The Core Curriculum Standardized Testing has been in the news lately. Some good news and some bad news. Lately there have been protests by educators and parents who feel that the Core Curriculum Program has done more harm than good.

Different news sources have covered protesters of the CCCS throughout the nation. Some Superintendents and Principals have sided with the protesters.

Some people believe that it’s a political move or only benefiting financially those who created this program. Others feel it’s a way to gather national data on children in schools over the years. Some feel that it’s taking a State’s rights away to decide the best way to educate. One of the most pressing points is that teachers are evaluated on their students’ performance on standardized tests.

Those opposed to the Core Curriculum are dissatisfied that only a small handful of people made these decisions for the majority.

The parents especially felt that they were not informed of these changes and their children were given much more homework and schoolwork. This additional work created more stress on their child which in turn caused their grades to drop.

We decided to go to the NJ Education website to see when the Common Core Curriculum Standards were implemented.

We downloaded the following information:

The New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards were first adopted by the State Board of Education in 1996. The standards describe what students should know and be able to do upon completion of a thirteen-year public education. Revised every five years, the standards provide local school districts with clear and specific benchmarks for student achievement in nine content areas. Developed by panels of teachers, administrators, parents, students, and representatives from higher education, business, and the community, the standards were influenced by national standards, research-based practice, and student need. The standards define a “Thorough and Efficient Education” as guaranteed in 1875 by the New Jersey Constitution.

On June 16, 2010, the New Jersey State Board of Education adopted the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics and English Language Arts. Forty-six states and DC have now adopted the Common Core State Standards which will allow these states to work together to support schools and districts in implementing the standards.

This is the most important point. We are asking you (the readers, parents, students, educators and administrators) for your opinion. Is modern day education too complicated? How important are standardized tests? Are they a fair evaluation of a student’s ability? Is there too much emphasis on the teachers being evaluated based on there student’s performances? How should a teacher be evaluated? How should a student be evaluated? Do Common Core Curriculum Standards lay a foundation for a well rounded education?

Every five years they are revising the CCCS. The sad reality is the dropout rate is going up in certain districts. The Common Core for success should be a strong family unit or structure.

– C.M. & K.M.