Common Core is designed to provide students with clear and consistent learning goals for college and their future career or workplace. A new survey, however, claimed that Common Core does the opposite of those standards.
A recently released National Curriculum Survey from the ACT found that Common Core doesn't provide the necessary skills that are required in college and higher education. For instance, Common Core teaches middle and high school students to write from and analyze source texts. College instructors, however, said they encourage pupils to write using their own sensible ideas.
Survey Highlights The Disconnect
The survey, which was conducted on 9,266 participants, found that numerous workplace supervisors and employees don't think Common Core provides the most important skills needed to succeed in a job. According to them, the number one skill employers look for is "conscientiousness" or being thorough.
Employers don't always prioritize academic skills. The survey found that workplace supervisors and employees place a high importance on specific non-academic skill sets like honesty, consistent effort, composure, confidence and good camaraderie with their fellow employees.
Marten Roorda, chief executive officer for ACT Inc., said the survey's findings do not aim to admonish or berate Common Core. Rather, the study emphasizes the "disconnect between what is emphasized in the Common Core and what some college instructors perceive as important to college readiness," Education Week reported.
Common Core Criticized
In March, over 100 education researchers from California's public and private universities said there is no stark evidence that Common Core increases students' chances to succeed in college and higher education, according to the Washington Post. Common Core is also criticized for its contents and how it was written, while other critics said it was not proven that standards-based education will advance the academic achievement of students.
In Louisiana, lawmakers and Gov. John Bel Edwards agreed to introduce revisions to the Common Core standards starting in the fall, NOLA.com reported. The review panel, which consisted of 26 members, recommended rewriting 21 percent of the English and math Common Core standards in public schools for the 2016-17 school year.
North Carolina, which adopted Common Core in 2012, is also allowing students to opt out of the standard's teachings. Lawmakers in the Senate are working on a bill that would permit pupils to take a more traditional math sequence instead of the integrated ones, WUNC wrote.
Some teachers admitted that they still use traditional math sequences on students. This is because they believe that pupils are unprepared to cope with the pressure and demands of later mathematics courses.
