eighth-graders are taught the Pythagorean theorem, rather than learning the concept in ninth grade.

Did Georgia have to adopt the Common Core State Standards in order to receive federal money?

No.  Governor Deal and the state of Georgia have a strong track record of turning away federal dollars when there are too many strings attached, or when a process will be state-led in name only, from Medicaid expansion to Obamacare Exchanges.   The fact is that states began the work to create clear, consistent standards before the Recovery Act, Race to the Top or the Elementary and Secondary Education Act blueprint were released because this work is being driven by the needs of the states, not the federal government.

In order to apply for Race to the Top, states had to demonstrate that they had adopted standards that ensured students were college ready upon high school graduation.  They could accomplish this by adopting standards that the universities and colleges in the state had signed off on, or by adopting the Common Core State Standards.  Georgia had been involved in the development of the Common Core State Standards long before Race to the Top even existed and was one of the loudest state voices arguing the benefits of comparability, economies of scale and the importance of knowing our students could compete nationally and internationally, so it was a natural progression to adopt the Common Core State Standards.

How does Georgia adopt state education standards?

All education standards for Georgia are approved by the State Board of Education through an open meeting process that provides plenty of room for public comment.  Any changes to approved standards must be approved by our State Board of Education through a public comment and open meeting process.  To adopt the Common Core State Standards, each individual state board of education adopted them as they do any state educational standards.  There is no contract with federal government or any organization. 

What is the difference between curriculum and standards?

A curriculum is a directive of how a teacher teaches, what students must learn each day, and/or the materials that must be used in instruction.  Standards are a set of common proficiency targets; a standard defines the broad expectations for an area of

knowledge in a given domain.  In the simplest terms, standards set the goal for what students should know and be able to do by the time they complete a grade level. Curriculum, on the other hand, guides how a teacher teaches the standards. 

The Common Core State Standards are just that –standards.  They establish what students need to learn, but they do not dictate how teachers should teach. Instead, schools and teachers will decide how best to help students reach the expectations set forth in the standards.  Though the Georgia Department of Education develops curriculum resources, these are designed as free and optional tools for teachers and local school systems.  It is always a local decision what curriculum to use.

Do the Common Core State Standards dictate all standards in all subjects?

No.  The Common Core State Standards are only for English/Language Arts and Mathematics.  Additionally, Common Core State Standards only make up 85% of Georgia’s English/Language Arts and Mathematics standards.  The other 15% are developed by each individual state.

Do the Common Core State Standards force Georgia teachers to stop teaching literature, or to use a national book list?

No, the standards contain no required reading list for teachers, just suggestions of works that encompass a diverse catalogue of informational and literary text.  The standards do not limit reading to non-fiction, but suggest a balance between literature and non-fiction texts, including technical texts required in many modern workplaces, so students can build knowledge and develop the skills they will need to compete for the jobs in today’s market.

How much will Common Core State Standards cost Georgia?

Georgia has had statewide common education standards since 2002, so the cost associated with standards implementation is not new to the Common Core.  Additionally, Common Core will allow for the state, and more importantly teachers and parents, to take advantage of economies of scale.  Having shared standards with other states in mathematics and language arts will allow teachers to share resources around the country, rather than just around the county.   Furthermore, using Common Core State Standards allows Georgia to push textbook manufacturers and digital content developers to produce the materials that we need to ensure our students are successful.  For too long, states like Texas and California have controlled the textbook market, because they had the largest student populations.  Being a part of Common Core allows Georgia to be the one in the driver’s seat.

Georgia has voluntarily joined a consortium of 24 other states to look at developing a shared assessment tool.  This will finally allow us to talk about how Georgia students are performing relative to their peers.  While these assessments will be more expensive than what we’ve paid in the past, they will also assess critical thinking and problem-solving skills in a way Georgia has never been able to do.  Test items will not be all multiple choice as they are now, but rather a variety  of items including selected-response, constructed response, technology-enhanced questions, and complex performance tasks. 

Editor's note: The opinions expressed here are strictly those of the writer and do not necessary reflect those of Patch. If you have an opposing view to the one expressed here, use the comment box below to respond. Or you may send your opinion to the Patch editor. Please include your phone number so we may contact you. We are delighted to offer both sides of this very important issue.