Ø Achievement tumbles when students switch schools. The common core standards and consistent assessment practices provide consistency of important skills for every student. All our children should be given the opportunity to excel by being offered a rigorous curriculum. If all schools are implementing the common core standards then we will reduce the number of students who tumble if they switch schools. In today’s day and age it does seem that more families are moving more frequently than then did 20 years ago. The Common Core helps to provide a framework for teachers at each grade level of where students should be by the end of the year and will help cut down on discrepancies in learning. If we adopt this practice and stay true to it, then there will be less gaps between what students are learning in each of our schools. This will benefit our children and strengthen our public education system state wide.

Ø Some people may think that by having common standards, it will limit the freedom in the classroom. At first glance, one may think that but the fact remains that it is simply not true. The purposes of the standards is to provide a consistent end result for our students at various grade levels. In no way does this prohibit a master teacher from getting to this end goal in his/her own way. Let me provide an example of how I, as a classroom teacher, interpret one of the standards and how I would incorporate it into a lesson. I will take for example a standard on reading information text for grade 9-10, that students will “Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.” In order to help students develop this skill, the students would work with various texts (not just a textbook) like reading newspaper, magazine articles, internet blogs, websites and analyze what the text is describing and from what perspective that information is shared. As part of this standard, it is also important that students be able to cite this source correctly. In today’s information age, there is a lot of information coming at us quickly. This skill, to be able to determine information accurately and from what perspective it is coming at us from, is a life skill that everyone should have.

Let me elaborate further with a specific example. If we were to look at a controversial issue like the Northern Pass. There is a lot of information coming at us from both sides; both make very compelling arguments. Wouldn’t it be a great opportunity for our students to read various perspectives, from various textual sources and analyze what those sources are saying about Northern Pass? Then students can become personally involved by digesting the information and taking a position based off of the information they have learned. This is a higher order thinking skill that we want all students to have as they go into the work force or off to college. We want students to be able to analyze information and then form their own, educated, position. This is what a civilized society does. And, students also need to be able to give credit to where they “heard things” by citing them, rather than just saying, “oh, I read it somewhere” or “it was on the internet, it must be true”. So, if we take this example, in one classroom, students may analyze textual information about the Northern Pass but in another classroom, they may read about drilling for oil in Alaska or about the impact of a historical event like the Civil War. The bottom line is that the common core standards don’t inhibit teachers from being good teachers but it does encourage all to have high standards for all our students. How can anyone argue that this is a bad idea?

Ø Our state motto philosophically supports a “hands off” approach, so we should not adopt anything educationally that limits the freedom to the people in our state. Again, the common core standards do not limit, what they provide is a guide for teachers to have rigorous expectations for ALL our students so that they are prepared for the world that they are going into. It also provides consistency throughout the state for all students to be challenged the way that they should be challenged, with a rigorous curriculum and high expectations. Our students deserve nothing less.

Ø Regarding the testing that aligns with the Core, we should not delay in testing the students because some may think that the students are not prepared. Rather than delaying testing, we should go forward and use the test results as a baseline to compare future test results in order to see the growth as common core standards are implemented throughout the state.

Thank you for taking the time to read my arguments supporting the CCSS instructional practices for teachers, as well as the assessment practices that will align with the standards. If I can be of further assistance to help answer any questions that you may have about how the CCSS will help to overall improve our education system in NH, I would be more than happy to follow up with you.

I would consider any further action of the legislature that delays, outlaws or weakens the continued development of common core based instruction and improved assessment practices to be extremely unwise. These include: HB 1239, 1238, 1432, 1508 (and others with similar intent).

Respectfully Submitted,

Kimberly Kelliher
Wolfeboro, NH 03894