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assignment:
Respond to colleagues who assumed roles different from the role you assumed. Be sure to respond from the perspective of the role you assumed in your initial post. You may, for example, ask questions to better understand your colleagues’ positions. If the responses your colleagues provide lead you to rethink your perspective, explain how and why your perspective has changed.

discussion:
Let me begin by stating that most students can’t help but feel overwhelmed with all of the demands being made on them for the sake of academic achievement. During the first week of school, most students are given four different subject baseline exams. It is stressed to them that these exams are important because they will help their teacher’s specialize their instructional needs. Then the weeks that follow, students are given other types of test; which are used to gage where the student stands academically, at the national level. It is safe to say, that students definitely have no control of what is happening. In addition, they lack relevance to the information that they are being exposed to, because, it certainly feels to them that the tests are more important to their teachers than they are. Moreover, a question that comes to mind is the Common Core State Standardize exams fair to all students or do they just benefit some?

First, as suggested by Quay (2010) currently states are encouraged to develop individual content standards in order to ensure federal funding. However, this has been greatly criticized because this prevents teachers from covering the subject content in detailed because too much time is spent on testing. In addition, the increase number of tests sends mixed messages to students and their parents, as they focus most of their attention in the student passing the standardized exams, instead of them mastering the subject content (Quay, 2010). Moreover, students may be more inclined to obtain academic achievement if the teacher’s were more affective in their approach. For example, as supporte by Thier (2010), the main job of a teacher is to assist students in mastering scientific concepts and processes. Teacher’s need to believe that the student is intelligent and should encourage them to be reflective learners. In addition, students must be allowed to question their assumptions and should be encouraged to be independent thinkers and learners in order to be proactive in solving problems. The teacher’s secondary role is to help the student develop the literacy skills because all teachers need to support literacy within the text of their discipline. In addition, there are strategies that the teacher can use in order to the support the student such as performance expectations, explicit teaching strategies that support inquiry-based learning, and student metacognition strategies (Thier, 2010, p. 33).

Let me also state, that a major obstacle that students face is not having clear academic expectations translated to them. Teachers need to share the performance expectations with the students. In addition, it shouldn’t just include the goals the student is supposed to accomplish, but more importantly, what academic work the student needs to complete in order to achieve the expected goal. This will empower students because they take control of their learning and improvement. Specifically, it is important for students to have performance expectation in all areas of reading, writing, listening and speaking. Students can attain this if the information provided makes accurate interpretations, and include real-world connections about the text (Their, 2002, p. 33).

Lastly, how can we motivate students to be independent thinkers and learners when they usually look for help from classmates, teachers, and parents when struggling with problems, before trying to solve them independently. In addition, too many students lack the metacognitive skills needed to explain how they process what they are thinking. Also, why is it that many students think that making a mistake is unnatural and view it as a permanent failure? This is why students need a classroom environment that fosters risk taking. Otherwise, they will feel defeated and just quit. Moreover, students need to take pride in their work. This would be easier if the content at hand had relevance to their lives (Cunningham, Krull, Land & Russell, 2000).

In conclusion the Common Core State Standardize tests cannot be more important than the students. In order for the students to master proficiency, there has to a correlation in the instructional materials, its relevance to the student and how it progresses to the next grade level.

Reference

Cuningham, J., Krull, C., Land, N., & Russell, S. (2000). Motivating Students to

be Self-reflective Learners through Goal-setting and Self-evaluation.

Retrieved from ERIC Digital Dissertation (ED 446 872)

Quay, L. (2010). Higher standards for all: Implications of the Common Core for

equity in education. Research Brief. Chief Justice Earl Warren Institute On

Race, Ethnicity and Diversity. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Their, M. (2010, February) Science & Literacy, Tools for Life. Science Scope,

p. 33.