3 Things That Don't Suck About the Common Core State Standards

The following blog was written by Ms. Lindsey Walborn, a Math Teacher at Carson High School.

Since the implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in math, there has been a lot of controversy. Parents are talking about their dislike of the “new math” that is being taught to their children. Students scoff at the critical thinking they are being asked to do. While no set of standards will ever be perfect, there are 3 things that don’t suck about the CCSS. 

1. Learning Progressions 
The CCSS do a great job of building learning progressions through the K-12 standards. One example of the building of a concept across grade levels is equations. In kindergarten through second grade, students use equations to represent addition and subtraction problems. This includes the decomposition of numbers in multiple ways (8 = 4+4 and 8 = 3+5), finding the missing number in an addition equation (3 + ____ = 8), and writing equations from visual representations and word problems. In grades three through five, these same ideas are extended to multiplication and division. As students move into middle school, variables are added to equations and students are asked to use inverse operations to find the variable’s value. In these years equations in two variables (or functions) are also introduced to students in a linear form. As they move through high school the concept of functions is built to include exponential, quadratic and other types. The understanding of two sides of an equation being equal built in elementary school is critical to a high schooler’s understanding of a function as the set of values that make a more complicated equation/function equal. 

 2. Not only how…but why 

Using an application called wordle, I entered in all of the CCSS from grades K-12. The application automatically makes words that are repeated more often bigger and ones repeated less often smaller. I asked for the top 100 words to be included. The picture above is what I got. When the picture popped up I couldn’t help but recognize the words that stuck out most. “Understand problems using numbers and equations.” I really think this is the foundation of the Common Core. We want students to really understand mathematics not just be able to do it. I also couldn’t help but notice the words that are not visible in this picture., such as do and compute. While there is a place in the standards for algorithms, it is not the focus. Other visible words that support the idea of understanding are explain, recognize, apply and represent. When students complete the progression of standards they will not just be able to do math, but will really understand it. 

 3. 21st century skills 
“Why can’t it just be done the way I learned?” is a question I hear often regarding the CCSS. Our students aren’t growing up in the same world we did and we owe it to them to prepare them for today’s society, not ours. Our students will likely be doing jobs that haven’t even been created yet. So, how do we prepare them for a job we don’t even know of yet? We teach them 21st century skills such as problem solving, communication and digital fluency. A collegue, Rob Kriete, created an awesome representation of these skills. The CCSS for math include 8 math practice standards which are habits developed across all grades and they address these 21st century skills. In these practice standards students are asked to persevere in solving problems, construct arguments, critique others arguments, and use appropriate tools. Being able to do these things will prepare our students for success in college and career, even the careers we don’t even know exist yet. Like I stated at the beginning, no set of standards will be perfect, but I truly believe the CCSS for math are putting our students on the track to success in the world in which they live. That is what we all want for our kids right?

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