New York Principal: Make No Mistake, Common Core Is Raising the Bar In My District
Let me be straightforward: Common Core is proving to be effective in my school district. I am aware that this may not be the perception everywhere, especially on Long Island. In our district, our successful transition to Common Core was influenced by consistent attendance at training sessions in Albany, as well as our commitment to adapting the curriculum to align with higher standards.
We fully embraced the standards and then customized them to meet the specific needs of our students. The most important aspect of our approach was to maintain a focus on day-to-day instruction, rather than being consumed by the annual assessments. I acknowledge the importance of these assessments, as they play a crucial role in the educational cycle. However, the key to excelling in these tests lies in creating an environment that prioritizes critical thinking and problem solving, where genuine learning takes precedence over memorization.
It is counterproductive to treat the Common Core standards and the assessments associated with them as synonymous. Combining these distinct issues only leads to an excessive emphasis on "The Test," overshadowing the power of highly effective instruction. Our primary focus should remain on ensuring access to quality instruction, rather than fixating on a summative, yearly assessment.
The adoption of higher standards has no bearing on the existence or frequency of assessments. Raising the standards has positively influenced our educational philosophy and approach. The time our students spend on assessments is minimal compared to the amount of time they dedicate to daily learning activities. Additionally, if the assessments designed by teachers align with these higher standards, we can accurately gauge student performance.
There are misconceptions regarding how high-quality schools prepare for standardized assessments. We do not simply "prep" for these tests. Good schools teach according to rigorous, consistent, and clear standards, not to the tests themselves. While New York’s tests may not be perfect, they emphasize problem solving and critical thinking, which cannot be achieved through rote memorization. Students should be familiar with the assessment format, but there should never be days dedicated solely to "practice exams."
Higher standards encourage a multidisciplinary approach to problem solving, thinking, and communication. They enable teachers, even across different states, to establish common expectations for students at the end of each academic year using a shared set of standards.
To attain these goals, formative assessments take precedence. By utilizing various measures, from teacher observations to ongoing classroom assessments like daily activities and exercises, teachers can gather data to determine the necessary support for individual student success. This is why the New York State Assessment is simply another day in school for us, and not an event that demands excessive focus or preparation.
Teachers from all disciplines now have the opportunity to engage in collaborative conversations that revolve around a shared language and vision of what students should achieve within each school year. One of the remarkable revelations stemming from the adoption of higher standards is that literacy should not exclusively belong to the English language arts classroom. Knowledge is acquired by building upon concepts and ideas, and this approach is now being implemented across various subjects.
As we transition from Pearson to Questar for the administration of annual assessments, it is important to remember that summative assessments represent only a small part of our work as educators. Improvements in scores will naturally follow from a strong vision, effective leadership, and collaboration. Attempting to achieve these improvements through any other means would be imprudent, counterproductive, and detrimental to students.
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