Poll: Common Core implementation is moving too fast

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS), by design, are meant to help the U.S. education system become competitive on a global scale, and prepare kids for college and their careers. These seemingly large goals are ones many people across the country would like to see achieved as soon as possible. In fact, finding a parent who doesn't want a high-quality education for their child right now is probably difficult. However, in eagerness to reach academic goals quickly, legislators and educators may have hit the gas pedal a little too hard. 

A poll conducted by the Times Union and Siena College Education revealed that people living in upstate New York feel the pressure of hurried implementation of the Common Core. In fact, 82 percent of respondents agreed that their state has rushed through the implementation of the CCSS, while only 14 percent disagree.

The public's view of implementation
Given that the poll was taken by adults living in New York, the results are a good indicator of how people in that area see Common Core implementation. The state has released an implementation timeline that anyone can view, which includes when schools will hit certain steps with the Common Core and aligned assessments. According to the timeline, New York has already fully implemented the CCSS math and English/language arts Standards, and will finish adopting assessments at the end of the 2015-2016 school year. 

The CCSS adoption began in New York in 2012, meaning that the entire implementation process has taken only two years, and the community is wary of that. 

"They just keep changing so fast. From parents to teachers to students, we're all struggling to keep up," Silvia Jones, a mother of two students who lives in Johnson City, New York, told the Times Union. "I think we need to stay still for a minute."

Taking test implementation slowly
Common Core adoption and the implementation of Standards-aligned tests are underway across the country, but there is talk of reexamining assessments. Students took Standards-aligned exams this spring, though only as a trial run. The standardized test scores are meant to influence school funding. Many parents, educators and legislators believe that's too soon for the tests to carry stakes. Teachers and students alike are still adjusting to the Common Core, so testing kids on its content seems, to many, unfair. People have called for a halt in testing stakes for the next year. This would allow educators and students to adjust to the CCSS and aligned curricula.

While implementation is worrisome to a large amount of Americans, many agree that the Standards can help education in this country become an international force to be reckoned with.