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Jim Burfeind
[2/20/13: repetition of first paragraph deleted]
The 7th and 8th grade teachers at my school have been teaching some Common Core lessons using MARS problems and their rubrics for assessment. We have been surprised to find that our current groups of accelerated students are doing very badly. Our accelerated students are very good at formulas and procedures, but the problem solving, communicating reasoning, and thinking required by the Common Core is proving to be a big challenge.
In general, in looking at the Common Core it is important to remember the SMP (Standards for Mathematical Practice) are just as important as the Content Standards. SBAC for example will count the SMP for 60% of a student’s score.
We think that Common Core changes like focus, rigor and coherence are reasons to be very, very conservative in projecting acceleration for next year. Focus means there are fewer standards but the expectation is there will be more depth of understanding. Rigor means the national assessments will be very demanding. Coherence means you can’t skip standards in order to accelerate.
Some people have described the various proposals to “compact” three years of Common Core courses into two years. For example to teach Common Core grades 7, 8, and 9 in only grades 7 and 8. In the past we have had about 25% of our students accelerated. Based on our experience this year I see only 3% to 4% capable of maintaining the required pace. I think those few students might actually do better going deeper into a regular course instead of trying to go faster.
If you haven’t taught a Common Core standard in one of your accelerated courses and then used a MARS problem to evaluate how it went I suggest you try it. After teaching that lesson calculate how you would move fast enough to fit three years of Common Core into two.
