Backers of the “Common Core” state standards project released a summary of the feedback that’s rolled in on the draft document they released this fall. It looks like educators seized the chance to weigh in on the document.
Fifty-three percent of the respondents identified themselves as “educators” of some kind (presumably teachers or college faculty), according to a summary released by the organizations leading the standards process. Their reaction (again, this is just a synopsis) was positive overall, backers of the project say. Interest was greater in the draft of the English-language arts document (255 comments) than the math draft (169).
A common theme among those who spoke up: While “it is important to get the standards right, standards are only one part of a complex system” that includes curriculum, professional development, and testing. Some worry that a heavy emphasis on standards will subsume the needs of individual students. Others raised concerns about the transparency of the process, and potential conflicts of interest, issues we’ve covered at EdWeek.
What surprises, pleases, or disappoints you about the feedback so far?