Common Core settling into Colo., despite mixed response

    Even as the national debate around Common Core has died down, Holyoke teachers are working to build systems of accountability that balance federal guidelines with developing technologies and regional needs.
    Like many rural districts, Holyoke School District places a high value on involvement within the community and faces unique challenges, including a shortage of educators.
    The federal guidelines were put in place partly to level the academic playing field within the states.
    In 2010, the first set of federal education guidelines for English language arts and math were made available to states as part of the Common Core State Standards Initiative.
    Colorado was among 45 states that adopted all of the Common Core guidelines when they were introduced. The guidelines were fully integrated into the state’s curriculum by fall 2013.
    Because Common Core only defines the concepts that students should be learning at each grade level, it is the state’s responsibility to decide on a curriculum that meets the needs of local students while satisfying federal requirements.
    The Colorado Academic Standards regulate the teaching of music; visual arts; drama and theatre arts; dance; comprehensive health; physical education; math; reading, writing and communicating; science; social studies; and world languages. The standards for English and math were revised following the publication of the CCSSI to reflect the guidelines of Common Core.
    In 2010, the state also voted to re-evaluate the CAS every six years, starting in 2018. The State Board of Education finished its first review July 1 and is scheduled to release a complete list of curricular revisions for all subject areas in August.
    Several states have rolled back or reversed their adoption of the initiative. Opponents say the guidelines are inadequately catered to the needs of local students and reflect a federal power creep. Supporters say Common Core was modeled after the education systems of high-achieving countries like Singapore and Finland, and point out that the standards were drafted with the help of educators recruited from across the country.
    A 2016 survey sponsored by the Colorado Department of Education found that 49 percent of respondents — including parents, students, educators and state agency staff — had a positive impression of the CAS. Broken down further, 53 percent of K-12 educators and 32 percent of parents were satisfied with the state standards.
    Still, the needs of students differ widely within the state.
    For example, incoming Holyoke Elementary principal Andrea Kammer said northeast Colorado districts have struggled with teaching number sense — a set of abstract skills that impacts students’ ability to do basic mental math.

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