Tougher Standards Proposed for Anchorage School District Students

March 13, 2012|By Jason Lamb | Channel 2 News

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Anchorage School District announced Tuesday it may soon be expecting more from its students, under a proposal to adopt nationally-recognized education standards called Common Core State Standards.

At a press conference, Superintendent Carol Comeau said adopting the standards -- which affect english and math subjects -- would bring benefits to both students and the district.

She said students could expect more specific requirements under the Common Core curriculum, saying that Alaska's own state education standards -- which are currently under revision -- are sub-par when compared to other states.

For an example, Darla Jones -- the curriculum director for the Anchorage School District -- said under the Common Core curriculum, a sixth-grader would be expected to use a computer to type three pages of text in a single sitting. Under the current Alaska state standards, students are simply required to write "with a word processor using formatting features to produce a final draft."

Comeau said the proposed transition to Common Core standards would not affect the district's review of its K-8 math program, including the Everyday Math program that has garnered mixed reviews from both parents and teachers.

School Board President Gretchen Guess said the transition to Common Core standards changes what concepts are taught, and when they are taught. The districts review of its math program would address how to teach those concepts.

Comeau says implementation of the Common Core standards would also mean less training for teachers whom the district hires from Outside, because the vast majority of other states have already adopted Common Core standards.

Comeau says the transition to Common Core will also make it easier to compare Anchorage student performance to that of students in the rest of the country. As part of that, Comeau said the district is considering an additional, nationwide test for its students to take -- known as the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Tests would be given in grades 4, 8 and 12. Currently, the NAEP is given in only a sample of Anchorage Schools, according to Heidi Embley, with the district.

Comeau said that even with the possible expansion of assessment, if teachers teach to the Common Core standards, "it is my hope" that they wouldn't need to "teach to the test."

Guess said the incoming superintendent, Jim Browder, is supportive of the Common Core proposal.

The school board will be taking up the proposal at its March 22 meeting, when it's encouraging people to give their opinions about the proposed changes.

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