The high school district will implement a new math program, Board Works, at all grade levels, and it will be used in conjunction with SmartBoards. Troisi said that interactive math programs have proven successful at the elementary level, so officials decided to bring that concept to the junior high and high schools.

No one questions higher standards

School officials said that they agree that the bar should be raised so students can compete with their peers on a global level. However, they added, new tests should not have been unveiled the same year as the Common Core standards.

Last year, school districts were also required to implement a new teacher evaluation system, and had to meet requirements for the new Dignity for All Students Act.

“Rigor should be part of the curriculum,” Stirling said. “I truly believe that this assessment was put in way to early, before the Common Core could be fully implemented the way it should be.”

“Nobody rises to low expectations,” Robb-Fund added. “But it was a lot all at once, and it showed.”

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