More Calls to Slow Down the Implementation of Common Core

It appears the calls for a slowdown in the implementation of Common Core continue coming this time from the American Association of School Administrators. The first call to slowdown the implementation of the Common Core initiative came on June 3, when the Washington Post ran a piece citing the National Association of Secondary School Principals’ plea for the slowdown based on “the inadequate training teachers have received in order to ensure appropriate alignment of instructional practices with the new standards.”

This latest report cites several reasons for the delay. At least one of those reasons appears to be the link between students’ scores on the Common Core tests and teacher evaluations. The report also cites the “increased challenges for high poverty districts to properly train teachers, identify and obtain necessary material, and implement the online assessments.” These concerns are shared by teachers and principals alike. Ultimately, administrators and teachers both agree that “students shouldn’t be stressed about testing on something they have never been taught.” And that “teachers shouldn’t be evaluated on the success of students on the tests when they have been teaching the breath of the Common Core State Standards.”

Given the concerns of both groups, I am hopeful that a real and relevant conversation can begin so that students do not continue to suffer while we figure out the best way to move forward. As I have stated before, like anything, the Common Core Standards is not all good nor is it all bad. Ultimately, I believe, this initiative will continue to stall until we give “districts and schools what they need to be successful: “time to properly implement the standards, ensure sufficient bandwidth, provide proper equipment for the assessment, and [most of all] train teachers to align the instructional practices with the standards.” Check out the entire article from the June 14 Washington Post. tlb