Standards and Learning

Explain how state standards came into existence. Discuss the impact of the standards
movement on classroom instruction.
Towards the end of the twentieth century, the fifty states of America adopted benchmarks
based on different disciplines to measure and determine whether students in the country were
working at grade level. Each state had different standards. However, during benchmarking, it
was established that U.S. learners were lagging behind compared to learners from other
developed countries and this led to the establishment of the Common Core State Standards
(CCSS) (Hansen, Buczynski, & Puckett, 2015). The CCSS were created with the aim of aligning
different standards for each state with each other. They were also aimed at enhancing college
readiness among students.
CCSS has impacted classroom instruction in many ways, such as through the provision of
a clear and consistent understanding of the content that students are expected to learn.
Consequently, teachers and parents understand their role in facilitating the learning process. The
standards have led to more coherence and focus on the learning process (Hansen, Buczynski, &
Puckett, 2015). Students’ role in learning is well defined and they know exactly what they should
do in analyzing, explaining, and applying concepts learned in class.
How do the Common Core Standards intend to affect instruction in schools to meet both
learner and societal goals?
The CCSS aim at fostering initiative and self-direction. Students are taught how to set
both short-term and long-term goals and equipped with time management skills. Learners are
also provided with opportunities to become independent through developing attitudes and self-

direction towards life-long learning. The standards also ensure that every K-12 learner achieves
his or her goal of being college-ready or ready to join the workforce in the 21 st century (Hansen,
Buczynski, & Puckett, 2015). Further, the standards enhance the achievement of societal goals
by producing learners who are ready to transform society. By ensuring that learners are ready to
join the workforce, education is effectively meeting the demands of skills and knowledge in the
job market. Learners are ready to become productive members of society, and society’s
economic demands are being met.
What are some pros and cons of the Common Core Standards from your own point of
view?
One of the main pros of CCSS is that it is internationally benchmarked, and thus
compares favorably with standards being implemented in other nations, especially industrialized
countries. Therefore, the country’s educational rankings have improved and the students being
produced meet the international standards hence able to compare favorably on the international
platform. Besides, the standards are being used in most states in the country hence performance
across states can easily be compared. Previously, every state had its own different standards and
evaluations and this made it very complicated to make comparisons of results belonging to
different states. Students are able to understand what is expected of them. If a student
understands what is expected of him or her, learning becomes self-directed and purposeful as
opposed to when a student has no knowledge of what he or she is expected to achieve. On the
other hand, some of the cons associated with the CCSS are that it is rigid and does not have
modifications for students with special needs. In most states, students with special needs have a
specially modified version of a test. however, the CCSS does not have a specific tool for

evaluating such learners hence I think it lacks inclusivity. The needs of learners with special
needs are not considered.

References

Hansen, C.B., Buczynski, S., & Puckett, K.S. (2015). Curriculum and instruction for the 21 st
century. Bridgepoint Education