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The Common Core State Standards for ELA Instruction in Grades 6-12

In all honesty, before reading this handout, I had never done much research on the Common Core Standards. I had always heard different teachers and parents talking about them, voicing their opinions either for or against it, but I had never formulated my own opinion on the issue. This article blew my mind. Everything I thought I knew appears to be a misconception about the CCSS.
The first section that stood out to me was the one explaining what they are. The article states, “the Common Core State Standards set general goals for student learning but they do not specify what or how to teach….standards provide a definition of what is possible, but standards are not curriculum documents”. I had always assumed that the common core had handed out what lessons needed to be teached. As it turns out, they are literally just a list of all the standards fore which students and teachers are working to achieve. They are what is possible.
The one problem I do see with these standards for everyone to be using is the differences in demographics. Who is to say high poverty and low poverty areas can and should be reaching for the same standards? I think that they are nice suggested standards, but if anyone is going to be enforcing specific standards, it should be the school districts because nobody knows those kids and what they need to learn better than that school and that teacher that is in the classroom with those kiddos every day. I think that the article is spot on when it states, “Whether your implementation of the CCSS will meet these high expectations depends on your passionate commitment to making higher standards meaningful, relevant, and attainable for the increasingly diverse students in America’s public schools”. All kids deserve to have their education tailored to their needs, their culture, and their geographic area.

The last thing that really popped out to me teachers realizing that they can still have a significant role in choosing what texts they cover in their classroom. The CCSS do not give you what to teach. They show you what you should aim your teaching to attain, but not once do they tell you how to get there. That is totally up to each teacher which if you ask me is extremely scary and beautiful at the same time. 

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