The Common Core Standards document is well organized where teachers can clearly determine what needs to be taught. Each grade level lists several domains with the standard and a cluster of explanations describing exactly what needs to be taught. As the introduction states, “These Standards do not dictate curriculum or teaching methods” (Common Core, p. 5). This shows that these standards are exactly like our current Curriculum Essentials Framework in the sense that they are to guide teaching topics, but not determine how topics are taught. However, the Common Core Standards does provide a recommended list of Mathematical Practices that a teacher can follow to provide effective instruction. These practices were taken from NCTMs Process Standards and the National Council’s Research report Adding it Up (Common Core, p. 6). From reviewing these parts, it seems as if the Common Core Standards created a clear format for teachers to use and used some current research to support its ideas in best practices.
After reviewing the introduction, I began to look at kindergarten, first, second and third grade standards in the domain of Number and Operations. Looking at these standards I began to notice a strong difference between the current Nevada Standards and the Common Core Standards. First, in kindergarten students are expected to compose and decompose numbers 11-19 into tens ones and some further ones. In the Nevada state standard, there is no mention of place value. For first, the common core continues to build on kindergarten by expecting first graders to identify the ones and tens place and compare numbers by their place value position. This does match the Nevada state standards to some degree, but Nevada students are currently expected to do less with their place value knowledge. By second grade, Common Core Standards require students to use place value in the hundreds and thousands, which Nevada standards again requires students to go up into the thousands, but students are expected to do less.
Looking at this information, I understand that we are trying to make a nation of successful learners, but did the writers of this document truly look at the developmental abilities of the students at each grade level. I fear, especially for kindergarten, the writers made assumptions about student ability and at home preparation of students. Also, I am wondering what is going to happen when students get behind and do not master the core standards. Each level seems to build on each other rapidly. There is no room for students to review previously taught concepts like the current Nevada Standards have. Again, I have only closely looked at this domain in these grade levels and it may be different. I need to investigate more to find out.
Source: http://www.corestandards.org/
