Blog 1: Common Core and You!

Many people worry that American students will initially falter on the PARCC exam; they haven't had enough preparation; their teachers haven't had enough training or experience with the new standards. This is just a natural part of the process. If  PARCC accurately measures proficiency in higher level reading and math skills, and American students struggle, it gives us a clear idea as to where our attention as teachers needs to go.

There is the concern, though, of achievement-based funding and teacher compensation. Schools with low scores on the PARCC, teachers whose students score in the lower percentiles, will be at a disadvantage in distribution of funding. This is a legitimate concern. Is it fair to evaluate funding on PARCC scores? At this point, it may prove useful to find other ways of compensating teachers in which they feel they are not at a disadvantage due to Common Core's newness.