New set of Common Core standards drafted

The New York State Education Department last week released new draft English and math learning standards for public comment, according Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia. 

The move follows four years of parents’ protests about the Common Core State Standards that were adopted by New York in 2012. More than 200,000 parents opted their children out of grades three to eight English and math state exams across the state in 2015. That led Gov. Andrew Cuomo to empanel a task force that year to offer recommendations to overhaul Common Core.

That process began last spring, ending this September with a raft of new standards. Two committees comprising 130 educators and parents recommended changing 60 percent of the English and 55 percent of the math standards. The State Education Department is now accepting public comments on the draft standards through Nov. 4.

“I think that the new Common Core draft is a step in the right direction not only with regard to the standards themselves, but to the development process,” said Joshua Gold, principal at the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway Middle School.

“I appreciate [the state’s] efforts to engage a diverse group of stakeholders in the review process, and commend them for being responsive to the feedback that was received. It is my hope moving forward that the process continues to be one that is collaborative, and that the final draft is seen as a living document that can be adapted to meet the needs of an ever changing career landscape.”

“Learning standards form the very framework of our educational system, so it's critical that we get this right for all of our students,” Board of Regents Chancellor Betty Rosa said. “As we work to support teachers in implementing these new learning standards, we will place a particular emphasis on educating English language learners, students with disabilities and other special populations.”

Dr. Ralph Marino, superintendent of the Hewlett-Woodmere School District, said, “I am pleased that the New York State Education Department took a closer look at the English Language Arts and Mathematics Learning Standards throughout the past year. That said, [the state] is accepting public comment on the drafts through Nov. 4, and it is my hope that more substantive changes are enacted throughout the review process and before the new standards are finalized.”

According to Elia, the new draft standards meet the 2015 legislative requirement that the standards be reassessed with stakeholders’ input. Teachers and parents, she noted, have had a voice throughout the revision process “and their input drove the recommended changes to the learning standards.”   

“Dedicated teachers, parents and educators from across the state put in countless hours to develop these new draft standards,” Elia said. “I thank our review committee members for taking the time to propose meaningful changes to improve the state’s learning standards. Teachers will be able to use these standards as a basis for developing their curricula and lesson plans to meet the needs of students in their classrooms. 

 “These changes,” she continued, “reflect what I have heard from parents, teachers and administrators over the past year in my travels across the state. Now we want to hear from educators and parents so we can develop the best learning standards to prepare New York’s children for their futures.”