This second in a series of two-page briefs from the National Education Policy Center summarizes current research findings on the likely effects of the widespread adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).
The brief, written by Dr. William Mathis, managing director of the National Education Policy Center, notes that there is no research directly on the CCSS program since it has yet to be implemented. Based on past experience with state standards and the experience of other nations, however, we know that the effects of the CCSS will depend much less on the standards themselves than on how they are used. He identifies two factors that are particularly crucial. “The first is whether states invest in the necessary curricular and instructional resources and supports, and the second concerns the nature and use of CCSS assessments developed by the two national testing consortia.”
Mathis warns that standards themselves don’t teach. Nor does the international bench-marking of these standards have any effect. Alone, they do not create strong incentives to change what happens in the classroom. Instead, they can provide a foundational layer on which states can choose to build other policies such as supports for teaching and learning. He asks whether, given the current status of federal and state budgets, “there will be the political will to provide schools and students the professional support and learning resources necessary for the effort to be successful.”
Regarding the two national assessment consortia, the nature and use of the assessments will be crucial. Mathis expresses concern, noting that No Child Left Behind resulted in high-stakes testing that narrowed and “dumbed down” the curriculum and often resulted in test-driven drill and practice. Whether the testing consortia have the financial resources to implement high-quality and higher-order assessments on time is also an open question.
He concludes that the adoption of standards and assessments alone “is unlikely to improve learning, increase test scores, or close the achievement gap.” Keep an eye instead on the support and the assessments, he says.
To read the full brief, please visit http://nepc.colorado.edu/publication/options
