Teacher's Guide to Common Core State Standards

Written by Margaret Nelson

Common Core Standards: An Overview

In recent decades Common Core has frequently been in the news, and it has sparked intense debates among parents, educators, and lawmakers. Due to arguments, misinformation has spread both in person and online. As a result, it can be hard to answer the question "what is Common Core?"

Common Core State Standards, better known as Common Core, is a set of academic standards for every K-12 student. Simply put, they are the language arts and math standards that every student should meet before moving on to the next grade level. Educators then use these standards to create their lessons and curriculums. These Common Core standards are used in public schools across many states, and the goal is to ensure that children across the country will be ready for college and enter the workforce after they graduate high school.

With the adoption of these standards came several changes to both English/Language Arts (ELA) and math standards. According to Common Core ELA, students must:

• Read works of literature and other documents that have high reading levels.
• Use objective evidence to reinforce one's arguments in papers, instead of relying solely on personal experiences and feelings.
• Read equal amounts of fiction and nonfiction texts.

For Common Core math, students must:

• Learn about a few concepts, but learn them more deeply.
  • In the past, students were exposed to a lot of concepts, but they didn't learn much about them. Common Core emphasizes learning a few concepts but learning about them more in-depth.
• Build on existing knowledge.
  • With Common Core, there's greater continuity between grade levels. For example, a student who learns a concept in first grade will continue to learn about it in second grade. The aim of this is to build a global view of math.
• Show that they can arrive at the right answer with the correct process.
  • In addition to arriving at the right answer, students have to show that they know why it's the correct answer and how to arrive at it.

From the start, however, Common Core has been the subject of controversy for a variety of reasons, and there's a growing movement of educators and parents who are eager to get rid of it altogether. In fact, many states have gotten rid of their Common Core standards and replaced them with a different system. Some reasons for rejecting the Common Core standards include the idea that the standards are taking local control away from schools, concerns that the standards aren't developmentally appropriate, standardized testing, its emphasis on ELA and math, and a lack of inclusivity for neurodivergent students. Meanwhile, supporters argue that it helps ensure that every student meets the minimum standards, which will help them prepare for a changing workforce.

Regardless of one's beliefs, it's vital to learn more about Common Core, fully understand what it is, and understand its impacts on the education system. After learning more about these standards, it will be easier to understand the system's strengths and weaknesses and suggest effective alternatives.

What is Common Core? The History Behind It

Years before the Common Core standards were enacted, experts were concerned about students and their readiness for college and the job market. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), approximately 20 percent of college students were not prepared for college-level instruction, resulting in them needing to seek remedial classes. In addition, employers from a variety of industries were struggling to find enough employees who had sufficient reading and math skills.

Common Core wasn't the first attempt to resolve the lacking performance among students. In the past, many states have created their own academic standards. This raised the standards for many students, but they varied widely. As a way to further combat these inadequate standards, the Bush administration passed the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, which required students to be tested annually to measure their academic progress, and it punished schools that failed to meet expectations. In response, states increased their academic standards, but they still varied. Because of this, many thought that having a core curriculum would ensure that students would have and meet equal standards.

Since Common Core was enacted, it has faced intense criticism for a variety of reasons. One of the biggest is the perception that it inserts the federal government into education and it takes control away from state and local agencies, arguing that it violated the rights of states to govern themselves (this is untrue since Common Core is a state-funded project). Many also criticize the need to learn concepts in specific ways, arguing that it disadvantages neurodivergent students and those who think creatively. Experts have also expressed concern about the lack of developmentally appropriate standards for younger students, and math educators felt that the math standards weren't high enough, especially for students who wanted to major in a STEM field.

Common Core Standards: Adoption by State

The idea behind Common Core is that each state adopts an agreed-upon core curriculum to ensure that every student meets the minimum academic requirements. The intent was for all states and territories to adopt the same standards, but that hasn't been the case. Due to the controversy surrounding it, a growing number of states have gotten rid of their Common Core standards. As of 2022, 40 states still use them, although many are in the process of repealing the standards. Due to these changes, educators should research their state's requirements to see if Common Core is still used.

