Are You Focused?

Common Core State Standards Curriculum must be focused and coherent. For over a decade, research studies of mathematics education in high performing countries have pointed to the conclusion that the mathematics curriculum in the United States must become substantially more focused and coherent in order to improve mathematics achievement in this country. Fewer topics should be taught in each grade, but taught thoroughly. When a concept appears in a subsequent grade level, it is always at a higher level. Mastery of grade-appropriate concepts eliminates the need for repetition year after year. Fractions are not taught in first grade, to allow students the time they need to master the whole number concepts that form the basis of fractions. Fractions are introduced in second grade, which covers what a fraction is. In third grade, students cover equivalent fractions and fractions of a set. Fourth grade deals with mixed fractions and addition of simple fractions. Finally, fifth grade moves on to addition, subtraction, and multiplication of fractions as well as division of fractions by whole numbers. Each grade level addresses an increasingly complex facet of fractions, and draws on the mastery of concepts that has been developed in previous years. This is the coherence and focus that the Common Core State Standards call for. Teach to mastery is structured for mastery learning. Rather than repeating topics, students master them in a grade level, and subsequent grades develop them to more advanced levels. Students continue to practice all the operations with whole numbers in every grade in the context of problem solving and deep applications. Focus on number, geometry, and measurement in elementary grades

Mathematics experiences in early childhood settings should concentrate on (1) number (which includes whole number, operations, and relations) and (2) geometry, spatial relations, and measurement, with more mathematics learning time devoted to number than to other topics. In first grade, students learn the teen numbers and math facts through place value. In all the grades, operations are taught with place value materials so students understand how the standard algorithms work. Even the mental math that is taught uses understanding of place value to model how mental arithmetic can be understood and done. Curriculum must include both conceptual understanding and procedural fluency. The Standards for Mathematical Content are a balanced combination of procedure and understanding. One hallmark of mathematical understanding is the ability to justify in a way appropriate to the student’s mathematical maturity. Instruction should model and enable students to solve problems, as well as justify their solutions. In addition to journal questions and other explicit opportunities to explain their thinking, students are systematically taught to use visual diagrams to represent mathematical relationships in such a way as to not only accurately solve problems, but also to explain their thinking. 

Some Answers About the Change

There are so many questions that educators have about the Common Core Standards. Since I have a background in Mathematics, I will start with some questions that I, myself, had at first. What are the changes and why are they being made? How is this change going to be better than changes of the past? I have linked a video that specifically talks about Mathematics. No, it will not answer all of your questions, but at least it will get you thinking about some of the basics.


I have learned so much in the years that I have been teaching that children learn at different rates. With the change to Common Core, students will be able to have more time to master skills that are being taught. As a teacher, I know that there is not enough time in the day, to teach all the things that students need to learn, but hopefully with the change, students and teachers alike will feel less pressure to acquire all the information that is coming their way.


There are so many mathematical concepts that in the past have not been developmentally appropriate for the ages that were required to learn the skills. Some standards have moved to and from grade levels in order to address the time when things are introduced, retaught, and assessed. 


The questions will probably never stop coming so keep them coming and I will try to address as many I can with the support of videos, articles and common core professionals.

BUYING IN

The topic of Common Core Standards is on the lips of teachers, parents and legislator everywhere. Most of the ideas behind Common Core have been researched and implemented in many areas.

Here are some fundamentals of Common Core implementation:  There is a basic, 4-step process that most states, districts, schools, and teachers are going to go through as they successfully implement the Standards. The first step, regardless where you are on the education totem pole, is building Standards messaging and awareness. This is the very first stage in a long, complex process, but it might just be the most crucial—especially now, with the Common Core Standards in the press so much.

To me, the messaging and awareness stage is a lot like explaining the birds and the bees to your kids. They’re not dumb, and they don’t live in a bubble. They’re going to find out all about what the birds and bees do one way or another. It’s up to you as a parent to jump on the message first, so they don’t go through life with the wrong idea about things and end up in therapy as adults.

The Common Core Standards are going to have to be learned in a manner that is appropriate for the learner (the teachers and those giving instruction to students). Whether teachers like it or not. If they don’t hear it from their colleagues, then they’ll hear it from friends, and if they don’t hear it from friends, they’ll hear it in the news, and there's a lot of misleading press being published around about the Standards right now. If you are just beginning to implement the Common Core, your people are in the fragile, beginning stages of understanding it, and their entire, long-term outlooks are likely to be spoiled if they get off to a rough start. It's up to you as a leader in the classroom, school, district, or state, to make sure that the message surrounding the Core is right-on, and that there is a significant amount of buy-in; otherwise, you might have a long, needless fight on your hands as you undergo implementation.

What are your thoughts? How honest should leaders be when implementing Common Core Standards?

Have you bought in yet? Let me know your thoughts.

Informational link about Common Core Standards:  www.corestandards.org/