A task force created by Governor Asa Hutchinson to review Arkansas's implementation of Common Core curriculum held its first all-day meeting Thursday to listen to several panelists of teachers, education officials, and academics, on the benefits and shortcomings of the nationally uniform curriculum, launched in 2009.
Stacy Smith, Director of Curriculum and Instruction at the State Department of Education, told the committee Common Core has been implemented in steps in the state for the past several years and is now used at every grade level. Smith told the task force she thinks Common Core is the best educational standard in the country.
“I don’t think there’s a better document out there right now. I do think that as far as standards go, this is the most comprehensive set of standards that we have. And I think there’s a lot of research and support behind making sure we have research and materials that align to the standards,” said Smith.
University of Arkansas Education Professor, Dr. Jason Endacott, told there have been problems with a rushed roll out of Common Core and it's challenging to teach.
“It was mainly due to the fact that it was implemented so quickly, that there was almost no training, that the training provided was often rushed, that it was outside consultants that came and left, that there were no resources available. Often times text books were just rebranded with Common Core on the front and then sold to states,” he said. “Those were a lot of the problems that started early on.”
Chasidy White, who teaches middle school history in Alabama, told task force members common core puts too much emphasis on testing and is experimental.
“There is no data quantitatively to show any previous methods that this worked," she said. "This meeting today should have happened in 2010. We all should have been aware of what was is changing with these standards and what is coming so fast down the pipes and we should have had the data,” said White.
Arkansas teacher of the year for 2015, Ouida Newton, has taught math and science in the state for over 37 years. She currently teaches at the high-school level. She said she believes Common Core is a way to teach tech-savvy students to prepare for the future and think for themselves.
“The focus is not on a formula, the focus is not on an algorithm, the focus is on the students being able to solve a real-world problem," said Newton.
"That means in my classroom, the focus of my teaching is entirely different. I’m asking the students to apply their knowledge. I’m asking the students to think critically,” she added.
Governor Asa Hutchinson also visited the group and encouraged a revised Arkansas-specific plan for implementation of the new national standards.
The task force has a series of meetings at the capitol next month before seeking community input statewide. Initial recommendations are scheduled for this summer.
*A previous version of this article incorrectly reported Chasidy White is 2015 Alabama Teacher of the Year.
