There’s no question that, with 46 states signed on, the
Common Core State Standards are shaking up K-12 education. It’s a testament to
the power of this initiative that even states that have willfully resisted the
Common Core still feel its presence. Consider Texas, which opted out on the
grounds of state sovereignty, but now contends with an upstart Texas
Association of Business concerned that Texas’ “currently proposed [math]
standards are actually worse and less rigorous than the Common Core Standards.”
Of course, adopting the standards is the easy part compared
to the hard work of actually implementing them, and warning signs abound that
states and districts may be underestimating the size of the challenge. New data from math guru Bill
Schmidt show that the math Common Core standards will require major curriculum
alignments, not to mention new materials and teacher training.
Truth be told, the real measure of adoption even for states
that have signed on will be the tests coming down the pike in the 2014-2015
school year. Until then, districts and
states (not to mention publishers and other vendors) can slap a “Common
Core aligned” sticker on any curriculum they choose and no one will be the
wiser.
Marisa Goldstein