Reply to Teachers, please give us your take on the common core.

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]My criticism isn't so much common core with the way testing gets implemented in MD. I hate the focus only on reading and math to the detriment of science especially, but also history, art, music, PE/recess[b]. I loathe that teachers or parents have to spend time teaching first and second graders to touch type so they can pass.[/b][/quote]

This isn't true.  Common Core itself doesn't mention typing in the elementary school standards (It may not be mentioned in the upper grades either, but I haven't read those as closely). The new tests, which start at third grade, are given on the computer.  So, by third grade the students need to have some familiarity with the computer working the shift key, finding the comma, that kind of stuff.  But they need to write at 3rd grade speed.  Most third graders, in my experience can hunt and peck faster than they handwrite with no keyboarding instruction. So touch typing is definitely not needed.

I'm a teacher, and I like the Common Core better than what came before in either MD or DC, and far better than the VA standards.  In reading, I like the emphasis on non-fiction, and the explicit phonics and phonemic awareness, something that was missing before.  I like the emphasis on different genres of writing, and the move away from an overemphasis on narrative writing as the predominant form for young kids.  For older kids, I really like the way the Common Core specifies the reading and writing skills that students are supposed to demonstrate in their content areas.  I think that learning how to read and understand a science text, or write a history essay is crucial, and I'm glad it's addressed in the standards.  For math, as an early grade teacher, I really like the way they're teaching skills like time, money, and measurement to mastery in a single grade, as opposed to introducing a little bit each year.

Overall, I'm happy with the shift to the new standards.  I think they're a great mix of rigor and developmental appropriateness.  At the same time, I think that there are undoubtedly going to be growing pains as school districts change over.  I also wonder and worry about the PARCC test.  I have some hopes that it will fix some of the issues we see with the current test, but I also worry that it may be overwhelming.  [/quote]

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