The quality of education significantly determines a person’s success in their future life. Different educational standards are set to understand whether students have achieved learning goals, and these requirements may differ depending on the state. The Common Core State Standards Initiative’s purpose is to introduce uniform standards across the country. This initiative combines the knowledge gained by research and experience to present clear standards capable of preparing students within K-12 for college and work. Even though not all states accept Common Core, the standards contribute to gaining skills and knowledge necessary for children in the future on an equal basis, regardless of their place of residence.
Common Core’s development history spans more than a decade, and states had their standards for much longer. Each state has established its qualification levels since the 1990s (“Development process,” n.d.). However, the lack of uniformity leads to differences in the students’ preparation, limiting their opportunities in a particular area or putting them at a disadvantage compared to higher qualifications. The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) began work on standards in 2009 (“Development process,” n.d.). Various specialists engaged in the development process and the standards were adapted several times after feedback group comments. The final draft was submitted in 2010, and the states considered the project and implemented it in their systems during 2011-2015 (“Development process,” n.d.). Nowadays, most states have accepted Common Core in their schools.
Various factors may influence the decision of states to adopt standards. For example, the “Race to the Top” grant program provides funding to encourage education reforms. The implementation of Common Core is not a requirement in this program – the initiative appeared earlier, and states that have not received grants also adopt standards (“Myths,” n.d.). However, the goals of “Race to the Top” to improve the quality of education are significantly consistent with Common Core, and it contributed to the adoption of the initiative (Chen, 2019). Participants in the grant competition often include common standards in their plan for educational transformations. Such relationships between the programs demonstrate that states recognize the importance and value of the initiative.
The considered initiative aims to transform the education system and has various consequences. At the same time, Common Core’s impact on future educational assessment is ambiguous. States can choose their assessment, which they consider most appropriate. However, some of them also decided to join forces in creating common assessments. For example, the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium and the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) work for this purpose (“Frequently,” n.d.). Thus, the initiative enables collaboration to create and implement a new assessment system to measure student achievement, but states can have their preferences.
In conclusion, the Common Core State Standards Initiative aims to standardize knowledge and skills requirements for students across the country. Such standards should improve the quality of education and promote better preparation of students for college and work. Moreover, common standards will expand personal opportunities to build careers in various parts of the country. Work on the standards began in 2009, and then for some time, the states considered the project deciding on adoption. Although the “Race to the Top” grant program has no requirement to accept Common Core, it contributed to its distribution pushing states to prefer common standards. Initiative also enables the launch of other projects’ development, particularly on the assessment. States, however, can maintain their own preferences on the issue. For now, most states have adopted Common Core to transform their schools.
References
Chen, G. (2019). What is race to the top and how will it benefit public schools? Public School Review. Web.
Development process. (n.d.). Common Core State Standards Initiative. Web.
Frequently asked questions. (n.d.). Common Core State Standards Initiative. Web.
Myths vs. facts. (n.d.). Common Core State Standards Initiative. Web.