Common

Core
State
Standards
Myth: The Common Core is
a curriculum.
Fact: CCSS are a set of benchmarks for
what students should know in each
grade. They are not a curriculum. Tribally controlled, BIE, parochial and public
school districts will continue to develop
their own curriculum, and select textbooks and other instructional materials reflective of their community.

Myth: The Common Core is

a threat to academic
freedom.
Fact: The Common Core gives teachers
more freedom than they have had in the
past. With fewer standards to teach in
each subject, teachers can now spend
more class time devoted to making sure
every student understands the material.

Myth: The Standards tell

teachers what to teach.
Fact: The best understanding of what
works in classroom comes from the
teachers who are in them. CCSS will
establish what students need to learn,
but they will not dictate how teacher
should teach. Instead, schools and teachers will decide how best to help students
reach the standards.

Myths
vs.
Facts
Myth: The Common Core is
a federal mandate.
Fact: Individual states chose to adopt
Common Core standards which are
directly linked to what students need to
be prepared for post-secondary or
career technical education.

Myth: The Common Core is

a dumbing down of individual state standards.
Fact: CCSS are more rigorous than previous standards, focusing on more critical
thinking and problem solving skills. It is
expected that students may, at least at
first, have lower test scores since the
bar is being raised in the classroom.

Myth: Student test scores

will drop on the new
Common Core assessments compared with
scores on current state
assessments.
Fact: The Common Core assessments
that are under development are new
tests based on new standards, which
means they will set a new benchmark
for student performance.

Myth: The Standards are

vague description of skills;
they dont include a reading list or any other similar
reference to content
Fact: Common Core does provide
sample text that demonstrates the
level of text complexity appropriate
for the grade level and compatible with
learning demands. This provides teachers and administrators with flexibility
to make their own decisions about
what texts to use while providing an
excellent reference point when selecting texts.

Myth: English teachers will

have to teach science and
social studies reading materials
Fact: English teachers will teach students literature as well as literary nonfiction. In addition to non-fiction literature, teachers will focus on complex
text to ensure students are prepared to
read, write, and research across the
curriculum.

Myth: The Standards dont

have enough emphasis on
fiction/literature
Fact: The Standards require certain critical content for all students, including:
classic myths, stories of Indigenous
communities around the world,
Americas Founding Documents, and
foundational American literature. Consequently the remaining decisions about
what content should be taught are left
to local education agencies to determine.

Myth: The Standards do

not prepare or require
students to learn Algebra
in the 8th grade, as many
states currently do.
Fact: The Standards do accommodate
and prepare students for Algebra I in 8th
grade by including the prerequisites for
this course in grades K-7th. Students
who master the K-7 material will be able
to take Algebra I in 8th grade.

Myth: The Standards will

be implemented through
NCLB signifying the federal government will be
leading them.
Fact: The Common Core State Standards
initiative is a state-led effort that is not
part of NCLB and adoption of the Standards is in no way mandatory. The Standards implementation is being driven by
the needs of state, not the federal government.

Myth: These Standards

amount to a national curriculum for our schools.
Fact: The Standards are not a curriculum. They are a clear set of shared
goals and expectations for what
knowledge and skills will help students
succeed. Teachers will develop lesson
plans and tailor instruction to the
individual needs of the students in
their school community.