Starting in 2015, juniors across the country will be evaluated in regards to the Common Core Standards, a new set of national educational standards and will be taking a new style of standardized test, which replaces the current California Standardized Tests (CSTs). Because of the new standards, K-12 curriculum will change with the aim of helping better prepare students for the new tests.
According to the Common Core website, the standards are designed around critical thinking and teaching students the kind of thinking skills necessary for future careers (corestandards.org). “Common Core will be a change from the traditional style of teaching to a more student-focused curriculum,” said Math Department Chair Phil Huszar.
Common Core will do this by changing how students are tested, explained Principal Jeff Olivero. The Common Core test will be designed around evaluating how well students understand the material, rather than the memorization of facts. “The test will be used to understand what goes on in the individual minds of the students, rather than the more passive CSTs,” said Olivero.
The new tests will be mostly computerized and involve several different types of questions, explained Huszar. Some questions will require the student to explain why he/she got an answer on a previous question; others will direct students to separate questions depending on their answers. “Anyone can memorize a set of steps, but the new test will see if students know why those steps work,” Huszar stated.
The standards are not a curriculum guide, but rather a set of shared goals and expectations (corestandards.org). According to the website, local schools or districts will decide how those goals will be met. “The biggest difference in the new standards, compared to the ones we use right now, is when and how things are taught. The standards don’t really change [the content of what] will be taught,” said Huszar.
“The CSTs aren’t as accurate as you would think, so a new test that could evaluate students more precisely would be good for the students,” said Freshman Lucas Almassy.
In two years, freshmen and sophomores will not take the CSTs, said Huszar. Instead of having ninth and tenth grade CSTs, the Common Core Test will be a cumulative test for juniors about what they learned throughout those years. Whether or not the district will replace the CSTs for ninth and tenth graders with another standardized test is unclear.
According to Huszar, some teachers might struggle with adapting to the new standards. “Most teachers have been teaching the same way their entire career. In the beginning of Common Core, some teachers may have trouble changing their approach to teaching, but once that is worked out, Common Core will be good for everyone. Students have always gone into a class, seen what is expected of them and tried their best — that isn’t going to change. The struggle [for teachers] to adapt will be more drastic than any struggle [for] students.”
Common Core was created, and is currently being developed, by teachers and education experts across the country (corestandards.org).