Common core is a hot button issue in our state right now. Some teachers are backing it, some aren’t. Some parents may want the new standards, while others don’t. Common core is controversial through the country right now. But, what is Common Core? Why is it so controversial? And how can it affect your child’s education?

Governor Jan Brewer renamed Common Core standards in Arizona, they are now called Arizona’s College and Career Ready Standards. Their goal is to give Arizona students the skills they need to be successful in life. Upon graduating from high school students should be able to compete and excel in a competitive job market, and will be prepared to be informed and productive members of the community in which they live.

The standards are being implemented nationwide in grades K-12. The standards effect curriculum in English, Language Arts and Mathematics. The standards are meant to set an expectation for what students need to know and be able to do in each subject and grade. There are milestones throughout a child’s education that they should meet. This allows teachers and parents to know whether or not the students are on the track to success.

The standards were adopted in 2010, and schools began implementing them in Arizona in 2013.

Sounds good right? So, why is it so controversial?

Many feel that this is government oversight. That the national government has no right to step into what should be a local and state matter (education).

Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSSI) are not state standards in the first place, and are nothing more than further federalization of our state education systems.It has been the goal of federal education departments for decades to further control state education of our children through federal standards, and to take education out of the hands of the parents and put it to “the state,” or under federal control. This has been done at a rapid pace through “school to work” and “college readiness” programs. ~Arizonans Against Common Core

The standards are difficult for some to understand, students and parents, seem to be struggling nationwide with the “new way” of doing math.

Teachers do not like that their jobs, raises, and funding are tied to how well students perform on the new common core tests. Many states have delayed common core testing until more teachers have been trained in how to implement the new curriculum.

Regardless of whether or not Common Core is controversial, it is here. And many states, including Arizona, are having to deal with it. So, what are the pros and cons of common core? Check out this post to find out!