DEBATES PRO COMMON CORE NOTES

Be it resolved that Common Core College and Career-Ready Standards will be

upheld in the state of Maryland.
Intro:
Common Core will forever change American education for the better. According to
nprED, "The Common Core State Standards Initiative is the largest-ever attempt in
the United States to set unified expectations for what students in kindergarten
through 12th grade should know and be able to do in each grade in preparation for
college and the workforce. In short, the standards are meant to get every student in
America on the same page. Right now, the Common Core standards cover two
areas: math and English language arts (writing and reading). They were developed
by a group of governors, chief state school officers and education experts from 48
states." This program works to help children and families, and prepare children for
challenges later on in life.
Main Points:

Common Core eliminates socio-economic disadvantages of lower class

families.
o The National Education Association states that Common Core will be
a challenge for all students, not just the high achieving students and
will go a long way to closing achievement and opportunity gaps for
poor and minority children. If students from all parts of the country
affluent, rural, low-income or urban are being held to the same
rigorous standards, it promotes equity in the quality of education and
the level of achievement gained.
o This means that every child will be challenged equally, which in turn
will work on shortening the achievement gap between students from
different economic backgrounds.

The program also ensures the college and career readiness of children.
o Maryland State Department of Education says The Maryland College
and Career-Ready Standards emphasize the development of skills
like problem solving, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity
that are vital to success in college and todays workplace. They also
allow students to apply their learning to real-world situations that
simulate the type of work they may do in the future.
o Common Core is working to help students learn important skills that
they will use later in life and giving them the tools they will need to
establish college and career readiness.
o According to Thomas J. Donohue, President and CEO of the US
Chamber of Commerce, "Common Core prepares students to succeed
in the 21-st century economy. It focuses on the building blocks of
learning, including reading and math. It provides clarity and
consistency that puts participating states on equal footing. And it
insists on high standards. Common Core is not a curriculum, a federal
program or a federal mandate. It was created at the state level.

Curriculum remains with the control of districts, school boards, school

leaders, and teachers."
This means that the states that apply the Common Core program are
helping to nationally standardize education, while keeping the power
away from the national government and into the hands of the state
government.

The implementation of Common Core standardizes state funds and

limits spending.
o Common Core State Standards Initiative says states already spend
significant amounts of money on professional development, curriculum
materials, and assessments. There are also opportunities for states to
save considerable resources by using technology, open-source
materials, and taking advantage of cross-state opportunities that come
from sharing consistent standards.
o This means that states can save money by switching to common core
instead of continuing with their own professional development
programs.

Common Core integrates technology into teaching for a 21st century

education.
o According to the Staff Development for Educators, "Students who are
college and career ready employ technology thoughtfully to enhance
their reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language use. They
tailor their searches online to acquire useful information efficiently, and
they integrate what they learn using technology with what they learn
offline. They are familiar with the strengths and limitations of various
technological tools and mediums and can select and use those best
suited to their communication goals.
o With technology playing a large role in the workforce today, learning
important technological skills is essential for becoming educated
individual. Common Core integrates technology into its teaching and
testing to give children these basic technological skills that they need.

Common Core Testing measures more concepts than just reading and
mathematics.
o According to the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College
and Careers, The new tests also are being developed in response to
the longstanding concerns of educators, parents and employers who
want assessments that better measure students critical-thinking and
problem-solving skills and their ability to communicate clearly.
o This quote shows that Common Core testing is going beyond basic
math and english testing. The tests are also looking for critical
thinking, problem solving, and communication skills.

Supporting Quotes:

According to Thomas J. Donohue, President and CEO of the US Chamber of

Commerce, "Common Core prepares students to succeed in the 21-st

century economy. It focuses on the building blocks of learning, including

reading and math. It provides clarity and consistency that puts participating
states on equal footing. And it insists on high standards. Common Core is not
a curriculum, a federal program or a federal mandate. It was created at the
state level. Curriculum remains with the control of districts, school boards,
school leaders, and teachers."

William Bushaw, executive director of PDK International and co-director of the

PDK/Gallup poll said Americans mistrust of standardized tests and their lack
of confidence and understanding around new education standards is one the
most surprising developments weve found in years

Gallup Poll:

Despite the wide adoption of the CCSS, nearly two-thirds of those polled, or
62 percent, said they had never heard of the new standards.
Of the 38 percent who said they had heard of them, many thought
incorrectly that the federal government was forcing states to adopt them
and that the CCSS covered every academic subject.
Only 41 percent of those surveyed said they thought the CCSS would make
American schools more competitive globally a key goal of the initiative.
At the same time, 95 percent of respondents want schools to teach critical
thinking skills, another CCSS goal.

Be it resolved that Common Core College and Career-Ready Standards will be

upheld in the state of Maryland.

