With new Common Core-aligned assessments on the horizon—and states beginning to link accountability systems to student mastery of the new standards—the current school year undoubtedly represents a major milestone for the Common Core. Amid wavering public approval and mounting political opposition, how is it actually going on the ground? A new report released by the Center on Education Policy (CEP) today sheds light on a wide range of issues, including district perceptions of the standards themselves, implementation progress, and common challenges to date. Based on survey responses from leaders in 211 districts, findings range from promising to concerning. Encouragingly, about 90 percent of district leaders believe the CCSS are more rigorous than their state’s prior mathematics and English language arts (ELA) standards, and three-quarters believe Common Core will improve students’ math and ELA skills (both reflecting substantial increases from a similar CEP survey of district leaders administered in 2011). However, district leaders also cite major challenges, including concerns about state officials reevaluating the adoption of CCSS or putting implementation on hold, needing to explain potential drops in student performance on Core assessments to stakeholders, and having insufficient time to get implementation right before tying high-stakes accountability measures to student learning. Equally troubling, about a third of district respondents do not anticipate having adopted CCSS-aligned instructional materials or having the capacity to administer next-generation, CCSS-aligned assessments until the 2015–16 school year (or later). While the study sample is somewhat small and responses were weighted to be nationally representative of all school districts in Common Core states (as of survey administration in spring 2014), this report raises many important implementation issues that districts and states would be wise to mull.
SOURCE: “Common Core State Standards in 2014: Districts’ Perceptions, Progress, and Challenges,” Center on Education Policy (October 2014).
