RayVin Bates

English
Common Ground Essay
1013-S05
19 November 2014

The common core curriculum is a standardized test for most of U.S. students to take during their grade
school years. the goal for this new curriculums is to have the same standardized test nationwide and to
achieve greater education for the students of the U.S
For those who are Pro side for Common Core Curriculum, Carmel Martin is the executive vice president
for policy at American Progress. Saying that If done well, it will lead to dramatic improvements in
educational opportunities.(Martin)
Nationwide, too many of todays high school graduates are not ready for college or the workforce.
saying that most high school students enter in remedial courses in college. almost by a whopping 40%
.Martin states that children are not prepared enough whenever they enter college more than half of
students take remedial courses, which rises to more than 80 percent of students in the highest needs
communities.(Martin)
Common core will solve this problem by giving children more meticulous learning programs. In order for
children need to learn the skills [such as] problem solving, analytical thinking, and the use of data in
decision making.(Martin)
Common core will give children what they need to be successful. Most children are not used to such
advanced curriculum; teachers will have to incorporate this new curriculum in a very creative way.

This would encourage teachers to works together for the students sake teacher working with students,
students working with each other and parents being involved in students academic life. Promoting a
positive community for the wellbeing of students to learn and adjust to common core. Thus, ultimately
having them college ready in the future.
The goal is to have education equity so that minorities and children who live in bad neighborhoods
would have the same opportunities as whites and more privileged children. The Common Core helps
address inequity in education by ensuring all students are taught to the same rigorous expectations. This
helps make sure that ZIP codes do not determine education quality.(Martin) Common Core goal is to
make sure that every child has the same opportunity, if every child has the same education there should be
no one with lost opportunities. [It acts] as a quality-control check to ensure all students receive a highquality education (Martin)
As Carmel Martin says the standards will make rote memorization, simplified curricula, and bubble
tests things of the past.(Martin) Martin wants to ensure that schools who want to embrace common core
curriculum need a fast and smooth transition. The suggestions are continuing to improve and implement
education evaluation and support
As for the cons, Carol Barris, is an elementary school principal who was also for the common core
curriculum then she realized that the common core was not as gratifying as it seemed. Children were
frustrated about what they are learning, while their self-esteem is going down. Influenced by test scores
saying that they are below average resulting in learning [a] disabled child who feels like a failure due to
constant testing, (barris). Teachers are agitated that their students no longer possess the joy in learning
and parents are frustrated because they cant help their children with homework. but there is nothing they
can do about it for the sake of keeping their jobs
A principal of an elementary school who is furious with having to use to use a book he deems
inappropriate for third graders.(Barris) Common Cores education is unconventional for the students that

it is targeted to. Which could lead to a misunderstanding; that children who do not pass the test are
intelligently inadequate. Often kids with learning problems were told that they will not be successful at
second grade because of their bellow standard test scores (Barris)
When most of the children are not excited about learning anymore and teachers are stressed out about
changing the curriculum, it can create an environment of hostility Teachers are engaged in practices like
these because they are pressured and afraid, not because they think the assessments are educationally
sound(Barris) Teachers will not be defined by performance in the classroom but by the test scores of the
children. The teachers and only teaching the children to pass the test, but they are not actually learning.
We thought that the Common Core would be a student-centered reform based on principles of
equity. Carol also states that education equity is a failed goal of Common Core. She found that Common
Cores goal for equity quickly failed as she noticed the achievement gaps dramatically widened (Barris)
after common core had taken place
In 2012, the state reported a 12 point black/white achievement gap between third grade English
Language Arts score. And a 14 point gap in eighth grade Language Arts. A year later: the respective gaps
grew to 19 and 25 points respectively( for Latino Students the eighth grade ELA gap grew from 3 to 22
points)(Barris)
The goal of common core was to have the same curriculum for every child so that there would be no score
differences between the school districts. but Coral states that there are major differences between whites
and Minorities by more than 50% in some cases so Common Core equity is a misleading.
The Common ground about Common Core is that both sides care about the wellbeing of childrens
education. Also both parties want parents and teacher, as a community to be involved in childrens
education.

People who are pro Common Core and against it, want children to be successful in school and
preparing them to be successful outside of school as well. Americas concern for their childrens education
and wellbeing is tremendous. Also both parties want parents and teacher, as a community to be involved
in childrens education

Works Cited
Martin, Carmel. "Roadmap for a Successful Transition to the Common in States and Districts."
Americanprogress.org. Center for American Progress, 25 Jun. 2014. Web. 14 Nov. 2014.
<https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/education/report/2014/06/25/92545/roadmap-for-a-successfultransition-to-the-common-core-in-states-and-districts/>.
Martin, Carmel. "Common Core Implementation Best Practices." Americanprogress.org. Center for
American Progress, 28 Feb. 2014. Web. 15 Nov. 2014.
<https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/education/report/2014/02/28/85042/common-coreimplementation-best-practices/>.
Martin, Carmel. "The Common Core Is an Opportunity for Education Equity." Americanprogress.org.
Center for American Progress, 19 May. 2014. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.
<https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/education/report/2014/05/19/89836/the-common-core-is-anopportunity-for-education-equity/>.
Barris, Carol. "Principal: I Was Nave about Common Core." Washingtonpost.com. The Washington
Post, 4 Mar. 2014. Web. 16 Nov. 2014. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answersheet/wp/2013/03/04/principal-i-was-naive-about-common-core/>.
Barris, Carol. "Are American Students Grossly Unprepared for College?" Washingtonpost.com. The
Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2014. Web. 16 Nov. 2014. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answersheet/wp/2014/03/17/are-american-students-grossly-unprepared-for-college/>.

Barris, Carol. "The Myth of Common Core Equity." Washingtonpost.com. The Washington Post, 10 Mar.
2014. Web. 16 Nov. 2014. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/03/10/themyth-of-common-core-equity/>.