I want to make it clear that this blog post is my personal opinion, and it's a result of some very real and very strong feelings as I prepare to make the shift from NGSSS to Common Core this next year.
Don't get me wrong, I completely see the benefit in these new standards, and I understand why almost all of the 50 states have adopted them. I 100% believe that our kids have not been prepared for college or careers. The bottom line is that we have to step up our game. We need to make sure that our children are GLOBAL LEARNERS, and that they have a challenging curriculum that forces them to think on a much higher level. I have jumped on the "Common Core Train," and I fully support that my state and county have as well. I understand that we have to implement and embed the common core shifts into our daily curriculum in order to prepare our kids for this transfer.
But.
I have some concerns.
Who wouldn't?
It's only natural.
Am I allowed to?
It's going to take time to switch our mindset and teaching to Common Core. I get that. It's not going to happen over night. Recently, however, I've had a few "a-ha" moments with Common Core and complex text in particular that have raised some red flags.
Last week, I was doing a brainstorming activity to introduce my new unit theme of "Good vs. Evil." My students had to work as a group to write down on a posterboard whatever came to their mind about the words "good" and "evil." As I was walking around the classroom, I happened to glance down at a group's brainstorm cluster, and I saw that someone had written, "Common Core" on the evil side of the poster. I was both shocked and impressed at the same time. I immediately looked at the group and asked who had written those words. They pointed out a particular young man, and my shock grew even more. This was a boy who has an F average in my class, he never participates, it takes him a long time to process things, and he has a learning disability. When I asked him why he had written "common core" on the evil side, he told me this: "School is hard enough for me, but now with this, I don't even want to try anymore because I'll never get it." I honestly didn't even know what to say! His words stuck with me for days, and I couldn't stop thinking about them. I don't know what was more difficult for me to deal with; the fact that a sixth grader understood what Common Core was all about, or the small chance that he might have a point. How much harder is it going to be to implement these shifts like text complexity and text based answers with our lowest ESE students? I hate to even use a negative phrase like this but, are we setting them up for failure?
Today, I got super frustrated while my PLC was going over our Discovery Education Test 3 results. This is a reading test that our students are taking this year, and it's based on Common Core standards. They take it four times, and this is being implemented across the state of Florida. We found that our scores had dropped drastically from Test 2 to Test 3, and we were looking at the test questions to figure out where the breakdown was happening. What we discovered, however, was not that there was a problem with the questions being asked, but instead, we had a BIG problem with the passages that were chosen.
Here is an excerpt from a different chapter of the text that our students had to read for the test (Daniel Boone: The Pioneer of Kentucky published in 1872):
"The smoke which had hitherto concealed Higgins now cleared away, and he resolved, if possible, to retreat. To follow the track of Burgess was most expedient. It would, however, endanger his friend. He determined, therefore, to venture boldly forward and, if discovered, to secure his own safety by the rapidity of his flight. On leaving a small thicket in which he had sought refuge, he discovered a tall, portly savage near by, and two others in the direction between him and the fort.
Let's be real. I'm not sure that I would be able to get through this without mentally shutting down, much less a TWELVE YEAR OLD. Is this what "complex text" means? One of the stories I read with my students, "Eleven" by Sandra Cisneros, is one of the Common Core exemplar texts, and is listed as a 6-8 complex text. When I compare that story to this text about Daniel Boone, I am speechless. How complex is complex text supposed to be? Where do we draw the line? How is a student with a learning disability supposed to sit down and read this text, and moreover, how are they supposed to pass a standardized test with passages like this? I know, I know, we are supposed to help them get there by modeling, and teaching reading strategies. The problem I'm having with this "Common Core Complex Text" is that it is taking away my student's love of reading. I see it everyday. They shut down, they hate it, they moan and groan when I put difficult text in front of them. Not because they don't want to do the work, but because of how hard it is for them to get through.
Where do we, as teachers, as parents, as a state, find that delicate balance? How can we expose our children to complex text, and get them college, career, and life ready while at the same time, not destroy their self confidence, make them feel defeated, and completely destroy their love for reading?
Is there any "complex text" out there that is AGE APPROPRIATE, and doesn't make you feel as if you're watching paint dry while reading it? As an English major, I appreciate the classics just as much as anyone, but I also know that there are very few middle school students that actually enjoy reading them.
WHAT IF...
Let's go into fantasy land for a few minutes. What if we based our standardized texts on literature and informational text that our students actually are INTERESTED IN, and WANT to read? How much of these low scores are attributed to the fact that the students don't have the skills necessary to answer the questions, and how much is attributed to the fact that they tune out while reading because it's too hard, and they don't like it? Imagine a state standardized test with excerpts from Harry Potter, and with articles about the harms of social media?
On that note, let's continue our journey into the land of our imaginations, and think about an even bigger "what if." What if REAL teachers actually made these tests. What if we gathered a group of current teachers from all different schools, grades, and subjects, and had them sit down to create standardized tests based on the Common Core. I know that these test companies say they have teachers contribute to the test making process, but we've all seen the tests. Let's be real, I don't know if I believe that. WE know our kids. WE work with them everyday. WE know how to challenge them. WE KNOW WHAT THEY NEED.
The bottom line is this: Common Core is our future. We have to learn to accept it, we need to embrace it, and we need to get our students ready for it. Nothing is perfect, there are kinks to work out with anything new that you try to implement. I guess it's only natural that I have some reservations about this new style of teaching and learning that's making its way into our schools. I just see the looks of frustration on my student's faces every day, it makes me sad, and I want to give them the best education that I can. I wish there was a simple answer, but there isn't.
We need to continue to do what we do everyday. We need to guide our kids, give them hope, and show them how to figure it out when they don't understand. I truly believe in my heart that we are headed in the right direction with Common Core, but I wish there was more we could do to get our kids ready for it. It will be much easier with the students who haven't even started kindergarten yet, but how can we make it easier for the ones that are being asked to transform their way of learning and thinking.
I like to compare this Common Core shift to my transition from eating junk food all the time to eating clean. It was hard. I wanted to quit. I didn't see success in my future. I was failing at first. But...as time went on, it became less challenging. I found myself making gains. I realized that even though it was harder, I was becoming healthier and stronger. I still craved a greasy cheeseburger every now and again, but I realized more than ever that clean eating was better for me in the long run.
I don't think this so-called Common Core Conundrum will ever be rectified. There will always be issues, and there will always be pros and cons. Someone will always have a problem with it, and there will be bumps along the road.
And that's okay.
I just want to make sure that my kids aren't left behind, and that their voices are heard to.
