AFT calls for moratorium on Common Core consequences

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.aft.org/newspubs/news/2013/043013commoncore.cfm

AFT president Randi Weingarten on April 30 called for a moratorium on assessment-driven sanctions tied to Common Core State Standards until solid implementation plans are embedded in schools and proven effective through a year or more of field testing.

Building-level preparation for Common Core Standards for math and English language arts, adopted by 45 states and the District of Columbia, has been spotty at best, the AFT president warned in a high-profile address in New York City on education reform. Sound implementation remains the first order of business, she said, not a violent, destructive shift to test-driven accountability based on the standards. Done right, Common Core standards will "lead to a revolution in teaching and learning" that puts critical thinking, problem solving and teamwork ahead of rote memorization and endless test-taking, Weingarten said. Done wrong, "they will end up in the overflowing dustbin of abandoned reforms, with people throwing up their hands," believing that public schools are too broken to save.

"The coming months will determine which outcome comes to pass."

The key is high-quality implementation, a deliberate and thoughtful plan of action for introducing new standards into schools and making sure they are embraced by schools and the community at large. Educators need to "unpack" the standards and fully understand what they are. They need a curriculum tied to the Common Core, and the time and support necessary to adapt their teaching to these ambitious new demands. Those prerequisites are still missing in schools across the nation, Weingarten stressed, and that makes it imperative for Americans "to put our foot on the accelerator of high-quality implementation and put the brakes on the stakes."

FULL story and video at link.