So, I have gathered a few resources that trace CCSS implementation in our state, and across the nation, including the current debate. 

This is not meant to be exhaustive, but instead to be a set of resources that can inform our critical, careful conversations about what we, as English teachers, can do moving forward in an era of CCSS.  Interestingly enough, not much of this conversation involves actual students, a point I will return to at the end of this post. 

CCSS Origin(s)

Like all origin stories, the CCSS’s is a bit murky, depending on who you ask.  The “official” story, as reported on the CCSS website (emphasis is mine) is that:

The Common Core State Standards Initiative is a state-led effort that established a single set of clear educational standards for kindergarten through 12th grade in English language arts and mathematics that states voluntarily adopt. 

and

The nation’s governors and education commissioners, through their representative organizations the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) led the development of the Common Core State Standards and continue to lead the initiative.  Teachers, parents, school administrators and experts from across the country together with state leaders provided input into the development of the standards. 

and

States across the country collaborated with teachers, researchers, and leading experts to design and develop the Common Core State Standards.  Each state independently made the decision to adopt the Common Core State Standards, beginning in 2010.  The federal government was NOT involved in the development of the standards.  Local teachers, principals, and superintendents lead the implementation of the Common Core. 

Under criterion (B)(1)(ii), Phase 1 applicants will earn points based on the extent to which they demonstrate commitment to and progress toward adopting a common set of K-12 standards by August 2, 2010.  Phase 2 applicants will earn points based on whether they have adopted a common set of K-12 standards by August 2, 2010. 

“… while it’s not a federal program, it certainly has strong federal support, enough to make it a controversial program that some Republican politicians have felt the need to back away from.” 

For the left, he summarizes by stating that

“[l]iberal opponents describe Common Core as a crude mandate that’s going to push arts and science even further out of schools, limit the teaching of literature and creative writing in classrooms, and end up being used to rate schools and teachers unfairly.” 

And, for those of us caught in the middle, it has led to some confusion, frustration, and anger.  In Michigan, it appears (for the moment) that the state will allow education funding for CCSS initiatives.  We have the Michigan Coalition for High Student Standards — including partners such as varied as Dow Chemical and Steelcase to the MEA and AFT — advocating for the CCSS and, in turn, the federal money and testing that comes with them.  On the other side, we have local, grassroots groups like Save Michigan’s Public Schools and the broader coalition formed by Diane Ravitch, the Network for Public Education. 

As of the time of this blog post (September 30, 2013), the latest news I can get from MLive reports that:

Despite an Oct. 1 deadline that would stop funding for the Common Core State Standards in Michigan, lawmakers in the Michigan Senate are not going to rush to approve a concurrent resolution approved Thursday by the state House of Representatives. 

Interestingly enough, the House stripped out an “amendment which would have required state lawmakers to also take the same exams as students” because “the cost for test materials and scoring for the entire Michigan Legislature alone would have exceeded $3,300.”  Really?  I bet that we could pass the hat and come up with that much money so our legislators could have the same pleasure as our students. 

What’s Next

One of the key features of the conventional wisdom, the dominant ideology, is that we no longer recognize it as such because we hear it so often.  There’s no food for thought here; everyone just knows that our students are lousy, or that raising test scores would improve our economy, or that grit is good; there’s no need to defend these propositions. 

I doubt that we will solve any of these problems in our conversation later this week, but I hope that we might continue to move forward with our efforts to help teachers and students in the small ways that we still can despite the overwhelming forces that are against us. 

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Author: Troy Hicks

Dr. Troy Hicks is a professor of English and education at Central Michigan University.  He directs both the Chippewa River Writing Project and the Master of Arts in Educational Technology degree program. 
A former middle school teacher, Dr. Hicks has authored numerous books, articles, chapters, blog posts, and other resources broadly related to the teaching of literacy in our digital age.  Follow him on Twitter: @hickstro
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