Common Core State Standards and Our School-Age Children

The following opinion piece was submitted by Kelly Tynan, a Democratic candidate for state representative in the 10th Suffolk District, which includes precincts 14, 15 and 16 in Brookline.

Last Wednesday, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted 8–0 (with a few members absent) to approve Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics in Massachusetts. This adoption was passed in the wake of an Aug. 2 deadline for a part of the $3.4 billion in Race to the Top Funding for Massachusetts schools.

While I fully support having National Standards, we need to ensure that the highest of standards remain as Massachusetts adapts the CCSS to fit the needs of our students. Stakeholders need to come together so that local curricula are fully aligned with the standards that are in the best interest for all our students throughout the Commonwealth. As a fourth-grade teacher, I commonly referred to the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks when creating lesson plans. I kept both a digital copy on my laptop and hard copy in my classroom to assist with my short- and long-term planning, as well as common planning with peers.

Objectives and assessment tools to measure whether a student mastered the objective are the bread and butter of a lesson plan. Common Core standards must be adapted carefully so that the objective of high quality standards is met. Additionally, professional development sessions must be offered to ensure all teaching professionals are ready to implement the new standards by 2012.

Within the Common Core math standards are some areas where the national standards are stronger at the fourth-grade level. For instance, the Common Core standards expect children to be able to understand the base ten system and place value up to 1,000,000 for fourth grade, while the current Massachusetts standards are up to 100,000 for third and fourth grades.

However, there are some areas that are weaker in the new standards. For example, during third and fourth grade, all children should master their times tables up to 12 x 12; however, the Common Core standard is that by the end of third grade students must know from memory all products of two one-digit numbers. Mastering up to 12 is an important steppingstone for our students, and it should be kept when adaptations are made. Students who master this area tend to have a much easier time mastering more difficult areas of multiplication as well as division.

Massachusetts standards must remain in all other content areas, especially Science,
Technology & Engineering and Social Studies. At the elementary level, Common Core history standards are "combined" with English Language Arts. This leaves teachers with little content guidance, while the current frameworks offer specific areas. I participated in history professional development throughout the past year as part of a History Makers grant and used Social Studies Alive in my classroom. We must ensure that standards remain intact so Social Studies remains alive at all
grade levels.

Massachusetts has always been a leader nationally in education. Students across our great nation deserve great National Standards – it is about time! However, we must ensure that all stakeholders, including administrators, teachers, students and parents have a voice so that Common Core State Standards are enacted to the benefit of Massachusetts' students, not at their expense.

– Kelly Tynan