Teacher survey on Common Core standards
Teachers were given a written copy of a standard and asked whether “the standard is effectively worded.” They could say the standard was effectively worded or provide specific feedback in a box marked ‘other.’ Specific feedback is still being compiled by the Middle Georgia Regional Educational Service Agency, which conducted the survey. Here are a few examples of how many teachers said the standards are effectively worded:
Third-grade math: 33 standards, 358 teachers surveyed, 90.7 percent
Eighth-grade math: 33 standards, 211 teachers surveyed, 90.8 percent
Coordinate algebra: 59 standards, 249 teachers surveyed, 82.6 percent
Kindergarten English/language arts: 41 standards, 412 teachers surveyed, 88.5 percent
Fourth-grade English/language arts: 43 standards, 311 teachers surveyed, 92.8 percent say the standards are effectively worded
-11th and 12th-grade English/language arts: 41 standards, 218 teachers surveyed, 90.4 percent say the standards are effectively worded
Source: Middle Georgia Regional Educational Service Agency
A large majority of teachers think the Common Core academic standards Georgia now adheres to are worded effectively, according to a survey of teachers conducted for the state Board of Education.
The results of the survey, conducted this spring as part of a Common Core review ordered by Gov. Nathan Deal, run counter to one of the claims of Common Core critics, who have said teachers find the standards poorly written and confusing.
Teachers were not asked specifically if they support the standards, a potent political topic this election year.
A draft of the survey results was presented to state board members when they met last week. A more detailed report will be presented to them when the board holds a policy retreat next month.
Two of Common Core’s most persistent critics — Richard L. Woods, the Republican candidate for Georgia school superintendent and Tanya Ditty, state director of the conservative policy group Concerned Women for America — both said they wanted to see the details of the survey. Both raised questions about the number of teachers surveyed.
The Middle Georgia Regional Educational Service Agency, one of 16 agencies set up to coordinate and promote Georgia Department of Education initiatives, surveyed a varying number of teachers on the standards being used in math and English/language arts in kindergarten through 12th grade.
The number of standards teachers were asked about range from 23 in first-grade math to 71 in analytic geometry. According to the results reported, the number of teachers surveyed ranged from 54 in pre-calculus to 425 in kindergarten math. Carolyn Williams, president of the network of regional educational service agencies, said more teachers than that actually participated, however. In some districts, multiple teachers collaborated to provide a response, she said, adding that only seven of the state’s 180 school districts did not participate in the survey.
Anywhere from 79.1 percent of analytic geometry teachers to 93.5 percent of first-grade English/language arts teachers said the standards tied to their courses are worded effectively.
Georgia has more than 100,000 teachers.
“It is important to know the validity of the survey, i.e. which teachers were surveyed, the number of teachers surveyed, geographic make-up of the respondents, how the questions were phrased, the actual responses, etc.,” Ditty wrote in an e-mail to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I reached out to several teachers and their reply was that they never saw the survey.”
Woods said: “I have traveled thousands of miles during the course of the campaign and have spoken with numerous teachers from across the state. I have continued to hear concerns regarding the standards, the implementation, and the support being provided to our teachers.”
Lillian Govus, spokeswoman for Woods’ Democratic opponent, Valarie Wilson, said Wilson is hearing something different.
“We’ve had many communications with teachers who are saying we need to stay the course with the standards,” Govus said.
Georgia adopted Common Core in 2010. The math and English/language arts standards were not controversial at that time, but they have since come under attack by political conservatives and tea party activists as a federal intrusion into state control over public education.
Supporters say the standards improve education by increasing the rigor of academic material and harmonizing when students across the country are introduced to that material.
The service agency survey is only the most recent to indicate that Georgia teachers have warmed to Common Core.
In surveys conducted last fall for the state Department of Education and for the Professional Association of Georgia Educators, large majorities of those polled backed the standards.
“When we surveyed our members last fall we found overwhelming support for (Common Core) in general and while we didn’t explore the reasons for that support, satisfaction with the wording of the standards may have been a part of it,” PAGE spokesman Tim Callahan said. “We plan to survey again next month to dive a little deeper into teachers’ views.”
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