Like many parents, last week I got up early with the kids to help them get ready for the first day of school. Yet, as I watched my kids run out the door and climb into their bus, I marveled at the amount of trust that we put in the teachers and administrators in our schools. We leave our children in their care for many hours of the day and hope that our kids will be safe and that they will learn what they need to be successful.
We worry about our children's teachers and whether or not they are effective in inspiring our children to learn. We all want our children to have the best teacher in the school because we recognize the value of high quality instruction in their education. I would like to suggest that we should be just as concerned about what our children are being taught as we are about who is teaching them.
For decades curricula in our public schools have been centered on standards put in place by the State Board of Education. Setting standards is an important role that the board has as part of its constitutional mandate to provide general control and supervision of public education. Standards are in place for subjects, such as math, English, social studies and health.
These standards provide benchmarks for what students should know and be able to do as they complete each grade. They provide important guidelines in developing assessments that measure student learning. It is important to realize that although the standards guide the development of curricula, they are not the curricula itself. Much flexibility remains to allow for teacher innovation in developing curricula that meets state standards.
Recently, the Utah State Board of Education adopted new standards for mathematics and English language arts for all grades in the public schools. These standards are known as the Common Core State Standards because they have been adopted by nearly every state in the nation. The standards were developed by experts in math and English education and commissioned by the National Governors' Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers.
As a member of the State Board of Education, I voted for their adoption because I believe that they raise expectations for math and English education in Utah's public schools. As these new standards are implemented over the next four years, our children will be better prepared for college or to enter the workforce after graduating from high school.
Implementation of the new standards is already underway as common core academies were held across the state this summer to help teachers learn how to incorporate the standards in their classroom instruction. While the English language arts standards are now in place for all grades, the math standards will be rolled out gradually over four years to allow a smooth transition from the current standards.
Students in the 6th and 9th grades will experience the new standards this year. The change will be particularly evident in the 9th grade where algebra and geometry concepts and practice are now taught simultaneously. This integrated approach is similar to the way math education is organized in other very successful countries, such as Singapore, Korea and Finland.
The Common Core math standards focus on both content and practice so that students are expected not only to learn basic math concepts but also how to apply them in solving real problems. The English language arts standards require students to become familiar with a variety of writing styles, including narrative, technical and persuasive writing. The expectation is that students will not only learn to understand different texts but also improve their own writing skills.
Parents can examine the standards themselves at www.corestandards.org. As states implement the new standards and common assessments are developed and adopted, it will be easier to see how Utah measures up to other states across the nation. Students who move between states will find it easier to integrate into a new school. Furthermore, with so many states sharing a common set of standards, it will be easier to find textbooks and other learning tools that are aligned to the curriculum in our schools.
As a parent and as a member of the State Board of Education I believe it is vital that we have high expectations for our children. Failure to do so will rob our children of the educational experience they so desperately need to succeed in a very competitive world. Utah's adoption of the Common Core State Standards is a step in the right direction toward providing these high expectations.
Craig E. Coleman is an elected member of the Utah State Board of Education representing District 3.