Tuesday morning, the Florida Board of Education convened to discuss the renaming and revamping of the Common Core.
“It is true to say that these are Florida Standards and not just the Common Core,” Pam Stewart, the Florida Commissioner of Education said commenting on the 60 new standards and 30 clarifications that were added to the traditional Common Core; it was renamed the Florida Standards after these changes were made.
The most pertinent changes are the addition of Calculus, an emphasis on print and cursive writing, and a focus on financial literacy to the curriculum.
“Calculus is already in the system, we’re simply revamping the standards set by the course,” said Stewart.
Opponents of the Florida standards say that the renaming of the Common Core is nothing more than political rebranding to try to spin the curriculum in their favor.
Florida will also be transitioning from the FCAT to a new standardized test to fit the new curriculum. The test is set to be revealed in full at the next school board meeting.
Miami-Dade, the most effective and academically advanced county in the state, has taken issue with continuation of school grading while the test transitions. While Alberto Carvalho is in favor of the Common Core, saying that it will “significantly elevate the quality of what students learn,” he is not in favor of continuing to assign grades during this transition. But the Commissioner of Education is not budging.
“It’s my responsibility to be focused on the students in Florida and the school grading system will in fact motivate adults to meet the needs of students. So to suspend that would not be best for our students in Florida,” Stewart said.
Miami Lakes Educational Center, one of the higher achieving schools in Miami-Dade County is also having concerns with the grading system.
“It’s a different way of learning, the teachers aren’t used to it, and neither are the kids. We should absolutely suspend school grading until we know how the students can handle the new curriculum.” said Gladys Duran, MLEC’s Guidance Counselor.
The teachers at the school are taking the same issue with the Florida Standards that Carvalho is. Is it ethical to grade schools based on a curriculum that they have not been prepared for?
“The Common Core is providing for higher order thinking, which are current students are not used to doing,” Ana Tigerino, a counselor at the high school said. “The students will have to go from getting spoon-fed and regurgitating information, to having to analyze and think in ways they’ve never seen before. I don’t think we’re prepared at all.”
Ms. Tigerino works with the students and teachers at MLEC to prepare them for their high school and secondary school careers. As counselor, she has spoken, individually with almost every student and teacher in the school. She, along with others in the school, feel that instead of just setting a standard, the Florida Standards should work to measure improvement.
“We have great teachers and very capable students, but those will not be the ones who suffer,” Ms. Tigerino added. “With the implementation of this new curriculum, we should be concerned about our low-achieving students.”
Stewart does not feel that the Florida Standards will further polarize the education gap in the state, but Tigerino’s concern is a wide-spread one. Higher achieving students will probably be aided by the Common Core, but students who are nowhere near the level expected of them risk falling to the wayside.