Teachers in states without Common Core are not expected to learn about it and teach according to these standards. For example, Florida has gotten rid of the Common Core standards, so these are not taught on the FTCE test, a certification test that all prospective Florida teachers must pass. Even though the FTCE does not teach these standards, other certification tests likely will, especially for states that still use them. Because of this, prospective teachers must understand the Common Core status in their state.

Below are two lists. One lists the states that have accepted Common Core standards, and the other lists states that have gotten rid of Common Core, are in the process of repealing Common Core, or have only implemented it partially.

Teacher Certification Exams that Cover Common Core

Many states use the Praxis exams for their teacher certification, and the Praxis Core exam is specifically designed to test an aspiring teacher's knowledge in reading, writing, and math. It is a required exam for any state that utilizes the Praxis tests for their certification exams; however, there are some states who use Common Core Standards that have implemented their own certification exams.

California and New York are two such states. The CBEST in California and NYSTE in New York may be unique exams to their respective states, and there are many different tests future teachers may have to take to become licensed to teach the subjects and grade levels they're striving for. However, both test suites will require knowledge of Common Core Standards to pass the minimum requirements since the states themselves follow these standards in their education systems.

Core Curriculum: Common Core Math and Common Core ELA Standards

Core Curriculum: Common Core Math Standards

Math is one of the subjects that Common Core emphasizes. Because of this, there are requirements about what concepts are taught at each grade level, as well as requirements about how to teach these concepts. These requirements are called the Eight Principles of Math Standards. These math standards should enable students to do the following:

• Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
• Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
• Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
• Model with mathematics.
• Use appropriate tools strategically.
• Attend to precision.
• Look for and make use of structure.
• Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

With Common Core standards, there are specific concepts that must be taught in each grade level, which are as follows:

• Kindergarteners need to learn about whole numbers and their sequences, as well as naming and describing shapes.
• 1st graders need to understand what it means to add, subtract, and practice with numbers up to 20; develop an understanding of whole number relationships and place value; develop an understanding of linear measurements; and reason about the characteristics of different shapes.
• 2nd graders need to further develop their understanding of base-ten notation, solidify their addition and subtraction skills, use standard units of measurement, and learn how to further describe and analyze shapes.
• 3rd graders need to learn strategies for multiplication and division for numbers up to 100, start understanding fractions, start understanding rectangular arrays and areas, and describe and analyze two-dimensional shapes.
• 4th graders need to learn how to multiply and divide multiple-digit numbers, learn how to compare fractions and use them in mathematical equations, and understand how to analyze and classify shapes based on their characteristics.
• 5th graders need to further practice using fractions in mathematical equations, understand more complex division problems, and learn about volume.

For middle school students:

• 6th graders need to learn about ratio and rate and how they connect to multiplication and division, completely understand the division of fractions, introduce the concept of negative numbers, introduce expressions and equations, and introduce statistical thinking.
• 7th graders need to start learning about proportional relationships, learn about the order of operations, use models and pictures to solve problems with area, and draw inferences about populations based on information provided.
• 8th graders need to learn more about linear equations, start understanding the concept of a function and how it's used, and analyze two- and three-dimensional spaces using the Pythagorean Theorem.

And high school students:

• For high schoolers, the core curriculum varies based on what classes students take. Regardless of what classes they take, they will learn about concepts related to Number and Quantity, Algebra, Functions, Modeling, Geometry, and Statistics and Probability. Many of the concepts, such as using equations and demonstrating the use of skills in everyday life, build off of the skills learned in earlier grades.

Core Curriculum: Common Core ELA Standards

In addition to math, ELA is a Common Core subject, and students must learn certain concepts at each grade level. Having these Common Core standards ensures that students are ready for the next grade, as well as for life after high school.

