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Summer 2014

In order to meet one of Florida 麻豆精品 S檚 new statewide learning goals, UCF student-teacher Danielle Murphy, 麻豆精品 S�14, stood in front of her kindergarten class and invited them to plunge their hands into a bag of blubber.

Well, not exactly. What Murphy showed her students was a plastic bag filled with vegetable shortening 麻豆精品 S� not unlike the fatty layer that keeps creatures warm in cold climates. She asked what they thought would happen if they covered their hands in the white goo before thrusting them into a bucket of icy water. After discussing it, the students shared their hypotheses with the class. Learning to express ideas orally 麻豆精品 S� clearly and audibly 麻豆精品 S� is one of the Florida standards.

When it was time to test their ideas, 麻豆精品 S淭hey put their hands in there and figured out they couldn 麻豆精品 S檛 feel the cold at all, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淭hey loved it. 麻豆精品 S�

While Murphy enjoys the challenge of teaching to the new benchmarks in language arts and math, other educators, parents and administrators take issue with the standards, which are adapted from a set of nationwide learning goals known as the Common Core.

The goal of the Common Core is to raise student achievement and provide consistent education from one state to the next. It has been adopted by 45 states, including Florida, and the District of Columbia. Those that adopted the standards earned extra points in their application for federal funds through President Obama 麻豆精品 S檚 Race to the Top initiative.

Supporters view the new benchmarks as another step in the right direction for Florida, which launched a series of education reforms in 1996 that continue today. They say the newest standards bring more rigor to the classroom and emphasize critical thinking over memorization.

麻豆精品 S淚 think the key to a good education for our students, and for them to be able to move forward to whatever college and career choices they may make, is to be sure we have rigorous, high academic standards, 麻豆精品 S� says Florida Education Commissioner Pam Stewart, 麻豆精品 S�85. She feels the Florida standards have met those criteria.

Opponents object to the way the standards were created as well as to their content. 麻豆精品 S淸Both] conservatives and liberals are starting to question the legitimacy of what is going on in the public schools, 麻豆精品 S� says Ceresta Smith, a teacher in Miami Dade County and co-founder of United Opt Out National, a nonprofit organization that seeks to eliminate high-stakes testing in public education. 麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 all standardized test prep, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淭here 麻豆精品 S檚 no deep learning going on. 麻豆精品 S�

Laura Zorc, co-founder of Florida Parents Against Common Core, calls the state standards mediocre and views their basis in the Common Core as a threat to local control. Her group has been petitioning the Legislature to stop implementation of the benchmarks. 麻豆精品 S淔lorida parents are insulted and outraged at the governor and the Florida Department of Education 麻豆精品 S檚 attempt to deceive the public into thinking that we now have 麻豆精品 S楩lorida standards 麻豆精品 S� when clearly we have national standards, 麻豆精品 S� she says.

The debate grows as Florida prepares to introduce an assessment test aligned with the new standards next school year. It will replace the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT), which has been given since 1998 to students in grades 3 麻豆精品 S�11. With scores linked to student advancement, school ratings and teacher pay, the stakes continue to be high.

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Top Down, Not Top Notch

Critics of the standards argue that the team that wrote the Common Core, developed through the National Governors Association for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers, included no high school English or mathematics teachers and no university English professors. It did, however, include a number of staff members and consultants from Achieve, an education-reform nonprofit created by business and government leaders in 1996.

Smith, a veteran of 25 years in the classroom, says the new standards put too much pressure on younger students, pushing aside play and socialization. 麻豆精品 S淵ou 麻豆精品 S檙e sitting children at desks far too long. 麻豆精品 S� At the same time, she says, the new standards don 麻豆精品 S檛 encourage older students to think deeply enough.

Zorc shares this latter concern. In her view, the Common Core stresses the analysis of excerpted informational texts at the expense of reading classical literature. She also objects to what she calls an emphasis on soft skills, such as global awareness and media literacy, over content learning and the promotion of fuzzy math, of which she says, 麻豆精品 S淭he kids are told it 麻豆精品 S檚 OK if you get the wrong answer, as long as you can explain how you got your answer. 麻豆精品 S� Zorc feels that as a result, Florida students will fall behind their international peers.

One test, although valuable in terms of data collection, simply cannot tell you all there is to know about a child 麻豆精品 S檚 academic progress

Donna Hackett-Mello, 麻豆精品 S�04

Critics like Smith and Zorc believe that schools place too much emphasis on preparing for standardized tests rather than learning for its own sake. Some parents agree.

