Common Core

Common Core

I am not a fan of Common Core. Last night in my 413 class, we talking about the test. Both of my teachers teach at Central Valley High in Spokane as well as classes on campus here and one of the teachers is the Common Core Rep for Central Valley. She was saying that schools that are used to 80 percent passing rates will drop to passing rates of 40-50 percent. Why would they make a test that would make scores drop? It is not a requirement for graduation this year but it will be next year. 

Also, the test is to be taken on a computer. Some schools cannot afford the technology that is needed for this kind of test. They have the resources for some of the students to take it but not all of them. It is also harder to take tests on a computer because sometimes it makes your eyes really tired and some kids won’t have the resources to know how to use a computer. Students in high school are much more tech savvy today, but what if they are not? Shouldn’t the creator of common core have a training on how to run the test?

It is super ridiculously hard to understand some of the points that this thing is trying to say. The teacher in my class last night said that sometimes the teachers have to have meanings to decipher what Common Core is trying to say. I think it could be a really great thing if they made it a little simpler to understand. 

Common Core could be a really useful tool to have in our school system because it is trying to create highly qualified teachers that can teach students effectively and in a way that can hopefully stick. I feel like they are trying to dictate how to teach and not what to teach. Teachers can still teach what they want just as long as they are fulfilling the requirements. I just feel like there is a moral dilemma with the other issues that arise with Common Core.