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Common Core State Standards aim to reverse troubling national trends

TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2012 16:36 PM



Geraldine Margin, superintendent of New Jersey’s Manasquan School District, recently told Manasquan-Belmar’s Patch website that schools are "in a state of emergency," as testing trends show American students have become less competitive with their peers in other countries.

Margin, and many other education officials across the country believe the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) will play a role in reversing this troubling trend. In Margin’s District, the CCSS must be implemented by the conclusion of this academic year, the news source reported. In addition, a new teacher evaluation system must be in place so the state can review Manasquan instructors’ effectiveness.

"We’re on the threshold of a very dynamic time in education," Margin told the news outlet.

As reading levels among American students have been dropping since 1963, the new Standards are designed to turn things around. In the District, teachers will move away from narratives and provide their pupils with texts that are more informational in nature.

According to the CCSS’ website, while individual schools can decide what texts their students read, there are a few types of written content that are mandated, including the writings of William Shakespeare and foundational U.S. documents.


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