Within Common Core, there are five core areas of ELA: Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening, and Language. The requirements for these core areas vary depending on the child's age and grade level. Once they learn all of these standards, students should be able to demonstrate the following skills:

• Reading independently.
  • Once students have practiced reading high-level texts, they should be able to do so independently, without the help of a teacher or other aid. They should also be able to transfer these skills to many types of works, regardless of the genre.
• Creating a large bank of background knowledge.
  • As students read a variety of works required by the core curriculum, their knowledge will grow, which they can then apply to other situations.
• Adapting their communication skills to meet the needs of their audience.
  • With proper instruction, students will know how to consider the backgrounds and needs of their target audience as they craft their messages.
• Demonstrating an ability to comprehend and critique others.
  • They can understand what the author is trying to say, and they can add perspectives that either add to the conversation or refute the message.
• Knowing the importance of evidence.
  • Common Core standards require students to know how to reinforce their messages with facts. Once they know how to do so, they can find evidence in all works, whether it's their own work or that of someone else. They can also determine whether the evidence is sound or not.
• Effectively use technology and digital media.
  • They can independently use technology to learn credible, useful information and apply it to a variety of situations.

Core Curriculum Teaching Methods

Even though the core curriculum helps teachers know what to teach, it can be difficult for them to know how these concepts should be taught in the classroom. Common Core requires educators to teach students in specific ways, so it can be helpful to have an example of how to teach these concepts.

This section will use Maine's Common Core teaching standards as an example, but these standards will likely be similar across all states that use them. Regardless, teachers in Common Core states should research their own state's standards.

Maine has 11 different teaching standards. These are:

• Learner Development
• Learning Differences
• Learning Environments
• Content Knowledge
• Innovative Applications of Content
• Assessment
• Planning for Instruction
• Instructional Strategies
• Reflection
• Continuous Growth and Collaboration
• Technology Standards

Under each teaching standard, teachers are expected to perform certain tasks that will help them to fulfill academic standards, including the Common Core ELA standards. Here are some examples of the required tasks:

1. For Learner Development, teachers must regularly assess individual and group performance to adapt the curriculum to meet learner needs; understand the students' strengths and weaknesses, as well as anything in their backgrounds that could influence their learning journey; and respect each student's differing strengths and needs.
2. For Learning Differences, teachers need to design and deliver instruction that's adapted for a variety of learners (including those with disabilities and English Language Learners), learn and implement strategies to meet the students' needs, respect the diverse backgrounds of each student, and foster an attitude of respect within the classroom.
3. For Learning Environments, teachers should collaborate with students, families, and colleagues to create a safe learning environment; help students work together to achieve academic goals; and support learners as they increase their teamwork skills.
4. For Content Knowledge, teachers need to present the subject material in a variety of ways that are meaningful to the students, have a solid understanding of the subject they're teaching, and stay up-to-date about new information within their field.
5. For Innovative Applications of Content, teachers need to use strategies to help students understand the complexity of an issue, know how to help students develop critical thinking skills, and value knowledge from other people or sources.
6. For Assessment, teachers need to know how to use formative and summative assessments to gather information about the student's learning, know the differences between formative and summative assessments and know when to implement each, and know how to align assessments with learning goals.

The Core Curriculum and Children: Pros and Cons of the Common Core

Since its inception, Common Core has been the subject of both admiration and criticism. Proponents argue that having a uniform set of academic standards will ensure that all children receive a quality education, regardless of where they live. Having this academic stability would reduce knowledge gaps, even if students move out of state. As a result, this would ensure that students receive all of the knowledge they need to succeed in college and the workforce. Educators also appreciate that it emphasizes knowledge that students will need to know for the future, such as how to effectively use technology, problem-solve, and transfer skills to other situations.

However, Common Core also has its downsides, which critics have been quick to point out. For example:

• Some educators have been concerned that it places too much emphasis on nonfiction texts, to the point that literature no longer has an important place in the classroom.
• Some have criticized the idea of doing "cold readings" of texts, instead of providing background preparation.
• Some felt that the expectations for younger students were inappropriate, and they criticized how the core curriculum expects them to complete tasks that are developmentally inappropriate.
• Math educators were unhappy with the Common Core standards for math. They believed the expectations were too low, particularly for students wishing to pursue a STEM major in college.

The strongest criticism was about how Common Core was implemented. Many viewed it as government overreach and a violation of state's rights since they saw it as the government mandating the subjects taught in classrooms. Others feared that it would take power and autonomy away from teachers and keep them from tailoring their instruction to fit the students' needs. However, advocates pointed out that outside groups had written the standards, and the federal government encouraged their adoption, instead of mandating it.