Standards Retrenched to Core

BRIANA THAI
Staff Writer

Common Core Standards (CCS) have a huge impact on the U.S. today. 45 out of the 50 states -excluding Texas, Alaska, Nebraska and Virginia- have adopted these standards that focus on English Language Arts, History, Math and Science. (Minnesota only adopted English and Math standards.)

According to corestandards.org, “the standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers. With American students fully prepared for the future, our communities will be best positioned to compete successfully in the global economy.”

However, in order to achieve this, CCS should increase the difficulty levels of each subject. Only then will more students be competitive for college scholarships and jobs.

The CCS limit the variety of topics and subjects taught in the 45 states, but instead of providing a rudimentary education of various subjects, the new standards cover a few chosen subjects more extensively.

Therefore, if the standards are raised, students are more likely to focus and succeed in class(es), as well as learning more from the intensive material given.

As opposed to mediocrework, more difficult standards, among other factors, will stimulate the mind. By raising the bar, students are forced to step up to the challenge or fall behind.