Common core standards face higher education hurdle, says new study
A new report by the Center on Education Policy (CEP) has found that although state school districts are making their way toward adopting common core standards, they are several years away from full implementation. Additionally, many of the states are facing potential roadblocks in creating a symbiotic relationship between college curriculum standards and common core standards at the K-12 level.
Forty-two states and the Distict of Columbia responded to the survey that made up the report's findings. According to the report entitled States’ Progress and Challenges in Implementing Common Core Standards, 23 of the 31 states that plan on implementing common core standards on their English and math curricula do not expect the changes to be fully implemented until at least 2013.
“States are making progress and see strong support for common core standards, but this is going to take a long time and a sustained effort to see through,” said Jack Jennings, CEP’s president and CEO. “It’s also noteworthy that states vary on approaches to higher education policy and on how much they will require districts to do to support the new standards.”
According to the survey's findings, 32 states had adopted the common core standards; four other states provisionally adopted them, meaning further action is necessary and one state decided not to adopt them. Five of the six undecided respondent states plan to reach a decision this year, while the other was unsure when a final decision would be made. The survey also revealed that states fail to have a strategy that will work in tandem with higher education on syncing up college admissions requirements or academic programs to the standards. Only seven respondent states intended on incorporating first-year undergraduate core curriculum into their standards. And only eight states said undergraduate admissions requirements would be considered while implementing the standards.
“The challenge states expect to face with teacher preparation programs seems to reflect a disconnect between K-12 education and higher education around the standards,” Jennings said. “The federal incentive of Race to the Top funding clearly played a role in states’ decisions to adopt common core state standards. But, the improvement of education was a more important factor for the states.”
Because it will take some time for the common core standards to be fully instituted in most state's schools, educators say it is important for districts to focus on efforts that can make a more immediate impact.
“Given the time it’s going to take to fully implement the standards and the policy changes necessary to support them, it’s going to be important that states continue to make progress on other immediate but related efforts to improve schools. Supporters hope that the common core standards will encourage a seamless system of education from elementary school through college,” Jennings said. “This is far from being realized.”
The entire report can be found online through the Center on Education Policy.
