Core Standards in Middle School

The Common Core State Standards movement is about setting standards that are the same across all states. It is the things that ALL students should know and be able to do by the time they graduate high school. I think this is a great movement. The common core standards help teachers develop lessons that will create a deeper understanding of the curriculum, rather than just knowing facts and methods.

For middle school, I think this transition will be extremely beneficial to students in preparing them for high school and college. Promoting collective thinking and peer lead discussions in solving problems and completing tasks can be very valuable. It allows students to get used to conversing with others and learning to understand their views. It also allows students to see many approaches to one solution. I also feel it is advantageous for students to read more non fiction. Many jobs, especially STEM careers and educational paths deal primarily with non fiction research and manuals. Learning to read and write based on non fiction sources will greatly increase their success in college and their careers.

There are a few road blocks to this movement. First of all is time. It takes a lot of time for teachers and administrators to revamp their lessons and strategies that they may have been using for years. It also has monetary road blocks. With budget cuts across the nation, schools are scraping by as it is, let alone trying to find more money, or more money in the budget to cover this core standards shift.

Overall, I am excited to see where this goes and its advantages to our students. It is unfortunate that the current economy is holding our students back.