Common Core Standards Initiative Might Not Be A Good Educational System, Based On State Rankings

Six years ago, Ohio ranked fifth in the U.S. public education system ranking. This year, Ohio is 23rd on the annual Quality Counts list. Based on this great decline, it appears that the Common Core Standards Initiative adopted by the state of Ohio is not effective.

Freedom Works reports that five of the eight states that did not implement Common Core Standards are ranked higher than Ohio in the 2016 list. Two of those five states even made it to the overall top 12 in the public education system ranking as reported by Education Week.

"The annual Quality Counts report by Education Week includes indicators such as test scores, education finance, and graduation rates to determine a score out of 100," Freedom Works explains. "The best state in each category receives 100, and all other states are graded relative to that state. Ohio received a score of 74.9, a C."

The Common Core Standards is an educational initiative that began in 2007 when different foundations and organizations teamed up to promote a uniform educational standard for all states. The Common Core use international standards on what U.S. students should learn for English and math every year.

The end goal is for the U.S. to be more competitive in the international education scene. This educational initiative was adopted by Ohio in 2010, the year they reached number five on the public education system ranking.

Many educators believe that the Common Core Standards is not an effective educational initiative. This is in addition to the belief that an individualized learning program is more appropriate for students because every child has different learning styles, strengths, weaknesses and interests.

"Individualized learning is gaining adherents among administrators around the country," Scholastic News shares. "For their part, kids are responding well to lessons that allow them to follow their interests and are customized to their level."