Common Core: Understanding standards vs. curriculum. The what vs. the how.

The conservative sweep in the recent elections has got a lot of people talking about what it means for Common Core, but while many are talking about the fate of the standards, I don ' t think there ' s enough talk about what the standards actually are.

The biggest sticking points seems to be confusion over one major misconception. The Common Core State Standards are standards  and not a curriculum.

Now I know what many of the Common Core opponents are saying to themselves right now:  But the curriculum and the tests will have to be aligned with the standards, so essentially, the federal government is forcing a national curriculum on local school districts.

Let ' s put aside the fact that Common Core was initiated in large part by our own Gov. Sonny Perdue and voluntarily supported by dozens of other state governors.

It ' s important to consider the distinction between standards and curriculum and understand how much of an impact one really has on the other.

Let ' s say we believe all students in a district should know how to read an essay and determine the author ' s position and the arguments he or she used to support that position. That would be a standard.

It could call for class projects where everyone in the class works together and receives the same grade based on the final product. It might assign homework that requires watching MSNBC, and quiz students on last night ' s reading of the Huffington Post.

Teachers could have students study essays on how free markets built this nation, pulling bootstraps and the American Dream, and the dangers of government dependency. Each student ' s project grade would depend on a popular vote by his classmates. And homework assignments, in this case, would require watching FOX News, with quizzes based on Glenn Beck ' s podcast.

Common Core doesn ' t change that. Getting students to understand an author ' s argument doesn ' t dictate the types of materials a district uses to teach and it doesn ' t force teachers into a particular lesson plan.

As a former school teacher and principal, and as someone who has participated in district accreditation, I ' ve seen first hand how setting clear expectations fosters higher-performing students, happier teachers, and more engaged parents.

That ' s what Common Core does.