Jan Chalhoub, 麻豆精品 S�95, a Winter Park mother of five students in the Orange County Public Schools system, says, 麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 been such a stressful year for my kindergartner 麻豆精品 S� and kindergarten is supposed to be fun. 麻豆精品 S� She blames the push for students to master sight words and write sentences on the influence of the Common Core and high-stakes testing pressures.

At the same time, her fourth-grader is still struggling with her multiplication tables, which 麻豆精品 S渨hen we were in school, they drilled into our heads, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淭hey just focus so much on teaching to take the test that I feel like they 麻豆精品 S檝e missed a lot of fundamentals. 麻豆精品 S�

Though the FCAT created anxiety for her fourth-grader, Chalhoub understood the goals behind the assessments. 麻豆精品 S淚 certainly want us to be able to compete in our education system, and [for] our kids to be as smart as they can be, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淏ut I want to make sure the focus is still on learning 麻豆精品 S� not on test taking, test results [and] merit-based pay. 麻豆精品 S�

Linking teacher pay and school ratings to student test scores has been a sore point for many teachers and administrators. One problem is that educators are evaluated on the test scores of students they may have never taught, says Karri Williams-Fjeldhe, associate professor and reading education coordinator at UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 College of Education and Human Performance (COEHP). 麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 not a direct effect, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 an aggregated score, not broken [down by] specific teachers. 麻豆精品 S�

Some think that data evaluation affects students as well. 麻豆精品 S淥ne test, although valuable in terms of data collection, simply cannot tell you all there is to know about a child 麻豆精品 S檚 academic progress, 麻豆精品 S� says Donna Hackett Mello, 麻豆精品 S�04, a second-grade teacher at Arbor Ridge Elementary in Orlando. 麻豆精品 S淭hese tests should also not be the only factor in determining school grades. 麻豆精品 S�

Lee Baldwin, a COEHP associate professor who formerly served as the senior director of accountability, research and assessment for Orange County Public Schools, favors accountability, but he acknowledges that testing can produce some unintended consequences, such as causing teachers to rely more on worksheets and other learning tools to make sure students are ready to perform well on standardized tests. 麻豆精品 S淚 don 麻豆精品 S檛 think anyone was sitting in Tallahassee saying, 麻豆精品 S楲et 麻豆精品 S檚 eliminate recess, 麻豆精品 S� but because schools are so fearful they will get a bad grade, they will focus on what they need to do to get a good grade, 麻豆精品 S� he says. But even with these reservations, Baldwin is quick to add that he does not want to eliminate testing.

麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 not like education was wonderful back in the 麻豆精品 S�80s before they started accountability, 麻豆精品 S� he says. 麻豆精品 S淵ou could just look at the national data to know we were not performing as well as we could. 麻豆精品 S�

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Raising Expectations

麻豆精品 S淲e 麻豆精品 S檝e had standards in Florida for a long time, and it did not raise concerns in the past, 麻豆精品 S� says Commissioner Stewart. She attributes much of the controversy to a misperception that Florida submitted to a federal takeover by adopting the Common Core. 麻豆精品 S淲e 麻豆精品 S檙e not mandated to do anything by the federal government, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淭hese are our own standards. 麻豆精品 S�

In Zorc 麻豆精品 S檚 view, the original documents were not changed enough. And because of copyright restrictions by the Council of Chief State School Officers, a nonprofit organization of public education officials that co-owns the Common Core standards, 麻豆精品 S淵ou do not see deletions, just additions. This is a concern to many of us, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淔lorida has given over our state and local control to a copyright. 麻豆精品 S�

Juli Dixon, a professor of mathematics education at the COEHP, helped revise Florida 麻豆精品 S檚 math standards in 2007. More recently, she 麻豆精品 S檚 written three books to help educators adapt to the Common Core. To her, the updated standards are not a drastic change, but another step forward. 麻豆精品 S淲hat the Common Core did was bring more rigor and specificity and focus to our [previous] state standards, 麻豆精品 S� she says. She cites how the standards have achieved a better balance in promoting an understanding of both concepts and procedures, the why and what in mathematics.

Dixon does think educators could do a better job explaining to parents why math looks different compared to when they went to school. 麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 not to create problems for students and parents, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 to help children understand the math we use. 麻豆精品 S� So, while it 麻豆精品 S檚 important for students to know that 6 times 7 equals 42, it 麻豆精品 S檚 also important to know how they get there. 麻豆精品 S淭he conceptual understanding should come first, 麻豆精品 S� she says, so students can build on what they know to tackle more difficult mathematics later on.

Hackett-Mello agrees. 麻豆精品 S淚 am on the front lines, [teaching the standards] every day, and I can tell you that it is something my students needed. We are helping students not only learn to use the time-tested methods of problem-solving, but also to find new ways of doing so, 麻豆精品 S� she adds. 麻豆精品 S淭he Common Core math is about reaching all of our students. 麻豆精品 S�

Hackett-Mello provides a subtraction lesson that supports Common Core goals:

To subtract 326 from 489, you can write it out in the standard way or the following way:

Think of 326 as 300, 20, 6.

