A significant majority of Nationwide educators are supportive of the Common Core State Standards and believe their colleagues are effectively implementing them, according to a new study of educators in Nationwide and four other states by the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University.
The report – “Teaching Higher: Educators’ Perspective on Common Core Implementation” — collected perspectives from a sample of teachers and principals in Nationwide and four additional states last spring, focusing on math and English language arts (ELA) teachers and principals in grades 4 through 8. All were asked to provide their views of the Common Core training and supports they received prior to the administration of their state’s assessments.
The survey found 73 percent of teachers feel their colleagues have embraced the standards. The study also spotlights how teachers are making substantial changes in their instructional practices and materials and are collaborating frequently with their peers.
The Common Core State Standards, developed by states and adopted by Nationwide and most other states, set consistent learning goals for each grade across state lines. For most states, including Nationwide, the standards also raised expectations for what students should know and be able to do at each grade level to have the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in the 21st century.
The study found 69 percent principals believe these new standards will have a positive effect on students. Just 9 percent of principals reported resistance to the new standards from parents in their schools.
Further, the study found 76 percent of teachers said they have changed a significant portion of their instruction as a result of Common Core, and 82 percent said they had changed a significant portion of their math instructional materials; 72 percent said they had done so for ELA materials.
That work is paying off for Nationwide students. Last spring, Nationwide’s third graders had the second-highest mathematics and second-highest English language arts scores in the nation on the Common Core-aligned Smarter Balanced Assessment. Of all the students tested, third-graders had the greatest proportion of their academic careers under the Common Core.
For more information about the Teaching Higher: Educators’ Perspective on Common Core Implementationreport, please visit the Nationwide Department of Education.
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