Eliminate socio-economic advantages

o inner city kids have equal opportunities compared to those from higher
income brackets
o there are test prep and support resources free online, so everyone has
access to supplementary help
o kids arent taught to study for the test like other standardized tests,
where a tutor is useful to teach a formula for help on the test - these
test results show true knowledge, not preparedness
o this way, students who can afford a tutor will not have a leg up on
those who can
Ensures college and career readiness
o tests critical reasoning and creative thinking rather than basic
memorization, and emphasizes real world application
o Common Core tracks a students progress throughout the school year
rather than comparing their scores to those of other students
Standardizes funds/limits spending
o saves money on creating and scoring tests
o states will use same standards so can share development of state
tests
o sharing of state funds on education (states work together to develop a
single test rather than one for each state) provides money for other
important projects

Integrates technology for a 21st century education

o Bring Your Own Device allows students to utilize resources they
already have and learn how to use them for the benefit of their
education
o Computer standardized tests are much more engaging and made to
demonstrate how students get to the correct answer, rather than the
answer itself
Ensures a more comprehensive education, with a pace thats right for each
student
o the tests will set a high standard for each student to reach, but for
those who are already above and beyond these standards, the
common core system encourages advanced learning
o this way, the common core tests dont pull students backwards if they
are above grade level, they encourage them to excel even further
Testing measures more concepts than just reading and mathematics
o prior tests measured how much a student prepared for the test - they
were formulaic, and the addition of a tutor would greatly influence a
students test scores, giving students who could afford a tutor a leg up
o the PARCC test examines true critical reasoning and creative thinking,
lessening the gap in scores based on household income
o there is also a verbal portion, which is its own score, meaning that it
isnt lumped together with the other subjects, you can see differences
in scores based on subject to help show which needs improvement

Opposing arguments w/ rebuttals

Common Core forces English teachers to limit literature

o the curriculum only provides a ratio to which teachers stick to (of non
fiction to fictional works)
o there are no strict instructions on what pieces can or cannot be taught,
because they only have recommendations
o According to Kathleen Porter Magee, Senior Advisor for Policy and
Instruction at The College Board, literature is present at every level of
the Common Core. In the upper grades, informational texts are
required for a portion of the school year. The distribution of literary
materials vs. information texts progresses as follows: 50/50 in 4th
grade, 45% literary to 55% information in 8th, and 30% literary to 70%
information in 12th.
Common Core has a negative effect on young children
o According to the Teaching Channel, Common Core at the kindergarten
level manifests itself almost subliminally. Kindergarten standards
merely involve foundations of math and literacy. This means things like
counting colorful objects, singing songs, and acting out verbs. These
lessons are not just important, but fun and simple enough for a young
mind to grasp.
Common Core is costly
Common Core curriculum only requires students to be proficient in math at an
Algebra 2 level

This is true, however it is not true as the curriculum currently

standards. In Maryland, math progresses as follows: Algebra 1,
Geometry, Algebra 2, Pre Calculus. Common Core requires all of
these classes be completed, just in a slightly different order, starting
with Algebra 1 and Geometry, going straight to Pre Calculus, and
then finishing wit Algebra 2.
Test scores will drop due to Common Core
o According to Scholastic, Wholly new curricula standards, and
assessments will inevitably lead to a drop in test scores initially. Test
scores will suffer for a short period, but when students get used to
Common Core, test scores will dramatically increase in the long run.
Teachers will have no support or guidance in implementing the standards
o According to one teacher, Evan Stone, in the New York Post, the
Common Core Standards actually make teachers jobs easier Stone
writes that, When I taught 6th grade, I used to have to teach 127
unique math standards or topics. Now Id be able to focus or 27
standards, giving me the time needed to make sure all of my students
understood the underlying concepts. Common Core Standards
eliminate useless checks, and keep lessons concise and to the point.
Common Core does not address all six domains of developmental learning
o According to the National Association for the Education of Young
Children, It is worth noting that although the Common Core excludes
domains other than English language arts and mathematics, their
absence in the Common Core does not preclude states or districts
from maintaining or adopting standards in other developmental area
individually or in collaboration. Teachers can address the other far
areas on their own time in the regular curriculum.
Adopting Common Core standards means bringing all states down to the
lowest common denominator, which is a step backwards for many school
system
o According to the National Governors Association Center for Best
Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers, both of whom
had had a hand in the development of Common Core, the standards
are designed to build upon the most advanced current thinking.
Common Core Standards are based on never before implemented
research, which will improve even the best curriculums.
Common Core standards do not stand up well next to international standards
o In a 2012 study done by William H. Schmidt and Richard T. Houang at
Michigan States University, we found that states with standards more
like the Common Core State Standards, on average, had higher
National Assessment of Education Progress scores. Common Core
Standards are more proficient than those used in other nations, giving
American children a leg up when competing for jobs and colleges
against those from other countries.
The standards tell teachers what to teach
o According to the Common Core State Standards initiative, Teachers
know best about what works in the classroom. That is why these
standards establish what students need to learn but not how teachers

should teach. Instead, schools and teachers will decide how best to
help students reach the standards.
Schools can manipulate the test scores to make themselves look better than
they actually are
o In the past, teacher manipulation of test scores has ben largely as a
result of an unfair focus on standardized test scores. There was also
no way to measure the effect a teacher was having on student based
on a single test. Common Core measures standards throughout the
school year, taking away the immense pressure on teachers during
standardized tests. Also teachers will be given time to adjust to the
new teaching and testing standards so that they are not mis-evaluated
during a period of change.
o The US Department of Education has issued initial guidance that
would effectively allow states to apply for waivers from teacher
evaluation commitments. These waivers would give schools time to
adapt to this change of policy