Now, do 489 minus 300.

Then do 189 minus 20.

Finally, do 169 minus 6.

麻豆精品 S淭his is a strategy that some students and many adults actually use more often than they are aware, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淚t is how many people subtract large numbers in their heads. Students are becoming better problem solvers now. That 麻豆精品 S檚 what Common Core [and the Florida standards are] all about. 麻豆精品 S�

Seminole County Public Schools Superintendent Walt Griffin, 麻豆精品 S�81, believes the new standards are more relevant because of their emphasis on critical thinking. With access to the Internet, he says, 麻豆精品 S淪tudents today have to learn how to discern what is accurate and appropriate information. 麻豆精品 S�

The Florida standards also promote a more thorough understanding of language arts, says Commissioner Stewart. 麻豆精品 S淚n the past, we 麻豆精品 S檇 have students read a passage and [we 麻豆精品 S檇] ask them very functional questions to get at comprehension, such as, 麻豆精品 S榃hat color was Sarah 麻豆精品 S檚 dress? 麻豆精品 S� Students would learn to look for green, dress and Sarah, and they were done. 麻豆精品 S� And now we ask questions like, 麻豆精品 S榃hy on this particular day would Sarah wear this dress? 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S� To answer, students have to read the entire passage and cite evidence for their answers. 麻豆精品 S淚t is a much richer way of instructing students, 麻豆精品 S� she says.

Stewart disagrees with critics who say the standards come at the expense of play. 麻豆精品 S淚 think those really good teachers out there know how to incorporate play in their instruction, 麻豆精品 S� she says, 麻豆精品 S渂ut [students] are in school, even in the primary grades 麻豆精品 S� and I think it is our responsibility to make sure they are moving forward and learning. 麻豆精品 S�

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Accountability Equals Improvement

Next spring Florida students will break in a new kind of test based on the Florida standards. According to Commissioner Stewart, the assessment needs to provide 麻豆精品 S渁 richer way of being able to glean information from students 麻豆精品 S� than the FCAT did.

While the details are still being worked out on a six-year $220 million contract with the American Institutes for Research (AIR) to develop the test, Florida students will be expected to do more than pick out the right multiple-choice answer. As the Florida Department of Education website states, 麻豆精品 S淪tudents will be asked to create graphs, interact with test content and write and respond in different ways than on traditional tests. 麻豆精品 S�

For some educators that 麻豆精品 S檚 a welcome change. Bubbling in the answers on a test like the FCAT 麻豆精品 S渋s kind of divorced from what students do in class every day or once they 麻豆精品 S檙e in the workforce, 麻豆精品 S� says UCF Associate Professor Baldwin.

In the selection of AIR, a nonprofit social science and behavior research organization, Stewart says, 麻豆精品 S淲e had several key points we were hitting: ensuring an assessment close in cost to the FCAT, close in length of testing time, and that it would work within a grading system in Florida. 麻豆精品 S� Under Stewart 麻豆精品 S檚 plan, the first year 麻豆精品 S檚 test scores will be used to create a new baseline to measure student and school progress, and schools will not be penalized for poor grades until the 2015 麻豆精品 S�16 school year.

Stewart became a believer in high-stakes testing when she was the principal of an elementary school that earned an F based on its FCAT scores. 麻豆精品 S淏efore we started issuing school grades, Florida was really at the bottom of education nationwide, or close to the bottom, 麻豆精品 S� Stewart says. 麻豆精品 S淎nd this past year we were ranked No. 6 in the nation. 麻豆精品 S� (This is according to the Education Week 麻豆精品 S淨uality Counts 麻豆精品 S� report, which considers six areas of educational policy and performance.) 麻豆精品 S淚 will tell you that if there weren 麻豆精品 S檛 school grades, [my school] would have been critically low performing forever. But with this impetus, we pulled in teachers from each grade level and developed a plan 麻豆精品 S� We moved from an F to a C in one year, 麻豆精品 S� she says. And more importantly, students began performing on grade level.

Stewart feels it 麻豆精品 S檚 up to the teachers and administrators to keep students from feeling stressed about the exams. 麻豆精品 S淚f we send the message to students that this consequence is going to happen to you if you don 麻豆精品 S檛 do well, we 麻豆精品 S檙e sending the wrong message, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淚t should be like a theater production. We 麻豆精品 S檝e practiced and practiced for it, and now is our opportunity to shine. 麻豆精品 S�

Illustrations by Paul Thurlby